#107 Texas A&M Men's Basketball 2021-2022 Preview

Jacob Young
Mon, 07/26/2021
 
 
Texas A&M Aggies
 
2021-2022 Overall Rank: #107
Conference Rank: #11 SEC
Texas A&M Logo
 
Texas A&M had their 2020-21 season greatly affected by COVID protocols. The Aggies played just ten regular season conference games and didn’t play a single game in the month of February. This season will be year three for Buzz Williams and expectations will slowly start to rise. Last year’s top player Emanuel Miller transferred, but the Aggies added a few key transfers of their own along with a top-40 recruit. Williams has proven his coaching ability at his previous two schools, so it should only be a matter of time before he gets Texas A&M back to competing in the SEC.

2020-21 Record: 8-10, 2-8
2020-21 Postseason: None
Coach: Buzz Williams
Coach Record: 24-24 at Texas A&M, 277-179 overall
 
Key Departed Players:
Emanuel Miller, Forward, 16.2 ppg
Savion Flagg, Forward, 8.8 ppg
Jay Jay Chandler, Guard, 8.2 ppg
Kevin Marfo, Forward, 2.6 ppg
Jaxson Robinson, Forward, 2.1 ppg
Jonathan Aku, Center, 1.8 ppg
 
Key Returning Players:
Quinton Jackson, Senior, Guard, 10.4 ppg
Andre Gordon, Junior, Guard, 8.3 ppg
Hassan Diarra, Sophomore, Guard, 5.8 ppg
Hayden Hefner, Sophomore, Guard, 2.1 ppg
 
Key New Players:
Javonte Brown, Sophomore, Center, Transfer from Connecticut
Aaron Cash, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Junior College
Henry Coleman, Sophomore, Forward, Transfer from Duke
Ethan Henderson, Senior, Forward, Transfer from Arkansas
Manny Obaseki, Freshman, Guard
Ashton Smith, Freshman, Forward
Wade Taylor, Freshman, Guard
Marcus Williams, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Wyoming
 
Projection:
There won’t be much returning from last year’s team but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering the Aggies won just two conference games. Texas A&M will get back Quinton Jackson who was one of two players to average double-digit points last season. Andre Gordon also returns after averaging 8.3 points and 2.7 assists as a sophomore. Hassan Diarra and Hayden Hefner are the only other two members back from last year’s squad. Much of Texas A&M’s potential success this year will hinge on the new arrivals. The most notable addition would likely be former Wyoming guard Marcus Williams. Williams was named the Mountain West Rookie of the Year and earned all-conference honors as a freshman. Williams averaged 14.8 points, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals in his debut collegiate season and should add some much-needed scoring for the Aggies. Henry Coleman was a top-50 recruit for Duke last season but only saw five minutes per game in 19 appearances. Buzz Williams will look to unlock Coleman’s full potential in his sophomore season. Ethan Henderson spent the last three years at Arkansas, though he’s never averaged double-digit minutes per game in a season. Javonte Brown is a seven-footer who only appeared in two games for UConn last season. Lastly, Aaron Cash is a junior college transfer who is heralded as a sharpshooter as he made 45.7% of his three’s last year. The Aggies also have a solid recruiting class, led by Manny Obaseki, a 6-4 guard and top-40 recruit nationally. Buzz Williams will coach a team with more raw talent this season and has a chance to make Texas A&M competitive in the SEC again.
 
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 64.3 (312th in nation, 14th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.9 (78, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.5 (285, 13)
Field-Goal Defense: 45.0 (244, 11)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.5 (251, 10)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 29.9 (312, 14)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.6 (110, 7)
Rebound Margin: 1.2 (147, 9)
Assists Per Game: 12.1 (239, 12)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.8 (275, 9)
 
 
Madness 2021 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#29 Manny Obaseki
#113 Wade Taylor