3 Notable Players To Watch When Prairie View A&M Takes On Texas A&M

A game between two schools that are separated by a 49-minute drive.

It’s Texas A&M hosting Prairie View A&M, which calls home right down the road, and wants to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season if it can pull it out.

The Panthers are coached by Byron Smith, who is in his fifth season as the leader and is in his ninth with the program. During his term, he has guided the Panthers to two SWAC regular-season championships and one SWAC tournament title.

In order for Smith to walk out of Aggieland with a win, he’ll be crossing his fingers and hoping that these three players will have the best game of their collegiate career, but coach Bucky McMillan’s team will do everything in its power to close out the non-conference slate with a win before going into a tough conference schedule.

Tai’Reon Joseph, Guard

Byron Smith coaching the Prairie View A&M Panthers. — Dec 30, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Prairie View A&M Panthers head coach Byron Smith talks with Prairie View A&M Panthers guard Kevin McGaskey (0) during a timeout against the Texas A&M Aggies during the second half at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Wondering about who the leading scorer for the Panthers is? It’s this man. The senior, Tai’ron Joesph, is a 6-foot-3 guard in his fifth season of collegiate basketball. On his journey, he has made four other stops, including Southern, Austin Peay, UTSA and Radford. Anywhere he’s gone, he's brought experience and played against various programs.

The product from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been an asset for Smith’s program, even as they are 5-6 this season. From the field, Joseph has shot 43 percent from the field and is making the best of his opportunity against big programs. He averages 21.1 points and is attacking the glass in that department with 3.2 rebounds.

Joey Madimba, Guard

Merry Swishmas 🎄 More of this action next Monday ‼️#GigEm | #BuckyBall pic.twitter.com/Ukg8hkrxXC
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) December 22, 2025

Another senior from Mansfield, Texas, has played only three games this season but has posted good numbers since returning to the court. In the three games he has played in, he has accumulated 41 points and played 62 minutes. In all three appearances, he has shot 50 percent or better. Not too shabby.

The 6-foot-5 weapon has been great from the field, going 57.7 percent on average. For Prairie View A&M, he posted solid numbers in the points category, averaging 13.7 points. So far, he has only made one three from behind the arc, but is doing a solid job of getting to the charity stripe and also snagging a few steals. If he is able to heat up, he could be one of the heroes of the night and irritate the defense he faces.

Cory Wells, Forward

There is a lot of activity in the paint, courtesy of the work senior Cory Wells has done. He is extraordinary at crashing the glass and fighting for the basketball. As it stands, he is averaging 12.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists. From the field, he has gone 38.2 percent, but in his last appearance, he was quiet and couldn’t nail hardly any baskets.

The Murphy, Texas, native has earned plenty of minutes and the trust of the coaching staff. When a player earns 30.5 minutes per game, the opposing team knows that he is one of the higher-quality players on the court.

From the 3-point range, he hasn’t cashed on a decent amount of his shots, but he can make them on occasion. He is great at penetrating down the lane and earning trips to the free-throw line. At the charity stripe, he shoots 78.3 percent, so he is one of the guys that the Panthers want to draw the whistle. The Aggies must prepare for the forward play, especially with the intelligence of the man wearing No. 13.