SEC Basketball Tipoff: Texas A&M Aggies' Returners, Buzz Williams' Harsh Truth & More
Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball coach Buzz Williams has been in Aggieland for four full seasons, and he still surprises reporters with his bluntness at times.
The SEC's "Basketball Tipoff" saw Williams and every other Southeastern Conference coach take the podium as basketball season draws nearer to speak on their team's preparation, situation and expectations heading into non-conference play — a fairly routine event.
But while that's the case, Williams' squad is anything but routine.
“Every coach has a different philosophy on what they want to do with their team in the summer and [during the early fall],” Williams said. “I think we’re always behind, but I think we’re behind for the right reasons.”
Oct 18, 2023; Brimingham, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Buzz Williams talks with the media during the SEC Basketball Tipoff at Grand Bohemian Hotel Mountain Brook.
© Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
Being "behind" is a rarely a good thing, but to Williams' point, the Aggies take extra care when assembling their roster in the late summer and early fall. More practices, more fundamentals, more basketball.
For a new roster, much like the one Texas A&M had last season, that does have its drawbacks. The Aggies struggled in non-conference play to start the year, which led to a rapid decrease in season expectations. After all, if you can't beat Wofford at home, you can't beat Alabama in the same arena. Right?
The Aggies proved that wrong when SEC play began. Suddenly, they found their groove and ran with it, cruising to 15 conference victories and a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, surprising the entire college basketball world in the process.
“Texas A&M wasn’t very good in non-conference play,” Williams said. “If you look at any of the games at Myrtle Beach, we were awful. There was a lot of embarrassment at Christmas. … I think the competitive spirit of our players [helped our improvement].”
Harsh, but honest words from Williams. That's part of what makes him a special coach for Texas A&M. A team that hadn't been a true contender in the NCAA tournament since Alex Caruso was an Aggie in 2015 found itself back in the mix.
The Aggies' ensuring tournament run last season was less than ideal, as Texas A&M fell to Penn State in its first outing, but despite that loss — which was used as evidence for avid non-supporters to call the Aggies "fraudulent" — Williams and company are ready to prove themselves once again with a largely returning roster.
“We have a better chance at success if we lead the league in the lowest number of transfers," Williams said. "We have to find categories that are not statted and try to turn them into competitive advantages.”
Between Wade Taylor IV, Tyrece Radford, Henry Coleman III, Julius Marble, Hayden Hefner, Andersson Garcia, Solomon Washignton and Manny Obaseki, Texas A&M is returning most of its starting core, as well as key bench players, which isn't mentioning some of the new faces set to join the fold this season.
Having familiar faces who know the team, know Williams and have on-court experience is a big plus, but according to Williams, his players' talent doesn't tell the entire picture of Texas A&M's roster.
“Our staff has done a really job of finding the right people for all of us to coach,” Williams said. “I can’t take any of the credit. I have to give credit to our staff and to the parents of our players.”
Williams' praise of character goes to show, again, his unique coaching style. His coaching style that not only attracts talent to College Station, but keeps it there.
But despite the familiar faces, Williams says the Aggies' upcoming schedule — complete with games against Ohio State and highly-rated Houston — will be a test none of them are privy to.
“We do have a lot of returning players, but we’re also playing arguably the toughest non-conference schedule that A&M has ever played,” Williams said. “We don’t have much wiggle room to give away possessions at any point.”
So, the pressure is on. Williams and the Aggies have their work cut out for them, but all signs point toward a re-run of last season. Texas A&M has the talent, the returning chemistry, the coach and even the schedule to establish themselves as a true powerhouse. Now, it's up to them to show it.
Texas A&M's first matchup of the season is a charity exhibition against Texas Tech in Denton. Tipoff on Oct. 29 is set for 4:30 p.m. CST.
