ESPN recently released their ranking of the top 20 college basketball teams in the nation, and New Maxico State Aggies were ranked at number 5 for Aggies New Season. The Aggies are one of the youngest teams to be ranked that high, with an average age of only 19 years old, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. Last year, they surprised everyone by finishing 2nd in the Pac-12 conference and reaching the NCAA tournament, so this year should be even better.
Christian Williams
There is little doubt that point guard Jaylen Barford will be a legitimate contender for Conference Player of The Year (CCPOY). He led all freshmen in scoring, assists, and steals. With a new head coach in Mike Anderson at State, Barford’s maturity will help him learn faster.
Also, with his length and size Williams is one of the best on-ball defenders in all of college basketball. He has quick hands and always makes good use of positioning to get around screens. In his freshman year he averaged 1.5 steals per game, which ranked him 16th in NCAA D1.
Jaron Nash
The hype surrounding Kyle Field has continued to grow each season. And you know that when it comes to A&M football, a large part of that excitement stems from our recruiting class. As one of only a handful of players in Texas who have held offers from both Nick Saban and Kevin Sumlin, Tyrel Dodson is arguably our most sought-after prospect since Johnny Manziel signed on with Texas A&M just before National Signing Day in 2012.
And when you look at where he’s coming from, it’s easy to see why. The cities of Marshall and Atlanta have a storied history in Georgia football, but they’ve never had a season like Hillgrove did during Dodson’s senior year. With RoJo running under center, they rattled off an 11-1 record while outscoring their opponents by more than 30 points per game on average.
Nick Harvey
It’s true that Texas A&M had a disappointing season last year, missing out on postseason play entirely, but they enter into their next campaign with higher expectations than ever before. With a likely top-three recruiting class joining an experienced core of upperclassmen, there is no reason to doubt that they won’t be competitive in most games they enter. The Aggies are ready to put their dismal season behind them and continue their upward trend into what should be an exciting campaign.
It’s hard to say how they will end up in terms of record, but I don’t expect them to finish worse than 3rd in conference play. There is reason to believe that Texas A&M could make it all the way back to Nationals after last year’s disappointment.
AD Amaury Harris
We have a unique opportunity to build off of last year’s success and keep moving forward as we continue to work toward our goals, Harris said. This group of guys has come together and is ready to take on any challenge that gets in front of us. We are confident we can be successful again and even better than before, but also know that it is going to take a collective effort throughout our locker room.
What makes this team so fun to watch? Who can you not wait to see play? And what does success look like for a team that’s full of players who just want to win. What will be their motivation?
What makes this team so fun to watch – Third Paragraph below:
The Aggies feature an array of athletes who can get after it in a variety of ways. Brandon Ogbe, #10 on your program, is athletic with explosive power.
Elijah Mitrou-Long
The Aggies were one of the top teams in college basketball last season, thanks to a talented core. But injuries prevented them from making a deep run in March Madness, so they’re eager to get out there and prove their worth once again. The talent is certainly there—now it’s time to see if they can put it all together. Will they make an appearance in March Madness? Tune into CBS Sports Network on Friday, November 11 at 9 p.m. to find out!
Head coach Billy Kennedy has a tall task ahead of him, replacing an experienced squad with six senior starters. But that’s nothing new for Kennedy—in his nine years at A&M, he’s only had one year in which he wasn’t forced to build a new roster around a wave of departing seniors. With Mitrou-Long at the helm, expect much of what made last season’s team so special to carry over into 2017–18.
Joahson Aldridge
As a huge fan of Texas A&M basketball, and a resident of College Station, I couldn’t be more excited to see how our season turns out. In particular, we have one of the best players in all of college basketball, Thomas TJ Starks. Last year he averaged 13 points and 9 rebounds a game while hitting on almost 50% from behind three-point range and Aggies New Season .
The game against Central Florida will be a great test. If we can’t pull out a win against that team, it will likely be an indication of how our season will go. That said, as long as Starks can stay on court and we play to our potential, I expect big things from Texas A&M Basketball in 2019!
Chuck O’Bannon Jr.
Although I love my son and think he is talented, smart, and good looking, he’s still just a boy. He hasn’t proven that he can play at a high level like college basketball yet. Sometimes it is difficult to be an involved parent when your child is still young. You want to give them opportunities and help them succeed but they have to work on their own too.
Although I think he is ready to be successful, it is hard to let go sometimes. As parents we don’t want our kids to struggle and hurt feelings are never fun. Hopefully Chuck will understand my perspective and be patient with me too. This Aggies New Season is going to be a new experience for both of us and hopefully one that will pay off in many positive ways!
Dylan Osetkowski
The Maxico State Aggies have a lot to be excited about. After last season, Osetkowski decided to stay in school and not go pro, where he would have definitely been drafted with how he played his junior year.
Osetkowski is a 6’10 power forward and can really be a game changer. Not only does he have great size, but he has good speed and jumps high enough to dunk. This makes him very versatile, as he doesn’t have any major weaknesses on his game that can be exploited by opposing teams.
Kyle Collinsworth
The arrival of transfer Kyle Collinsworth should boost an offense that has finished outside of Kenpom’s top-100 in each of Wiles’ two seasons. The BYU grad transfer is one of college basketball’s all-time great facilitators, leading his team to a remarkable 1.33 points per possession during his final season in Provo. He ranked as one of college basketball’s most efficient pick-and-roll ball handlers last season, converting on 49 percent of his 152 attempts.
Even if Collinsworth were to take a step back, he’ll have plenty of help. Kuran Iverson and Martaveous McKnight both ranked among WAC’s most efficient scorers last season, with both posting true shooting percentages above 62 percent on above-average usage rates. The duo combined to make just under half of their 3-point attempts, helping them rank as some of college basketball’s most prolific scoring threats around pick-and-rolls last season.
