The SEC added two members in the offseason, and one of them starts the year inside the CBB Review Top 25: Texas A&M basketball.
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Texas A&M basketball.
Continuity is key as Texas A&M reloads with almost the same roster for what seems like the fourth straight season. Last year, the Aggies entered the regular season with high expectations and a No. 15 ranking in the preseason AP poll after Wade Taylor IV, Tyrece Radford, and Henry Coleman III all returned to College Station.
But the Aggies fell out of the poll after a December home loss to Memphis and never resurfaced amongst the Top 25 for the duration of the season. Starting with a 3-4 record in SEC games, Buzz Williams’s squad looked like they got their momentum back after a victory against then-No. 6 Tennessee to cap a three-game conference winning streak, but lost their next five, dropping to a 15-13 overall record and a 6-9 mark in SEC games.
That’s when, amidst a season of ups and downs, the Aggies found their spark. Manny Obaseki went on a heater, as did Taylor IV, and Texas A&M won five de facto elimination games before falling to Florida in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
Entering the NCAA Tournament as a 9 seed with a 20-14 record, the Aggies’ offense took care of Nebraska with ease. In the Round of 32, however, a big-hearted effort wasn’t enough to take out a injury-riddled Houston squad, and the season ended.
This year, all key players return except for Radford. Taylor IV, Coleman III, Obaseki, big men Solomon Washington and Andersson Garcia, and guards Jace Carter and Hayden Hefner all are running it back, making the floor quite high yet again for this squad.
They’ll be joined by three experienced transfers from the D-1 ranks: Zhuric Phelps (SMU), Pharrel Payne (Minnesota), and C.J. Wilcher (Nebraska). Phelps will be on the wing, as will Wilcher, with Payne in the post. Incoming freshmen from the 2024 class include guard Andre Mills and forwards George Turkson Jr. and Christopher McDermott. Wing Rob Dockery redshirted with the program last year and is listed as a freshman, bringing the team’s total to 14 contributors.
Again, these Aggies will have a high floor. But in previous years, it was poor shooting from outside the arc that did the team in. Will they finally put together a complete season in Buzz Williams’s 6th year at the helm, or will the era of Wade Taylor IV end with a ‘what if’?
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach: Buzz Williams (6th season at Texas A&M, 18th season overall)
2023-24 record: 21-15 (9-9)
2024 postseason finish: Lost to Houston (100-95) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Tyrece Radford (16.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.6 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Ohio State (Nov. 15)
- Players Era Festival Power Tournament (Nov. 26-30, Las Vegas)
- vs. Wake Forest (Dec. 3)
- vs. Texas Tech (Dec. 8, Fort Worth)
- vs. Purdue (Dec. 14, Indianapolis)
Projected Rotation
PG: Wade Taylor IV (6-0, 180, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 19.1 PPG, 4.0 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.8 SPG
SG: Manny Obaseki (6-4, 200, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 7.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.7 APG
SF: Zhuric Phelps (6-4, 190, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 14.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.9 SPG (SMU)
PF: Solomon Washington (6-7, 220, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 7.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.8 APG, 1.1 BPG
C: Henry Coleman III (6-8, 250, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 8.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.7 APG
6: Andersson Garcia (6-7, 220, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 6.0 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 55.2 FG%
7: Pharrel Payne (6-9, 250, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 10.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.4 BPG (Minnesota)
8: Jace Carter (6-6, 225, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 6.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 0.6 APG
9: C.J. Wilcher (6-5, 210, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 7.7 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.8 APG, 39.4 3P% (Nebraska)
10: Hayden Hefner (6-6, 190, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 5.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.6 APG
11: Rob Dockery (6-6, 215, R-Fr.)
Redshirted in 2023-24
12: Andre Mills (6-4, 205, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #91 ranked recruit
13: George Turkson Jr. (6-7, 220, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #122 ranked recruit
14: Christopher McDermott (6-7, 225, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #151 ranked recruit
Texas A&M Basketball Team MVP: Wade Taylor IV
Taylor IV, a member of the preseason first-team All-SEC squad, is one of the most decorated players in recent Aggies history. Standing at just 6 feet tall, Taylor has mastered the ability to get both outside and inside, having averaged 193.5 free throw attempts per season over the past two years while ranking top five in the SEC in 3PM both seasons as well.
The heartbeat of the offense runs through Taylor, with his 31.0% usage rate ranking 2nd in the conference last year. It’s not all about the offense, however, with his steal percentage ranking behind only Reed Sheppard, Cameron Matthews, and Dashawn Davis last year in the SEC. Taylor’s assist percentage was bested only by Zakai Zeigler, Rob Dillingham, and Ezra Manjon in the conference. That’s quite the company.
This year, Taylor should only improve with an increase in offensive weapons at his disposal, including Zhuric Phelps and C.J. Wilcher. The departure of backcourt buddy Boots Radford might leave Obaseki, Phelps, and Carter vying for that duo-esque role beside Taylor on offense, but this year it’s a role best filled by committee. Taylor is the leader of this team, and he could lead the program to their first Sweet Sixteen since the Andy Kennedy-led 2017-18 team.
Texas A&M Basketball make-or-break player: Solomon Washington
I’ve been writing about Washington since the summer of 2022, before his freshman season. An underrated three-star recruit out of Carver in New Orleans, Washington saw his minutes double from 12.2 MPG in 2022-23 to 23.8 MPG last year, and he should retain a starting role after logging 20 starts for the Aggies his sophomore year.
One reason for the jump in opportunity was a jump himself by Washington in terms of defensive production. Already a stalwart on the defensive side, Washington improved his block percentage to 5.9%, a mark that, amongst qualifying players, fell behind only Johni Broome, Jonas Aidoo, and Grant Nelson in the SEC. All three were starters for teams that made the NCAA Tournament. He was more disciplined defensively as well, cutting his PF/40 minutes rate to 4.4 after posting 6.1 fouls per 40 minutes during his freshman season.
Even though he stands at ‘just’ 6 feet, 7 inches, Washington plays as physically as if he were 7 feet tall. The next step is finding a perimeter shot. He did hit three triples against Iowa State, in which he set a career-high mark of 18 points, one he would match against Florida in the conference tournament.
Key analytic: 3P%
For the eighth straight year, Texas A&M recorded a 3P% below 33.0%. That’s a feat they haven’t accomplished since 2015-16 when Alex Caruso was still in College Station, and the poor shooting from outside is part of the reason they’ve advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament just once in that frame. Starting from 2016-17, the Aggies’ 3PT% has ranked 277th, 291st, 331st, 337th, 319th, 251st, 269th, and all the way down to 345th nationally last season. That’s not good.
What did they do to improve in the offseason in this aspect? Bring in three transfers with a career 3PT% of 26.1% (Phelps), 0.0% (Payne), and, thankfully, 36.8% (Wilcher). Not counting the freshmen, who likely will be minute-starved due to the lack of roster turnover, the plan is seemingly to keep chucking and hope for the best. It’s not like it’s produced horrible results, with a NIT runner-up and two tournament appearances in the past three years, but it does limit the team’s ceiling. How far would the Aggies have gone recently if they had managed even a 33-35% clip from deep, about average? That’s not a question that can be answered, but certainly one tempting to ask.
Texas A&M Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 4th in the SEC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Exit
[…] only caveat is the lack of perimeter shooting. As mentioned in the Texas A&M preview, this program hasn’t finished the year with a 3PT% of 33.0% or higher since 2015-16. […]