You have 5 guys - JJ Chandler , Savion Flagg , Wendell Mitchell , Mark French , and Nebo that have the ability to change the trajectory on this season and lay the foundation for the Buzz Williams era at A&M . Each one of these homegrown Texas kids - must step up , understand their role , run The Buzz Williams system and play to their potential ; the bottomline - they have to LEAD - This season is not lost - there is enough talent on this team ( regardless of what many fans think ) to compete at a high level , win some big games , be a mid level SEC team by January / February and cause some havoc in early March ; if these guys start doing their job - setting the tone with work ethic , intensity and a "never say die " mentality - things can and will change . Regardless of what many fans may think This team is not far from being 5-1 ; it all comes down to one thing - scoring the basketball ; if each of these kids score the ball just 1-2 more times a game we have a chance to win both games against Harvard and temple - they are all absolutely capable of that ; the team is playing terrific defense - great at times , effort and intensity every possession is strong and the OFFENSE - even with a tremendous amount of new concepts and sets- is being run with enough execution to get " open looks " - the problem is that we have capable players that are not shooting the basketball to their absolute potential yet ; Flagg , Chandler , French , And Mitchell - can all shoot the ball at the high D1 level - just 2 more buckets per game from each of these kids OR just increasing their 3 point FG% to 35-40% will transform the season and our ability to compete . On top of these guys , you've got Gordon and several other additions that will improve and contribute in some big ways . One can argue talent , one can argue coaching , one can argue the absence of Admon Gilder , one can point out many other deficiencies of this team - but the "one key"
for This season and for This team is going to be the Texas 5 - and their ability to "shoot/score " to their potential

I love your post. I think the guys you mention have played hard and I think there is some talent

I think this team will play really good defense this year because they are capable

I just don't think we can score enough to be an average team. I am not sure you can coach putting the ball in the hole or just being a good shooter

We have got wide open shots in the last 2 games just can't make shots collectively.

The only player on the team that has proven he can make 50% of his game shots is Nebo

The problem here is that the fans make ridiculous and harsh judgements on these kids without really knowing their backgrounds , never seeing a practice/ workout or understanding what their potential is . Do you really think Buzz is going to put somebody on the floor who doesn't DESERVE to be there ? This is a top 15 coach in the country - he knows what he's doing , he understands talent and we are lucky to have him . Basketball is not just about putting 5 superstars on a court and saying " play" - it's about molding 5 guys into a cohesive unit that plays as one - it's not about the pieces - it's about the puzzle . That all takes time and it's a process . As a former college player / trainer here in Texas I know these kids and have watched these kids for years - they all have the potential to shoot the ball effectively , help A&m be very competitive and set the tone for the future .

Hardest working space bar in the business!

Beg to differ with the OP, but French is not a D1 player and in my mind, try as he might, he is a liability because he is not quick to the ball and cant keep up with the guys around him, Aggies or opponents. Yeah. I know he had 12 points to help us win a game last week, but the guy is not a D1 player. No. Just because he is on a D1 team doesn't mean he can play D1 ball. The guy is trying hard and he is getting mins because that is all we have right now. Would he get mins on any other team in the SEC? Im not to sure. I give the man an A+ for working hard and sticking with his dream, but when everybody else gets 100% healthy, his mins will dwindle.

French has some liabilities at 5'9 but speed is not one of them - he came out of high school with 4.5 - 4.6 40 speed - was looked upon as a change of pace type PG - just looked at one of his HS recruiting profiles . Perhaps you should ask Buzz about that , go to a practice or look at some film - you are a million miles wrong on that one . Just like some fans saying Flagg , Chandler and Mitchell can't shoot - these guys have shot much higher percentages in their career than they are shooting today . These were 3 and 4 star recruits with high level scoring ability - once they get their rhythm these guys will prove the point . Mitchell on a given night can put up 20-25 points against big time competition- should average 15-20 ppg ; chandler and savion should give us 15- 18 ppg ; it's amazing how negative people are on these guys- without even knowing their history ! When the tide changes and a break out occurs , I guess fans will see the truth . It's up to the players to prove people wrong . Our FG % ( 30% +\- ) and 3 point % (22% +\-) are aweful right now - it's the key reason for the 2 precious losses . Going forward , you've got 3-5 players that have the capability to take those percentages up by 10% ; if that occurs , you've got a whole different trajectory on the season

On the Pg situation - Buzz could certainly move Mitchell to the Point and play savion and chandler off the ball - that could work but it may dilute Mitchell's scoring ability to some degree . The question is why has not done that already ? Mitchell is very talented - he can execute the system . You could also bring Gordon back this week and annoint him as the future PG - letting French come in as a back up . Buzz does have some options - he's got more flexibility than some think - it will be interesting to see how it plays out and how he maximizes The talent that he does have .

Isn't Diarra the PG of the future?

Too many bad shooting guards and not enough post/rebounders in the game at one time.

Texasballer:

You have an opinion as do I. We disagree. I played and you played. Do I go to practices? No. Have I watched every game? Yes; I'm a season ticket holder plus I have watched and am watching right now. Not kicking the guy off the team, but his mins will dwindle.

I'm a "people have been too hard on these guys" guy, in their defense we can only see what we can see. If Buzz wants to let us come to practice then I'm sure a lot of us would love to, but people say our guys can't shoot because we're literally one of the worst shooting teams in America. Nobody on the team other than Chandler is shooting above THIRTY percent from three.

So maybe we will have a breakout game, but until that happens the games are the only evidence we have and that evidence says we suck.

I do disagree that he's not a D1 player. There's like 350 D1 teams. He may not be the kind of guy you want on an SEC team, but he is a D1 player.

Paragraphs.

This team needs all 5 of these guys to take ownership and lead - to drive this team toward improvement - a lot of things have to come together to turn it around ; I do agree that it's up to these players to prove to fans they are capable - it's about "Results " - not just about effort . You've got 4-5 guys that need to be able to hit the open shots - and be consistent doing it ; shooting the basketball is not a skill that is inborn - at this level it's about everyday repetition and commitment and these kids have got to put in the extra work ; if they do it we have a chance to improve - 22% 3 point shooting needs to become 30-40% ; Fg% cannot stay at 30% - it's got to go to toward - - 35-40% + - ; let's stop judging these players on what they can't do - let's look at what they CAN do ; your top 3-5 shooters on this team CAN shoot the ball better - they are capable - but they've got to put the work in - ; basketball coaches / trainers can always tell if a talented college basketball player is putting in the work or not on shooting - some of these kids are just not putting the extra hours in - this ship can be turned around if they do