http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkc/men/3673445.html

man, this guy really thinks he was a solid coach.

marlon pompey is the kind of player you need to win in this league?

i think most of you probably felt the same emotions i did reading this. utter disbelief that the guy couldn't admit he didn't anything out his talent and acting like this current team, which is less talented than his 0-for club, is the dream team of the big XII.

wow.

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"When you start with Antoine Wright, who was a 15th pick in the NBA draft, those are the kind of players you have to have to win in the Big 12," said Watkins, who was 60-112 overall and 21-75 in conference play during his six seasons. "It took us a while to get that at A&M for a number of reasons, but we wanted to get it done. It's just the nature of the business now, you don't have long to do it.

"To see the success they are having now doesn't surprise me. When you start getting some (future) pros in there like Joseph Jones and Acie Law and those kind of players, you are going to have a chance to win in this league."

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i don't disagree with any of that

Watkins was a great recruiter and recognized talent however, he could never coach that talent to the next level.

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he could never coach that talent to the next level

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So true! My problems with Melvin were that his teams NEVER played defense and that the players were no better as seniors as they were as freshman. BK is the perfect example of this.

not to mention, Antoine's stock didn't go up that high until post-gillespie

He did recruit some very good players for A&M, I am grateful for that.

But 0-16 my man.

Good recruiter, bad coach. No draft for our guy last year if Watkins was the coach. He would probably have gone the way of King. Good offensive player who was a liability on defense.

I think we would still be a very poor team with Watkins at the helm.

If he had this team now, we would have a losing record...

Melvin should be eternally grateful to A&M. He was way overpaid and he underdelivered. We were extremely patient. Melvin was one of the worst gameday coaches I have ever seen.

He was given SIX YEARS. He had plenty of time.

I have never seen anyone lose to more has-beens and nobodies than old Mel. It was brutal.

Typical quote from me during Watkins er: "We lost to who? I don't even know their colors or mascot. PLease tell me they are a Gonzaga, an unknown giant. No? They have a losing record in the Midwestern Patriot league? What state is that school from? Are they Div 1? Did we have injuries?"


All that said, I wish him well. Maybe his next HC gig will be better and I will be the first to congratulate him. I hope he cn kepp Mizzou competitive the rest of the season.

Hmmm...Weren't Acie and Antoine (and Marlon) on the infamous 0-16 team? So, the only true talent addition to this team is Joseph. I didn't read the whole article but the quote posted on the board doesn't make a lot of sense.

The 0-16 team had WAY more depth of talent than this year's team. That team should have been able to win 6-8 conference games easily.

Of course, what do you expect the man to say, "I've come to the realization that I can't coach worth a darn. Gillispie is 100 times the coach that I am and A&M is lucky to have him."

MW --> 6 full seasons --> 21 Big XII wins to 75 losses.
Coach Gillispie --> 1.75 seasons --> 16 Big XII wins to 16 losses.

That's about as clear as it gets.

I don't read too much into this. I wouldn't expect him to say anything else.

"I feel like we have some unfinished business." - Chris Walker
On the bandwagon since birth. Raised in the bleachers of Kyle, Olsen, and G. Rollie White

Only issue I have is the tone of his quotes suggest that he would have us in the same spot. The lack of defense or ball movement on offense completely contradict those claims.

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He was given SIX YEARS. He had plenty of time.

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Bingo!

After his last season here I think he was ready to get with another program and prove he can win. He isn't bitter but he would do anything to get a win against the ags tonight.

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Not taking anything from Gillispie, but Watkins believes the Aggies were on their way to similar success on his watch.

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I guess a former head coach is expected to say such things no matter how unbelievable.

not sure if he's bitter... but I can see him showing some emotion because this current aggie team is basically filled with all the players he recruited... minus AK/Smith/Carter... I guess it's one of those bitter-sweet thing... bitter that you couldn't rip the benefit, sweet that the kids you recruited are actually doing something good now.

i always thought you needed players like gardner, bernard king, jesse king, nick anderson to win the big XII.

watkins' teams were much more talented than this club.

[This message has been edited by houstontexan (edited 2/21/2006 9:04a).]

Antoine Wright actually digressed under Watkins. His freshman to sophomore year transition is the best example of players not developing under Watkins. The best thing Watkins did was represent our school well, he was a class act, just not a great head coach

as did nick anderson, as did gilchrist, as did bernard king, etc....etc....etc....

Watkins is a great guy. He represented this University with class and dignity. I think he'll have success again as a head coach somewhere, it just wasn't meant to be at aTm.

With that being said, I wish him the best of luck - just not tonight!

I wonder how many years he thinks he needed?

What I really hated during his tenure was all the blowout losses. I can watch and get into it if A&M is competetive, but I got so sick of being down by 20+ at halftime.

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watkins' teams were much more talented than this club.

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lets not get carried away. Watkins' 2003 team was pretty solid talent wise, in fact it was probably the most talented team we've had at A&M in recent years (with last year's team being a close second).

Other than that Watkins' teams were pretty much on par with what we have this year.

Yeah, what do we expect him to say? He didn't attack us or our players. If he told the real truth he would never get a coaching job again. He needs to protect his fambly.

unmade, i disagree....

nick anderson, bernard king, gardner, gilchrist club in 01-02, 02-03 was better.

his 03-04 club that 0-for'd was relatively loaded compared to today's club. kevin turner, leach, law, jesse king, nick anderson, etc...

i guess we were impatient though. 6 years is not enough time.

Back in his day, none of the guys knew how to play as a team...you'd see sparks of individual brilliance but no team unity...all the talent in the world still needs four other players to win games

~Aggie Peach

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Watkins was a great recruiter

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He had a hard time recruiting in Texas.

Melvin is a good guy and he always represented A&M with class. I wish him well, except when he plays us.

I have a hard time swallowing the notion that Joe Jones would have been a player under Melvin when every single more highly regarded big man recruited by Melvin sucked hard once they started playing for him. Credit for Joe (if any need be given) goes to Gilllispie.

******* March 24, 2004...Everything Would Change *******

The Goat Pen:College Hoops, Disrespection, and more...
http://wc0.worldcrossing.com/WebX?14@@.eeb12c4

If I wanted a clown's opinion, I would have went to the circus.

Watkins may be an OK guy, and know more about basketball than myself, but his teams always looked poorly coached (sloppy/lethargic looking on both ends, poor defensively, etc.). His recruiting was an improvement, but if I recall we got lucky with Antoine and the rest of his recruits weren't enough to get us above pushover status.

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unmade, i disagree....

nick anderson, bernard king, gardner, gilchrist club in 01-02, 02-03 was better.

his 03-04 club that 0-for'd was relatively loaded compared to today's club. kevin turner, leach, law, jesse king, nick anderson, etc...

i guess we were impatient though. 6 years is not enough time.

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who said anything about 6 years not being enough time?

I just think its a little revisionist history to say things that indicate players like Gardener and Gilchrist were studs.

That would be like some guy 5 years from now claiming Eddie Smith was a stud.

Watkins sent guys out there like Brian Brookhart, Jason Jack, and Nolan Butterfros.

Don't get me wrong, he sucked as a coach, and if he had this year's team he would definitely have a losing record.

melvin shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth....he was given more time then he deserved

Is there anyone who disagrees with the following:
* When Melvin came to A&M, we were depleted
* Melvin could not get someone to return his call in Texas, so he recruited exclusively out of state to start and had some good success
* After year two, we had talent to be competitive
* We showed a few flashes of success, but never any consistency
* The team gave up pretty routinely against lesser competition
* Defense was not stressed
* We shot well from the FT line under Melvin
* Six years is a long time for a coach to make his mark
* He was always well dressed
* He was a classy guy
* He just could not deliver, but all Aggie fans wish him well.

...think about Bobby Leach's play last season compared to the previous season under the former coach ...I know that there are many examples but that really stands out to me

I could add
* guys never developed under Watkins. Few (if any) left vastly improved from when they arrived.
* It looks like guys are "trying harder" with BCG. Practices are supposed to be hell.