Re-assessing Aggie basketball's status

It was extremely hard watching the Aggies' game in the Toyota Center against the Oklahoma Sooners. It took me back to Mark Turgeon's first year at the helm, when the Aggies played in Norman and went 18 straight minutes without scoring a field goal.

This is NOT a "blame Turgeon" writeup. So, those of you who have already blown a gasket and cussed me, you can stop right there.

This is the third year for Billy Kennedy; this is his team, his offense, his defense and his responsibility. Kennedy and his staff have improved many different facets of this program — recruiting, talent, athleticism, classroom attendance, graduation expectations — but there is no question there are a number of things that MUST be changed.

I'm not so much worried about the horrendous shooting performance that was on display in the loss to OU as I am the inability for the Ags to execute an offense. A&M has faced a zone defense in each of its 10 games this season and has yet to master an offense to be successful.

This is the holiday season, and since there are no classes in session, Kennedy has no time limitations on practice. I would propose the team work out until the players figure out how to execute an offense correctly.

With the unlimited time constraints on practice, the Maroon & White also needs to have a plethora of rebounding drills thrown into the mix.

The Ags' offense against a man-to-man defense is good in theory, but they need to tweak a few aspects. The open-the-floor, ball screen-and-create-for-their teammates type of offense is something this group can be very successful executing. A&M has a long, athletic squad that has proven to be able to score in droves but the only problem is that the Aggies don't attack the paint using the ball screen on the perimeter.

1If the guards would try to get into the lane and draw two defenders, it would open up players like Jamal Jones and Davonte Fitzgerald behind the three point line.

Attacking the paint also makes the defense rotate and opens angles for not only the perimeter shot but for the low post as well.

Defense is not something to worry about at this point. The Ags have shown the ability to rotate to the weak side, cut off the baseline, double the post when needed and have been successful with a 3/4 court trap. Their on-ball defense can always improve, but as a whole they have done well at the defensive end of the court.

At the same time, there are a few things that everyone can commend the Aggies on this year — their effort, hustle, intensity and team play. This is the first team in four years that dives on the floor for loose balls, plays as one unit and enjoys being in the gym.

As far as the J'Mychal Reese situation goes, the Bryan High standout was removed from the team due to breaking an athletic department regulation. His dismissal means the Ags are without a point guard for another season. While Reese never made a huge impact, he certainly could have produced and added a more dynamic fast-break attack when he was on the floor.

So for now, Alex Caruso and Fabyon Harris will have to continue the point guard responsibilities until Alex Robinson makes his way to Aggieland.

Finally, the most important news of all concerns Tony Trocha. The big man from Colombia has still not been accepted into A&M. Still, this is a day-to-day, evolving situation that could change as soon as you finish reading this.