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Texas A&M Basketball

Ulric Maligi & Isaac Chew discuss coming to A&M, '16-'17 team & more

August 3, 2016
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During Wednesday's edition of TexAgs Radio, newly hired Texas A&M basketball assistant coaches Ulric Maligi and Isaac Chew joined to talk about their decision to join the A&M coaching staff, the expectations for next season's team and more.
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Ulric Maligi & Isaac Chew discuss coming to A&M, '16-'17 team & more

10,497 Views | 8 Replies | Last: 8 yr ago by GE
lbasham
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AG
No mention of Caldwell or Corprew.. Kind of discouraging at this juncture.Hope that they make it in. Very good interview otherwise.
wacarnolds
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AG
Good stuff. Not sure how much of this info is new, but some stuff that stood out

-Chew says Kennedy talked to him about coming to A&M multiple times before
-Chew complimented Buzz on how he handled Chew deciding to switch jobs, considers him a brother
-Chew: Kennedy "was one of the reasons" I got married, has consulted Kennedy any time he has a professional decision to make
-Chew: A&M can win a national championship (probably not familiar with our proximity to the Gulf of Mexico)
-Ulric: briefly talked to Kennedy about joining him at A&M in 2011
-Chew: recognizes how young the team will be, depending on a bunch of sophomores, "team looks great on paper, but games aren't played on paper"
-Chew: Admon reminds him of Vander Blue from his time at Marquette (15 ppg his JR yr)
-Ulric: chemistry within coaching staff is highest he's ever been a part of
-Chew: staff gave assistant Don Maestri the nickname "the Legend" (has his name on court at Troy)
-Ulric: previously spent time on A&M campus following Donald Sloan (played AAU for Ulric)
-Chew: Kennedy urged him to take a job at Missouri, no one knew Kennedy would be hired at A&M in following months (presumably would have came to A&M with Kennedy); regretted not being there for Kennedy during the Parkinson's diagnosis
-Ulric: had some great options during summer, he and wife thought Kennedy would help him become a better person
-Ulric: father has very serious health issues (kidney disease, double amputee); recognizes great strength in Kennedy's wife, similar to his mother
-Chew: we're really skilled up front, included DJ in this group, thinks Robert Williams can be special (similar to Stromile Swift)
-Chew: team recognizes the value of work in offseason
-Ulric: extremely impressed by Robert Williams when he saw him in Louisiana state tournament
-Ulric: not as much depth in backcourt
-Ulric: been watching Admon since 9th grade, praised his work ethic, becoming a leader, wants to be great
-Chew: thinks DJ is an x-factor, has the talent, but growth/leadership is important next step, thinks he's handling it properly
-Ulric: approach is "you have a 1 and a 5, everyone else is interchangeable", learned from Larry Brown
-Ulric: high praise for Darby, commented even he is in the best shape in a long time
-Chew: Darby understands the entire dynamic of a basketball program, not just S&C, big help in recruiting
GE
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AG
quote:
Good stuff. Not sure how much of this info is new, but some stuff that stood out

-Chew says Kennedy talked to him about coming to A&M multiple times before
-Chew complimented Buzz on how he handled Chew deciding to switch jobs, considers him a brother
-Chew: Kennedy "was one of the reasons" I got married, has consulted Kennedy any time he has a professional decision to make
-Chew: A&M can win a national championship (probably not familiar with our proximity to the Gulf of Mexico)
-Ulric: briefly talked to Kennedy about joining him at A&M in 2011
-Chew: recognizes how young the team will be, depending on a bunch of sophomores, "team looks great on paper, but games aren't played on paper"
-Chew: Admon reminds him of Vander Blue from his time at Marquette (15 ppg his JR yr)
-Ulric: chemistry within coaching staff is highest he's ever been a part of
-Chew: staff gave assistant Don Maestri the nickname "the Legend" (has his name on court at Troy)
-Ulric: previously spent time on A&M campus following Donald Sloan (played AAU for Ulric)
-Chew: Kennedy urged him to take a job at Missouri, no one knew Kennedy would be hired at A&M in following months (presumably would have came to A&M with Kennedy); regretted not being there for Kennedy during the Parkinson's diagnosis
-Ulric: had some great options during summer, he and wife thought Kennedy would help him become a better person
-Ulric: father has very serious health issues (kidney disease, double amputee); recognizes great strength in Kennedy's wife, similar to his mother
-Chew: we're really skilled up front, included DJ in this group, thinks Robert Williams can be special (similar to Stromile Swift)
-Chew: team recognizes the value of work in offseason
-Ulric: extremely impressed by Robert Williams when he saw him in Louisiana state tournament
-Ulric: not as much depth in backcourt
-Ulric: been watching Admon since 9th grade, praised his work ethic, becoming a leader, wants to be great
-Chew: thinks DJ is an x-factor, has the talent, but growth/leadership is important next step, thinks he's handling it properly
-Ulric: approach is "you have a 1 and a 5, everyone else is interchangeable", learned from Larry Brown
-Ulric: high praise for Darby, commented even he is in the best shape in a long time
-Chew: Darby understands the entire dynamic of a basketball program, not just S&C, big help in recruiting
Thanks for the summary. Can't wait to listen to the whole thing later tonight.

I'm curious as to what the person who said Kennedy sucks at building and maintaining relationships would say to some of that stuff.
agfan1030
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GE
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AG
Just finished listening to the full interview. Good stuff all around but less substantive basketball stuff than I would have liked. They both seem like fantastic people. Anticipation of what Robert Williams may be capable of continues to build.
mallen
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AG
One thing that is clear from this interview is that both of these coaches have tremendous respect for Coach Kennedy and his wife. Chew and Maligi are genuinely excited to be at A&M and expect great things to happen. The chemistry on this staff seems to be as good as its ever been. Even though Kennedy was courting multiple coaches for those two positions, I think things fell into place just right.
Method Man
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Thanks for the writeup PH
GE
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