Mark French & Logan Lee analyze A&M hoops' exciting win in Starkville

Key notes from Mark French interview

• I've been good. I'm working in Dallas and settling in. I couldn't turn down the opportunity to join y'all. I can't believe it's been 15 years since Logan played at Texas A&M. He's getting up there. We need more guys as competitive as Logan Lee on our roster at Texas A&M.
   
• Think about where the Aggies would've been if they lost last night. They'd have been 1-4. Instead, they're 2-3. It was a tipping-point moment, and as a player, you definitely feel that. I think it was a huge victory.
   
• Offensively, there are still some issues, obviously. Defensively, they're looking up. You know how we finished strong last year, so I'm hoping they can hit that stride again but hit it a couple of weeks earlier than a year ago.
   
• I think last night was the best Jonathan Aku played at Texas A&M. Last year, he was supposed to be a senior in high school by reclassified. We need to develop a long-term option in the paint. I love our guards with Jaxson Robinson and Manny Obaseki coming in next year. You're going to love him. We need some inside guys. If Aku can continue on an upward trajectory, he could be an impact player at the end of the season.
   
• Maturity. The charge taken by Jay Jay Chandler was a maturity play. He's a senior. Luke McGhee drew a charge. He's a senior. When you get into conference play and hopefully into March, we win with mature teams. Hopefully, you'll see some of this growth start to compound.
   
• Emanuel Miller has become the go-to guy, and down the stretch, you have to have that. I certainly trust him and feel like good things happen when he has to ball. I think he has taken a step up from last year. He's about a jump shot away from being a pro in a few months.
   
• I would imagine that Andre Gordon called that alley-oop play, but I'm not going to sit here and give signs away.
   
• The production hasn't necessarily been what you would like it to down low. Luke McGhee is an SEC body. He's thick, and he's an ox. You should see him in the weight room. It's incredible. He's the guy I hated playing against the most last year on scout team. He's smart. He sets great screens, and you're going to be sore the next day. He played some great minutes on Wednesday night.
   
• Canadian guys really aren't foreign guys. Eman played in the same AAU circuit that we all went to. He has a little bit of that alpha in him. He wants to tangibly feel his impact on the game, and it frustrates him when he can't. Off the court, he's a great guy, and he's pretty low maintenance. If he got in the gym and made more shots, he could be a pro in two years or however long. I absolutely love the guy. He can be great. It's just how much he wants it.