New-look Aggies remain confident in continuing 2021-22's late success

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Some questions are obvious.

The primary one for Texas A&M basketball certainly is.

Can the Aggies — who finished 27-13 last season — pick up where they left off without a star player that helped them lift off?

In the final month of last season, A&M coach Buzz Williams adjusted the offense to put the emphasis on guards Quenton Jackson and Tyrece “Boots” Radford.

As a result, the Aggies won 11 of their last 13 games. They reached the finals of the Southeastern Conference postseason Tournament.

Then, they came within an off-balanced, banked-in shot from winning the National Invitation Tournament championship. Jackson averaged 17.5 during that surge. However, he left to pursue a professional basketball career and is no longer an option.

“We’ll miss who he is,” Williams said Wednesday at Southeastern Conference Media Days. “We’ll miss his person. We’ll miss his competitive character. We’ll, for sure, miss his speed and his skill. I thought over the last month of the season, he was one of the better perimeter players in the country. He was a big part of what we were doing.” 

The departure of Jackson and the influx of six new players raise other questions.

Will the Aggies retain the strategy that thrived in the last month? Or do they have to take a different approach?

“It will probably end up being a combo of both,” Williams said. “A lot of good things happened down the stretch that we like. Then, we’ve tried to adapt relative to our new guys to add to what we were doing toward the end.

“I don’t know if there is ‘a’ person on our current roster that will step in and do immediately what (Jackson) did at the end of his career, but I think there are guys that will kind of be able to do bits and pieces.”

Radford, who averaged 10.9 points, will be a big piece of the Aggies' offense. So will 6-foot-8 junior forward Henry Coleman, who averaged 10 points and 6.2 rebounds last season.

Sophomore guards Wade Taylor IV and Manny Obaseki figure to improve on solid freshman campaigns.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Now vying for a chance in the NBA, Quenton Jackson led the Aggies in points (591) and steals (70) in 2021-22. 

Taylor averaged 8.2 points and a team-leading 2.2 assists last season. Obaseki struggled early but averaged 8.2 points in five NIT games.

“Those guys were really important cogs in what we were doing last year at a very young age,” Williams said. "I think the continuity of having them back and knowing what we're doing … we’ve tweaked some things on both sides of the ball like all teams do, but they know our habits and how we go about things.

“They’ve done a great job from a leadership standpoint with the six new guys. This is what’s important. This is not what’s important. This is how we do it. Both of those guys have been phenomenal in that aspect.”

Transfers Dexter Dennis and 6-foot-9 Julius Marble will lead a group of newcomers that should provide a boost.

Dennis, a Wichita State transfer, was the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year last season. 

“I think the guys we’ve brought in are guys who have prepared and are willing to work,” Coleman said. “Julius, Dexter, K.K. (Arkansas transfer Khalen Robinson) … we talk about (Mississippi State transfer) Andersson Garcia. You talk about some of the freshmen that have come in.

“They’re culture guys. Their ability to adapt to what our culture is — hard-nosed, blue-collar, work everyday mindset — they’ve adapted unbelievably. They’re ready to work each and every day. I’m excited those guys are here.”

Radford echoed that thought.

“Our teams has a lot of new guys and a lot of old guys. A combination of that,” Radford said. “Q (Jackson) was a manufacturer of offense last year. With that being said, we have a lot of new talent and a lot of people learning their roles. A couple of us have new roles we have to adjust to get used to.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Ahead of their Nov. 7 season-opener vs. Louisiana-Monroe, the Aggies are the first team outside the preseason AP Poll. 

“I think we have a lot of guys that pretty much can be a threat offensively and defensively. We have a lot of guys that can thrive in many positions. So, there’s no telling where our offense is going to take us this year.”

Maybe it can take the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament. After a stunning run to the finals of the SEC Tournament, A&M should have been a part of March Madness last season.

Yet, A&M was inexplicably snubbed by the NCAA Selection Committee.

“This team is hungry. We’re ready to work,” Coleman said. “Everybody acknowledges what happened last year. I think our culture, who we are, we’re ready to work, and we’ll continue to work.

“I think, as a program, we have foresight. We’re focused on right now. Being prepared for the moment, living in the moment.”

The Aggies aren’t looking back at the snub or their run to the finals of the NIT.

“The opportunity we have this year is way greater,” Radford said. "Because we know what we’re capable of.”