Staying put in the win column after a 69-61 win over John Calipari's Razorbacks, Buzz Williams and Texas A&M are HOT. After their fifth-straight victory, the head coach joined TexAgs Live to explain how A&M's fight and togetherness translate to the court.
Key notes from Buzz Williams interview
- We have several guys whose instincts or IQ are really fast twitch, and obviously, Andersson Garcia is in that group. In College Station, in the last two games, he's been even better than he always is. I don't know that I've ever seen anybody that impacts the game without having to touch the ball at the rate he does. When he was on the court on Saturday, the opposing team scored .69 points per possession, which would be by far No. 1 in the world of all time.
- When we were on the court offensively, it doesn't mean Andy scored, but Texas A&M scored 1.42 points per possession, which would be No. 1 in the world, too. We had several other guys whose points per possession when they were on the floor were really high, and it's always about the team, but some of the layers of analytics you can get to relative to what impacts winning the most, for sure Andersson was that last week in College Station for us.
- For the team's mental toughness, I am constantly trying to find more accurate descriptions to make sure the praise that our guys receive, that I can do better. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned they're unflappable, and I think that's a good word that articulates what the organization is in many respects.
- How all of this has transpired is uncommon. I believe in how we're doing it. I think our group believes in how we're doing it. I understand the results. It's never enough. “We shouldn't have lost this game. We can't make free throws. It's ugly.” All of the things that people are saying... Internally, for those who will be on the bus today when we travel, there's great belief, great love and great trust there. We have all been watching or participating in this for a very long time. What is happening here with this group is uncommon.
- We want to win this. We want to achieve this. I understand all of that, and our players are very aware of all of that. Our staff is aware of all of that. One of the things that I've learned in Forth Worth, the contingent of Red Raider fans caught me way off guard. The following week, we're in Indianapolis, and you're like, "Oh yeah, we're playing down the road from Purdue. We're playing in an NBA arena." It was sold out, 19,000 people. It's begun to stir in my heart, whether it's resilient, unflappable or uncommon. All of those things, but our group is not doing it exclusively for the result.
- There's a level of wisdom that's been acquired from a lot of really tough results. We're not talking in the film room one day before about, "Hey guys, did you hear that we're a No. 2 seed?" We don't even talk about that. We're so consumed with the pace and the intensity of what we're doing. There's a lot of wisdom in the group on what we have to do right now and what are the tension points so we can improve because we're aware of how difficult these steps are that we're taking. You work your whole life to get to this point.
- Having the lowest transfer rate of our top 10 scholarship players since the portal began... When NIL began, I've never said this publicly, but when NIL began, Texas A&M men's basketball didn't participate. Nobody ever says that. We didn't participate in NIL because I want to make sure that how we operate fits within what I believe is right when I go into Solomon Washington's mom's house, and when I talk to her, I understand that she is in one place, I'm in a different place, but there has to be trust relative to her son.
- When you get to post-Valentine's Day, and you're No. 11 in the NET, and you're a No. 2 seed, we're all aware of how quickly that can change tomorrow night in Starkville. We can't be in Starkville when we have work to do in College Station. How can all of us hold one another accountable, not only for being our best but for changing our best? That's what our team has done. I think this organization has continued to change its best. #GetBetter is not just for social media. How are we getting better, and then once you get better, is that your best? Yes. OK, now we have to figure out a way to change your best individually and as a group.
- I'll set the template, and then I expect the guys, as the year goes on, to be an extension of the coaching staff. The best leaders create more leaders. I don't think the job of a leader is to point at themself and say, "Look at what I do." If you're leading appropriately, you should be developing more leaders, and part of that development includes giving them ownership. As their development unfolds, part of your job as a leader is to step back and let them own the growth that comes with that leadership. You have to be able to step away and let them fail so that you can encourage them on how they can do better the next time. If you're constantly micromanaging your staff or your players, and not allowing them to grow, then you're never going to create the ownership that's required.
