Texas A&M’s 2023-2024 basketball season is less than a short month away, and amid the Aggies football bye week that has given the team and Aggie fans everywhere a much-needed rest, head coach Buzz Williams and guards Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece “Boots” Radford represented the program during Wednesday’s portion of the 2023 SEC Media Days.
Entering the year in unprecedented territory during Williams’ tenure, Texas A&M has been chosen to finish second in the SEC standings. At the same time, Wade Taylor IV was recently named preseason SEC Player of the Year early this week after leading the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game last season, including being one of just three NCAA DI players with 500+ points, 125+ assists, and 50 plus steals while making 85% or better on free throw attempts. For Williams, Taylor IV runs the show.
“Yes, we want our team to do well, but our team is going to do well if Four is doing well. It’s not for Four. It’s for our program. He is the leader of the program. We have to hold each other accountable.”
Rankings-wise, the Aggies are well-represented, placed in the Top 25 of the preseason coaches (19th) and AP Poll (15th), their third-highest ranking in program history. Even Hall of Fame Kentucky head coach John Calipari praised Texas A&M’s notable returning experience. Enough hype?
Yes, these are lofty expectations ahead of a pivotal season after finishing 25-10 (15-3 SEC), reaching the SEC title game for the second year, and punching their ticket to the program’s first NCAA Tournament Appearance since 2017. Still, it’s not like the hype wasn’t earned on paper.
Hearts were broken after falling to the then red-hot Penn State Nittany Lions in the Tournament’s First Round. Still, the journey was only beginning, as standout one-year rental guard Dexter Dennis, now a member of the Dallas Mavericks, was the only member of the starting five to depart. Utilizing the transfer portal, Williams quickly added productive guards Jace Carter and Eli Lawrence to solidify the depth.
While Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford provide a dangerous 1-2 punch in the backcourt, the senior frontcourt duo of Henry Coleman III and Julius Marble bring a defensive presence that can only be rivaled by Tennessee, picked to finish first in the SEC. However, despite the talent and experience the roster presents, Buzz Williams knows that last season’s disappointing 6-5 start needs to become a thing of the past, with several tough opponents filling out the early part of the schedule.
“It’s the next step. We have yet to win a game after Spring Break. That’s what we want to do. In our time, there have been pockets when we’ve been really good… but there have also been pockets where we have not been good.”
Facing Ohio State on the road before heading to the ESPN Invitational for a rematch with Penn State, the Aggies have a chance to meet No. 10 Florida Atlantic, who made the Final Four last season, if both teams advance, providing several early season challenges that could define the trajectory of the program heading into SEC play.
“From start to finish, how can we be our best? The schedule we’re about to play, we’ve never played in non-conference, and our mirror opponents are different this year than they’ve ever been. There are moving parts.”
Time will tell just how good this team can be, but the pieces are in place, and going off of the man who reads, yes, 53 books a year (Incredible), the studious Buzz Williams has proven his ability to provide a spark, especially late in the season.
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