Tag: Wildens Leveque

‘Kentucky is a hallucinogen’: Buzz Williams previews Saturday’s game versus No. 6 Wildcats

“What I told our team was ‘If Auburn is fast, Kentucky is a hallucinogen,'” Buzz Williams explained Friday. “That’s Kentucky in transition!”

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team is coming off back-to-back losses to begin SEC play and things don’t get any easier this weekend.

The Aggies (9-6, 0-2) host No. 6 Kentucky (12-2, 2-0) on Saturday afternoon. Texas A&M is coming off a 68-53 loss versus LSU on Jan. 6 and a 66-55 road defeat at No. 16 Auburn three days later.

Before the matchup against the Wildcats, head coach Buzz Williams reflected Friday on the losses and how the team can improve.

“I thought we were awful against LSU and I was as mad as I have been probably since I’ve been here. Not that we lost, I didn’t think that we represented us, the department, the institution (and) the former students. It was yucky to me,” Williams explained. “I understand we need to win, I get it, but I’m more concerned with how we go about it. Bill Walsh let the score take care of itself. I thought we were awful.

“I was as disappointed in (Andersson Garcia) as I’ve ever been. It really hurt his feelings. I thought it was for sure better on Tuesday than it was on Saturday. Was it because Wildens (Leveque) started and Andy didn’t? No, it was because of our mentality.”

Williams’ main message for his team going into Saturday’s showdown versus Kentucky was simple: get ready to run.

“What I told our team was, ‘If Auburn is fast, Kentucky is a hallucinogen.’ They looked like you did,” Williams said to the media. “The smart guys were like, ‘It’s like a drug and you hallucinate.’ That’s Kentucky in transition! Super duper fast, 14th fastest team in the country. 64% of their shots have been attempted in the first 12 seconds of the possession. They shoot an enormous amount of shots in transition from 3. It’s similar in regard to the pace but percentage-wise it’s on steroids and even faster. Their perimeter players are even faster going downhill and they’re spraying it and shooting a lot more 3s than Auburn does.”

The Aggies and Wildcats tip off at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday at Reed Arena.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Wade Taylor IV – 17.3 PTS / 4.0 AST / 2.4 STL

Henry Coleman – 12.5 PTS / 8.4 REB

Tyrece Radford – 12.2 PTS / 5.1 REB / 2.2 AST

HOW TO WATCH:

TV: ESPN

Play-by-play: Dan Shulman

Analyst: Jay Bilas

HOW TO LISTEN:

TAMU Sports Network: WTAW 1620AM, WTAW 94.5FM (local)

Web: 12thman.com

App: 12th Man Mobile App

Play-by-Play: Andrew Monaco / Dr. John Thornton

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Texas A&M basketball officially adds graduate transfer Wildens Leveque

Texas A&M made their latest transfer addition official with the signing of graduate transfer Wildens Leveque to the 2023-24 roster.

Texas A&M men’s basketball made their latest transfer addition official with the announcement of signing big man graduate transfer Wildens Leveque to the 2023-24 roster.

Leveque brings a bevy of experience to an Aggie basketball roster that is looking to build upon its success from the 2022-23 campaign. He’s logged 52 starts and has appeared in 108 career games at both South Carolina and UMass. Across four seasons, he’s averaged 5.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game in close to 17.0 minutes per game of action.

While at South Carolina, Leveque helped the Gamecocks to a 4-0 mark against the Maroon & White while logging totals of 16 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks.

Assistant coach Steve Roccaforte spoke about what Leveque brings to College Station, in particular how his maturity and experience on the hardwood fits seamlessly into Buzz Williams’ system:

“Wildens is a mature, experienced veteran. He fits the Buzz Williams system perfectly. He cares about winning and his teammates first. He is a physical big who works hard and plays harder. He wants to help Texas A&M win at the highest level. We are very happy to have him. He is our type of guy.”

At 6-11 and 235 pounds, Leveque provides some much-welcomed size and depth in the front court behind established starters Henry Coleman III and Julius Marble. With Buzz Williams relishing players that impact both ends of the floor, Leveque provides A&M with valuable rim protection after coming off a career-high 1.2 blocks per game during the 2022-23 campaign.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee.

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Former UMass Center Wildens Leveque announces transfer commitment to Texas A&M

Texas A&M basketball made another big addition via the transfer portal with the commitment of former UMass big man Wildens Leveque.

Texas A&M basketball is gearing up to make some serious noise next season after landing another big addition, literally, via the transfer portal.

On Monday, former University of Massachusetts big man Wildens Leveque announced his commitment to the Aggies basketball team through a social media post. Leveque joins recent transfer additions in Eli Lawrence and Jace Carter as the newest members of the Maroon and White.

At 6-11 and 235 pounds, Leveque provides some much-welcomed size and depth in the front court behind established starters Henry Coleman III and Julius Marble. The Aggies’ newest big man also gives them a nice jolt of experience, as Leveque spent three seasons with South Carolina before joining the Minutemen last year for his senior season.

With four seasons’ worth of college hoops on his resume, Leveque boasts career averages of 5.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game on 53.7 percent shooting from the floor. With Buzz Williams relishing players that impact both ends of the floor, Leveque provides A&M with valuable rim protection after coming off a career-high 1.2 blocks per game during the 2022-23 campaign.

The Aggies have become a consensus pick to make serious noise next season after coming off a wildly successful 25-10 campaign (15-3 SEC) during the 2022-23 season. Texas A&M reached the SEC title game for the second consecutive year and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, before falling to Penn State in the opening round.

A&M will return almost every starter (with the exception being Dexter Dennis), giving the Maroon and White the added advantage of continuity next season. Now, with the addition of Leveque, Texas A&M boasts a healthy dose of young upside with veteran experience to build upon their success from a season ago.

Congratulations to Wildens on your commitment, and welcome to Texas A&M! Gig ’em!

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee.

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