Aggies Are Still a National Power
NEW YORK – Texas A&M has come a long way from the winless Big 12 season of 2003-04.
There was a time when the Aggies, long a football power, were the laughingstock of the Big 12. After going 10-4 in the old Southwest Conference in 1993-94, the Aggies never got above .500 in conference play until two seasons ago, although they did have two .500 seasons. Included in that stretch was a 1-15 mark in 1997-98, a couple of 3-13 seasons, and worst of all, the aforementioned 0-16 Big 12 mark in 2003-04.
Billy Gillispie got the program rolling with an NIT bid and two NCAA Tournament trips that each saw them win at least one game before he left for Kentucky in April. The Aggies had quickly become a national power, built on excellent defense, and with a marquee player in Acie Law who came through in the clutch. In short, the Aggies had become relevant and then some.
Now, after their recent success and their convincing 70-47 win over Ohio State in the NIT Season Tip-Off on Friday, it’s clear that they aren’t going away anytime soon. They may have a new head coach, and they may be without Law and two other key players from last season, but Mark Turgeon looks primed to keep them as a national program.
“It’s just a great day to be an Aggie,” said Turgeon, noting the football team’s win earlier in the day over arch-rival Texas.
Turgeon is clearly happy at his new job, one he took after experiencing a lot of success at Wichita State. He had a great job there, with terrific facilities, an excellent salary and a good fan base. One had to figure that if he were to leave, it would have to be for a job that truly is better. Thus far, there is every indication that he’s done just that. He’s inherited a team that should do plenty of winning, giving him a good situation to start with.
“This team’s ceiling is so up there. We’re not even near where we can be,” said Turgeon. “We turn the ball over too much, we don’t execute the right way. We’ve got so far to go. Guys like Bryan Davis can get a lot better, Derrick Roland can get a lot better, Donald Sloan, (Nathan) Walkup. DeAndre Jordan can get so much better. I’m excited because I know how much better we can be.”
The Aggies are basically reloading after the changeover in the off-season. No one could have imagined that just a few short years ago. Many would have figured that they might have one or two good years with the right players and/or coach. That was probably still the thinking of many entering this season, although not everyone was down on them. As one example, the Aggies were picked third in the Big 12 preseason poll of the conference’s coaches.
To this point, the Aggies have continued to win, and win a little differently. Turgeon likes having teams that go very deep and have balance, and this team certainly appears to have that. They currently have seven players averaging between 20 and 29 minutes per game, and on Friday night, it was far from a one- or two-man wrecking crew.
Although Joseph Jones was named the tournament Most Outstanding Player, he didn’t put up huge numbers. His stat line on Friday night was quite modest – 10 points, seven rebounds – but the senior post player, who declared for the NBA Draft after last season, has helped this team in other ways. Along with classmate Dominique Kirk and junior Josh Carter, he is a leader on this team.
“Those are the three guys I can hang my hat on,” said Turgeon of his leaders. “They’re really good for DeAndre Jordan and Bryan Davis and Donald Sloan and Derrick Roland. Those guys are going to have to be a part of our future.”
Kirk is one of the reasons for their success despite concerns at the point guard spot. They don’t have a natural point guard, and the turnovers have shown that thus far. They had 16 of them on Friday night, and for the season they have more turnovers than assists. But Turgeon feels they are doing well with what they have, which is Kirk (with a better than 3:1 assist/turnover ratio) and Sloan primarily and on this trip included quick freshman B.J. Holmes. He was particularly happy with Sloan’s play on the trip, as he deservingly earned all-tournament honors.
Holmes is one of many on the team from Texas – in fact, only two players on the roster don’t hail from the Lone Star State. That’s one more sign that the program from College Station has arrived, as there is plenty of talent in the state and some of the best players there are now opting for the Aggies. For natives like Kirk and Jones, there is a certain amount of pride they have in seeing the program rise from where it was.
“There’s no secret to success – you’ve always got to work hard. That’s what we did,” said Kirk. “We never took days off. I think we did a good job of turning the program around.”
Added Jones: “For a while, the only basketball teams that were being considered in Texas was the Houston Cougars when they had Phi Slamm Jamma and the Texas Longhorns. We’ve tried to come in and put basketball on the map at Texas A&M.”
They had accomplished that up through last season. Based on the start of this season, it seems basketball will be on the map a little bit longer in College Station.
