In baseball nobody is close to the Longhorns, at least in this part of the country.  But in basketball there is an opening as the Longhorns have never really been able to get to the upper echelons of this sport like they do everywhere else.  This is where the Aggies will plant their flag as they have the longest tenured and most successful coaches in SWC history.  Long-time coach Shelby Metcalf has put together a nice little program in College Station and has got one heck of a team returning.  But Metcalf knows that his Aggies don’t have to beat the Longhorns but have those pesky Cougars from down in Houston to deal with. Those new kids in town have shaken up this once proud football conference with their incredible talent under the guidance of Guy V. Lewis.  Like the Longhorns, the Aggies have went all in on their basketball program knowing what is coming next year when they compete with the likes of blue blood Kansas and the Oklahoma schools for conference titles.  The Aggies have been to the Big Dance a few times but they fully understand this might be their last best chance to get their and do some damage.  Metcalf does indeed have a solid roster that is both talented and deep and will do everything in his power to get this team to the promised-land.         

The Aggies had a schizophrenic season last year in the tough Southwest Conference. On one night they would beat a top twenty team and look great doing it. The next they would look terrible in losing to a bad team.  The key to this year is being consistent but that is difficult when you are rotating in so many similar players. Coach Metcalf might not have the talent of Houston but there is great depth and solid talent. New assistant Billy Gillespie has supposedly brought in some real blue chippers to take this team to the new level. It is much easier to bring in studs when they know they will be competing against the best and the Big 12 will be one heck of a basketball league. But that is the future and Metcalf is a loyal man who will look to his returning players to try and get the final SWC title ever on the basketball court.

Leading the way once again will be senior post John Beasley.  Beasly is the best player on the squad and the go to guy.  A solid scorer inside and out and a good rebounder, Beasley has game.  He may not be a superstar at the next level but should produce.  Beasley is definitely a super star in College Station.  He was without question the man the team went to when the going got tough and the number one option on offense.  He is not the best defender down low and is more suited as a power forward but had to guard centers most of the year.  He did the work and really shined on offense.  He is as good of an offensive big man as there is in the conference that can post and pop. This 6’9 225 pounder comes from right off the Arkansas border and has led the team in scoring and rebounding the last two years.  He sure would like to be able to have to guard the Big E though instead of Hakeem and Metcalf knows with the Cougars now in town this team must get bigger.  Metcalf has a couple of seven footers on the roster but both are developing and need a little more time before they are ready to take over from Beasley.  Junior Steve Niles goes 7’0 and 240 but has not really got on the court much in College Station.  This San Antonio kid barely played even on JV his first year here and last year only got mop up duty. He was always going to be a project and Metcalf has been patient. The other seven footer (well 6’11) is a whole nother story.  Sophomore Rudy Woods was the highest rated recruit this program ever had going into last year and early on showed why.  Woods is a terrific presence underneath who will block shots and intimidate. He can also score though he has a ways to go as right now it is all about throwing it down and putbacks.  Still, the first ten games he showed incredible promise dominating a few games off the bench.  He had even earned a starting gig next to Beasley.  That all changed when the Aggies entered the conference schedule.  The Texas schools were waiting for the much-ballyhooed freshman.  The physicality of this league is underrated but Woods found out how tough some of these Lone Star corn-fed kids can be. But the real showdown was with Olajuwon from Houston as the two most hyped big men this league has ever seen going toe to toe or should we say eye to eye but about seven feet high.  Well, Woods was not ready for Hakeem and I am sure that night it was more nightmare than dream for Rudy.  Woods got his shot blocked by Olajuwon 5 times and his final stat line of 4 points and 2 boards before fouling out would linger for the rest of the year.  Woods never recovered and Metcalf had to even trade places with him and Niles and send his prize student down to the JV.  Hopefully the kid has regained some confidence as this team needs him to take over the five spot and dominate the key like he did those first ten games.  Gillespie has another prize seven footer coming into so Woods will be pushed.  He does have the game if he can get his confidence back and he is not the first guy that the Nigerian kid has broke. 

As for the rest of the team Metcalf has much experience at his disposal. Senior Benny Lenox will be impossible to replace once he finally leaves College Station. He has always been a consistent scorer for the Aggies and last year was no different. He did take a step back on his ability to run the court and has always had issues guarding quicker guys but man he is one heck of a scorer at the two. Lenox is the team captain and was the leader and primary performer the last time this team made the Big Dance. This 6’3 stud will start one more year and wants to lead this program back to glory one more time.  

Fellow seniors Carroll Broussard and Walt Davis have been mainstays in College Station since they got here. The incomparable Mr. Davis (Buddy to his friends which at this point is all of College Station) will be back this year after getting a redshirt season after missing most of last year (thank you new rules).   Davis is one terrific athlete who can flat jump out of the gym and was to be a primary option going into last year but when he got tweaked early on one of his glorious legs he shut it down.  Davis is a world class high jumper and with the Olympics coming up last summer he and his coaches thought it best to rest his leg and be ready for the competition.  Good choice.  He won the Gold.  That of course gave all of these other gentlemen a chance to distinguish themselves which some clearly did.  Broussard was not splitting time at the four anymore and took full advantage.  This 6’5 kid from Port Arthur can score inside and out and complements Beasel well.  Not big enough to really hang at the four Broussard gets by on toughness and skill.  He was third on the team in scoring and comes into this year as the incumbent at the four.  He will have a hard time keeping that spot with a large group of sophomores ready to take over and all of them are much bigger than Broussard.  There has been much discussion around College Station on whether Broussard can switch to the three since he is better suited for that spot with his height and it is a huge need for this team.  Metcalf tried him there last year with mixed results. This will be an ongoing issue all year as the Aggies look to get more athletic overall but need the experience of players like Broussard (and Lenox) to navigate one more trip around Texas. 

Junior Randy Knowles was the only true small forward for the Aggies last season but is not exactly the most athletic guy in the SWC. This 6’6 kid hails from ‘the’ state of Ohio and can score and does help on the boards but learned last year that he will have a hard time trying to guard the small forwards in this league.  Clyde the Glide embarrassed him and with the kid coming in from Maryland for the Longhorns supposedly being a 6’10 three with unlimited range Metcalf knows he must improve here.  He is actually bringing in a large group of wings from both juco and four year students to upgrade the talent pool at this position.  More than half of the incoming recruits are wings. 

As for the that group of sophomores we mentioned earlier these guys are more than ready to take the baton for the future in College Station.  But just which ones will break through the tape.  Vernon Smith got the most minutes and is a true four. This 6’8 220 from Big D was productive and brings a mean streak to the team.  He can score and board and plays solid defense but is a little undermanned versus a Hayes or a Krebs.  He was the only one of this group who got serious minutes on the varsity but all of these guys can play.  Fellow sophomores Winston Crite, Rynn Wright, Claude Riley and Jimmie Gilbert made up the best front line on any JV in the Southwest by a mile.  It is like Metcalf got a cookier cutter out and made a group of incredible power forwards.  Wright got called up late and played the small forward the last month and was impressive.  He goes 6’6 225 and can really tangle in the paint but needs to get better in the corners.  Crite is a 6’7 stud who loves to block shots but needs to get better offensively.  He took over for Wright when he went up and the JV did not miss a beat.  Riley goes 6’10 and can board, score and defend.  Gilbert was the top recruit of the bunch but had the worst year.  He goes 6’9 and has unlimited potential but kind of got lost in the shuffle with all of these studs fighting for minutes. 

Metcalfe goes into the season with a big question mark at point guard.  Junior Dave Goff returns as the starter and is one solid game manager.  This 5’10 pass first point is not the most dynamic and gets left open too much for open shots.  The Aggies need to get better overall at hitting perimeter shots as only really Lenox is a three-point threat and he is inconsistent.  Senior Jewel McDowell is in the mix at point but is not a great defender.  Metcalf loves his drive and will give this kid some ‘foolish pleasures’ in his last year and the Reed Rowdies love his hustle.  Sophomore Kenny Brown is in the mix as well.  This 6’4 combo guard from Memphis is the most dynamic perimeter player on the team but was stuck behind Lenox in his first year and played point to get on the court.  He is better suited for the two but this kid can play.  Metcalf needs more of his talent level in College Station but with McDowell’s passion. 

The Texas A&M Aggies might as well been visiting one of Six Flags’ famous rollercoasters as up and down as there season was last year in the SWC. The boys from College Station definitely proved they belonged with elite of the Southwest Conference and had some huge signature wins to hang their hat on.  They also lost a few they should have won.  This program is getting better every day and Coach Shelby Metcalf is doing all he can to make sure he finds the right players for the job.  In the tradition of the famous 12th Man Metcalf used just about everybody on campus trying to find the right combination of players to make this team go.  He found some studs for sure and there are plenty more coming as this program readies for their leap into the Big 12 next year.  Sure, they may be the little brother being dragged along by the big brother out on a date but you know sometimes that little brother shows they can cut a rug too when they do get to the Big Dance.