Texas A&M’s basketball program is on the rise under head coach Bucky McMillan, who, entering his second season at the helm, led the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament, which was not heavily predicted after the former Samford coach was the final Power Four hire back in April of last year.
Still, it’s fair to state that those who doubted McMillan’s ability to lead Texas A&M to the postseason in his first season didn’t fully grasp how frustrating his fast-paced system, based around elite conditioning, three-point shooting, and press defense, would speed up opponents and give the Aggies a shot to win every game, no matter the environment.
However, after losing star Indiana transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako for the year just seven games into the non-conference schedule, McMillan looked to veteran transfer forward Rashaun Agee to lead his first roster, built entirely from the transfer portal. Combined with an impressive string of performances from Pop Issacs, Rylan Griffen, Zach Clemence, and Rubén Dominguez, the Aggies ended the year with a 22-12 record, including 11 wins in the SEC.
After defeating Saint Mary’s, the Aggies fell to a much more experienced Houston team, leading McMillan into his first full offseason as he needed to rebuild a roster in which only forwards Jamie Vinson, Zach Clemence, and Chris McDermott, and freshman guard Jeremiah Green would return.
Needing to land a top-tier transfer with go-to scoring chops, the Aggies reeled in what many consider the program’s best offseason addition in decades, as former Kansas State shooting guard PJ Haggerty, who led the Wildcats with nearly 24 points per game last season, is slated to do the same for Texas A&M this fall.
Haggerty enters College Station with the most career points, free throws made and attempted, and made field goals, which trumps any former Aggie player to take the court in Maroon & White. These numbers, paired with Haggerty’s elite shooting efficiency, finishing 48% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc last season, make him College Basketball Report’s 36th-best returning player.
Combined with five other impact transfer additions, including former NBA G-League guard Bryson Warren, the Texas A&M offense will likely match, or better, last season’s scoring average.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M star transfer guard named 36th best returning player
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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By Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire | USA TODAY Network
