Texas A&M
(21)
by Dakota Schmidt
Projected Starters
G
6-5
PT%
78.64
G
Alex Caruso
PTE
11.13
6-7
PT%
78.31
Danuel House
PTE
11.96
G-F 6-7
PT%
0.00
HS100 AC/AA
81
HS100 AC/AA
HMAC
D.J. Hogg
SR
NBA
SR
NBA
FR
PTE
0.00
HS100 AC/AA
31
NBA
PT%
67.58
PTE
19.24
HS100 AC/AA
2-AC
NBA
PT%
0.00
PTE
0.00
HS100 AC/AA
33
NBA
G
C
6-7
6-10
Jalen Jones
Tyler Davis
SR
FR
Bench Rotation
G
6-1
PT%
84.69
F
PTE
-10.31
6-9
PT%
0.00
G
F
HS100 AC/AA
Elijah Thomas
PTE
0.00
6-1
PT%
45.45
Anthony Collins
HS100 AC/AA
40
Alex Robinson
PTE
-0.54
HS100 AC/AA
58
6-7 Tavario Miller
PT%
21.44
PTE
1.09
HS100 AC/AA
SR
NBA
FR
NBA
SO
NBA
JR
NBA
Like most schools in the SEC—
and Texas—the Aggies basketball
program remains second-fiddle
to their football counterpart. And
while their football team strives
for an SEC title, the Texas A&M
basketball players have their own
lofty goals.
Under the guidance of head
coach Billy Kennedy, the Aggies
have made steady improvement
each season, going 14-18 (4-14
in conference play) in his first
season, and 21-12 last year—
with an appearance in the NIT
Tournament.
That incremental progress has
Aggies fans hoping the next step
will be their first trip to the NCAA
Tournament since 2011. The
optimism is definitely warranted
with the team’s three leading
scorers (Alex Caruso, Danuel
House and Jalen Jones) returning
for another year; and an elite
recruiting class that features fourstar recruits D.J Hogg, Tyler Davis,
Elijah Thomas, and Admon Gilder.
Among the returning players,
House is the most intriguing
prospect. After transferring from
Houston to Texas A&M before
the 2014-15 season, the 6-foot-6
forward immediately made his
mark in the SEC, earning First
Team All-SEC recognition. In
a similar mold to former-Aggie
forward Khris Middleton, House
combines quickness and smart
off-ball movement with a solid
perimeter stroke, hitting 40 percent
from beyond the 3-point line.
A lot of his open perimeter
looks were created by shooting
guard Alex Caruso. The 6-foot-5
Caruso does his finest work as a
facilitator, having averaeged 5.3
assists per game during the prior
season. Caruso does a fantastic job
of working into the teeth of the
defense and then kicking it out to
perimeter shooters. That cutting
ability is also evident his efficiency
from around the rim, as he shot 57
percent from inside the restricted
area according to Hoop-Math.
Jones, the final member of the
returning trio, is an undersized
power forward at 6-foot-7, but
plays much bigger than his height.
Whether it be crashing the boards
BBALLBREAKDOWN | 44