played for Nolan Richardson and spent most of his career coaching alonside Mike Anderson moving with him from Ark to UAB to Mizzou to Ark to St Johns. I read that Anderson is actually his uncle but not sure if that is accurate. He's the same age as Bucky and grew up in Birmingham so they probably have known each other since their HS days playing against each other.

Probably not many places have Football Banquets same night as home men's basketball games. Shows total disregard for basketball.

I think things have changed a little bit since them overall in "football centric" athletic conferences like the SEC or the Big12 (back then).

I think the SEC and overall athletic departments realize that Football and Basketball are the two places where there is money to be made. As a result, I do think that basketball overall is a little bit more taken in consideration now in places like A&M, Alabama etc than in the past.

He was on Anderson's staff for 17 years, and for 12 of those he worked with Watkins. A lot of experience as an assistant in college working in Big 12 and SEC mainly. And still youngish.

I was looking at Watkins history the other day, I knew he had made the NCAA tourney at Charlotte before we hired him but forget he had made it both years as a head coach - 2 appearances in his 2 years as a HC - and both years he also won a first round game. First year as a 7 seed beating #10 Georgetown before losing to #2 Utah, second year as an 8 seed beating #9 UIC before losing to #1 UNC in Overtime.

I can see why, on paper, he looked like a good hire at the time.

When the football banquets were held, annually, was the least of Melvin's worries.

He did not know how to coach at this level was the problem.

You posted about the football banquet being held at the same time as a men's basketball game twice.

FB banquets at probably every school are held on Saturday evenings when the players' families can attend more easily. And, of course, men's college basketball games are often contested on Saturday evenings.

Without doing a ton of research, I think the Saturday fb banquet/Saturday hoops game conflict happens on the regular at many schools, not just Texas A&M.

It should not be scheduled during a home basketball game. Pick a different weekend. This isn't a logistics nightmare.