Do we have an official portal thread?
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Last: 2 days ago by FTAG 2000
Much better? I agree reece has potential and more years left, but I dont knowhow much that matters? Why should I value what I could get from Reece in like 2028 at all right now.
Hardworking, Unselfish, Fearless
He was valedictorian of "Basketball High" so lets not turn that into something it isnt.
Hardworking, Unselfish, Fearless
Love it. Go grab some dudes and show that you can develop NBA players. Overall talent profile of the program will jump
What am I missing here, how is this different from the Bediako situation?
He hasn't gone through either NCAA or legal processes???Tamuco99 said:
What am I missing here, how is this different from the Bediako situation?
greg.w.h said:Tamuco99 said:
What am I missing here, how is this different from the Bediako situation?
He hasn't gone through either NCAA or legal processes???
Bediako played in college then declared for the draft. This guy didn't play college ball at all. 2 completely different situations.
Hopefully one difference is he is ruled eligible to play college ball by the NCAA ( after his pro exploits ) before he plays for us unlike Bediako/Bama round 2 .
Even though it's different than the Bediako situation, I'm sure we'll still get a lot of hate over this move
TexasAGGIEinAR said:
Bediako played in college then declared for the draft. This guy didn't play college ball at all. 2 completely different situations.
Also, he wants to be an Aggie, so I'm applying that college fan perspective as well.
I think it's going to be a lot more common and noone will bat an eye in the future as long as they go thru the NCAA eligibility ruling process first. Bama tried to skip that step and in midseason no less…. and got away with it for 5-6 games with no penalty.
It will be WAY less common in the long run, IMO, because no way a guy like this doesnt sign for like millions from Kansas or Arkansas to to start with unless they are just completely not school material. This is a transitional period
Hardworking, Unselfish, Fearless
Bediako joining mid season and not going through the traditional NCAA process is a key difference. That being said, this is obviously all VERY gray area since it is a landscape evolving on a daily basis. We'd probably feel very different about this if we were not the benefitting school - even moreso if the player happened to like baby poop orange.
But we are far from the only school trying this and if I'm not mistaken Ole Miss already has a G league player committed to them as well. This will become common place.
But we are far from the only school trying this and if I'm not mistaken Ole Miss already has a G league player committed to them as well. This will become common place.
dtownAg14 said:
Even though it's different than the Bediako situation, I'm sure we'll still get a lot of hate over this move
Agreed. It's definitely different given the circumstances but still not great optically.
Welcome to the China Club
"Here's the pitch...POPPED it up! Oh man, that wouldn't be a home run in a phone booth."
-Harry Carey
"Here's the pitch...POPPED it up! Oh man, that wouldn't be a home run in a phone booth."
-Harry Carey
Its no different than Dominguez besides country of origin.
Hardworking, Unselfish, Fearless
More news
BREAKING:
— Luke Evangelist (@lukeevangelist_) April 22, 2026
Texas A&M forward Mackenzie Mgbako will return to Texas A&M next season, he announced on social media 👍
The 6-foot-9 star underwent season-ending foot surgery in December, and has been progressing in his recovery.
Averaged 10.4 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 7 games last year. pic.twitter.com/QUGGb7f61Y
boom! Mgbako is back
Here’s Mgbako’s announcement on Instagram with the caption “Unfinished business” 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/VDbgrDW2Qo
— Luke Evangelist (@lukeevangelist_) April 22, 2026
So what about guys that aren't heavily recruited and can't command big NIL numbers straight out of hs but grow or develop tremendously in their "pro" career… the later bloomers . You don't think they will draw NIL interest ? There seemed to be a bunch of Euro's that have been doing that and they were all over tourney rosters this year.
Realistically, how many dudes are out there getting time in American pro ball while simultaneously getting no interest from colleges?
Hardworking, Unselfish, Fearless
Not a fan of this.
I do love to see the mental gymnastics by some posters here. This is different than Bediako, but not that different than Nnaji and in both cases there were posters here opining on the death of college basketball.
But since this is our semi pro guy... obviously this is all good.
I do agree with what another poster said though, I think this is just a phase and soon kids like this will go to college first rather than bump around the G-League.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the admissions office when this kid submits his transcripts from Basketball High to gain admission to Texas A&M. Maybe they just rubber stamp these to avoid the embarrassment of actually processing him for enrollment.
I do love to see the mental gymnastics by some posters here. This is different than Bediako, but not that different than Nnaji and in both cases there were posters here opining on the death of college basketball.
But since this is our semi pro guy... obviously this is all good.
I do agree with what another poster said though, I think this is just a phase and soon kids like this will go to college first rather than bump around the G-League.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the admissions office when this kid submits his transcripts from Basketball High to gain admission to Texas A&M. Maybe they just rubber stamp these to avoid the embarrassment of actually processing him for enrollment.
JJxvi said:
Much better? I agree reece has potential and more years left, but I dont knowhow much that matters? Why should I value what I could get from Reece in like 2028 at all right now.
Hill shot 23.8% from 3 this year in this system, after shooting 20.5% and 28.9% the previous two years. He is what he is: a poor three point shooter.
Reece shot 29.9% from 3 overall, and more importantly, 35.7% in SEC play. Did you watch Reece play the last half of the season? Much improved player from when we first faced him when he was thrust into the starting lineup due to injury. The kid is good.
And that's not even addressing the fact that one is a real PG and the other is an undersized SG so you aren't really comparing apples to apples.
As far as valuing continuity and future production, it's so we don't have to reinvent the roster and culture every season. Our coaches absolutely are trying to land some guys who will be here more than one year for exactly that reason. If they value it, why shouldn't we?
Like I said tho. euros are doing it a lot so why penalize guys that aren't heavily recruited from doing basically the same thing here? Why should a Euro pro have the opportunity but not a G-league pro?
If I'm a college coach and I have roster spots to fill to make my team competitive I'm looking to fill those spots with the best available players I can.
If I'm a college coach and I have roster spots to fill to make my team competitive I'm looking to fill those spots with the best available players I can.
Not a fan of going into the G-league. But college athletic as we know it is sll but gone.
Luigi Vampa said:
We'd probably feel very different about this if we were not the benefitting school - even moreso if the player happened to like baby poop orange.
It's already happened twice this portal before today and last I checked nobody around here even brought it up.
DTP02 said:
As far as valuing continuity and future production, it's so we don't have to reinvent the roster and culture every season. Our coaches absolutely are trying to land some guys who will be here more than one year for exactly that reason. If they value it, why shouldn't we?
How much of that did LSU get out of him? Its fine, probably worth the risk. But Im pretty much done with worrying about what a player is going to be two years from now.
Hardworking, Unselfish, Fearless
halfastros81 said:
Like I said tho. euros are doing it a lot so why penalize guys that aren't heavily recruited from doing basically the same thing here?
Warren was the #81 recruit out of high school and had offers from Arkansas and Kansas among others. Not sure we can say he wasn't heavily recruited. He wanted to play pro ball, it didn't work out, and now we're going to pay him to play college ball. From a basketball perspective we now have 2 guys in the back court (the KState/Memphis/Tulsa/TCU transfer) that are used to shooting 15 times per game. Bucky has a big challenge teaching these kids to play team basketball.
Roster is looking excellent so far. I think we go for a backup PG, two wings(ideally one of which would be a really good 3pt shooter), and then hopefully get Hill back if his waiver is approved. That could give us the following rotation:
PG: Warren/Transfer
SG: Haggerty/Hill
SF: Transfer/Transfer
PF: Mgbako/Phillips
C: Clemence/Vinson
And then some combination of Walls, Mundey, Green, and/or Irving could come off the bench if Bucky wanted more than 10 players in his rotation.
PG: Warren/Transfer
SG: Haggerty/Hill
SF: Transfer/Transfer
PF: Mgbako/Phillips
C: Clemence/Vinson
And then some combination of Walls, Mundey, Green, and/or Irving could come off the bench if Bucky wanted more than 10 players in his rotation.
AggieEP said:halfastros81 said:
Like I said tho. euros are doing it a lot so why penalize guys that aren't heavily recruited from doing basically the same thing here?
Warren was the #81 recruit out of high school and had offers from Arkansas and Kansas among others. Not sure we can say he wasn't heavily recruited. He wanted to play pro ball, it didn't work out, and now we're going to pay him to play college ball. From a basketball perspective we now have 2 guys in the back court (the KState/Memphis/Tulsa/TCU transfer) that are used to shooting 15 times per game. Bucky has a big challenge teaching these kids to play team basketball.
In this system there are more than enough shots to go around
Agee led us last year with 10 shots per game, and we had Isaacs, Dominguez, Griffin and Hill all averaging about 7.5 per game. Mgbako averaged about 8 shots when he was healthy.
The point is, the way Bucky likes to play we should ideally see a spread like this with lots of guys between 7-10 shots. I don't think anyone is going to average 15 shots a game, and if they do it's to the detriment of the team.
The point is, the way Bucky likes to play we should ideally see a spread like this with lots of guys between 7-10 shots. I don't think anyone is going to average 15 shots a game, and if they do it's to the detriment of the team.
When your'e hoisting a trophy the optics don't matter for most ( within reasonable limits of course ). Don't hate the player, hate the game.
A big part of the issue was the NCAA was way behind in establishing the limits and so the limits are being established on the fly.
A big part of the issue was the NCAA was way behind in establishing the limits and so the limits are being established on the fly.
DTP02 said:JJxvi said:
Im assuming this guy is gonna be eligible, based on a couple other decisions. My main concern this offseason is to replace Griffen and this is it. We got a backcourt. If Hill came back we might have THE backcourt
Reece will fit a bigger need than Hill, although I'd love to have Hill back as well.
Excuse my ignorance, but who is Reece?
LSU guard Jalen Reece. Played well in LSU's end of season, with a high volume run where he played 40.5 minutes per game (yeah thats right).
Hardworking, Unselfish, Fearless
The Marksman said:
Roster is looking excellent so far. I think we go for a backup PG, two wings(ideally one of which would be a really good 3pt shooter), and then hopefully get Hill back if his waiver is approved. That could give us the following rotation:
PG: Warren/Transfer
SG: Haggerty/Hill
SF: Transfer/Transfer
PF: Mgbako/Phillips
C: Clemence/Vinson
And then some combination of Walls, Mundey, Green, and/or Irving could come off the bench if Bucky wanted more than 10 players in his rotation.
You absolutely cannot start that frontcourt in the SEC. We may score 80 a game but we'd give up the easiest 85 a game you've ever seen.
Clemence should be a microwave scorer off the bench behind Mgbako - but regardless of how you deploy his minutes, he can not in any way shape or form handle minutes at the 5.
I'm not sure why we are even having this discussion. A&M along with other teams will use any way possible to bring in players to create the best team possible.
Now I don't personally agree with everything that is happening but until laws or rules defining what players colleges can use we should do anything possible to create a better team.
Now I don't personally agree with everything that is happening but until laws or rules defining what players colleges can use we should do anything possible to create a better team.
I think Clemence could play the 5 if he strengthened his lower body without losing his 3 pt shot. He's not going to be a dominant 5 but the ability to draw other teams bigs out of the paint to cover him creates issues for opponents .
We also need a rim protecting 5 as well. Vinson showed a few flashes but he's not consistent or feared. A Josh Nebo type.
We also need a rim protecting 5 as well. Vinson showed a few flashes but he's not consistent or feared. A Josh Nebo type.
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