Monaco appreciates the greatness of Taylor and LaViolette in Aggieland

Wade Taylor IV is now Texas A&M basketball's all-time leading scorer, and slugger Jace LaViolette is just three bombs away from breaking Daylan Holt's career home run record. "The Voice of the Aggies" Andrew Monaco joined TexAgs Live to speak on the greatness on campus.

Key notes from Andrew Monaco interview

• You said matchups. Reverse it. How about the team that has to play Texas A&M? They have played teams that have rebounded well, but not like A&M. This team doesn't think how about diving on the floor. Florida was really quick. They knew that but saw just how quick and made adjustments. Yeah, A&M is a good rebounding team, but you have 40 minutes of that.
   
• The four losses were discouraging, and Mississippi State was the better “us” than we were. In the last four minutes of Tennessee, they were better than you. Tennessee, Florida and Auburn are three No.1 seeds.
   
• Keep the identity through the postseason. The adjustments in the second half against LSU, they played like A&M.
   
• When there is a score being kept, A&M basketball wants to win. That is how competitive they are. In shootaround, they have a four-minute game where they divide five and five. It's in the DNA.
   
• They are in a different position than they have been in the past. They are in the NCAA Tournament. I don't think that changes anything. When the schedule came out, the non-conference, as difficult as it was, you had a veteran team, and both portions have led you to where you are. I think they are built for it. That is why you did what you did in the non-conference and the gauntlet you played.
   
• To see Bernard King at the game, I love what records do. It allows fans of now to learn more about the history. You see two jerseys in the rafters in Acie Law IV and Wade Taylor IV.
   
• To have Daylan Holt say to Jace LaViolette, “Go ahead and break it,” about his home run record. To hear John Scheschuk say LaViolette has the potential to be the best baseball player to ever play at A&M... To see who Taylor has become as a player... The loudest yell at Reed Arena during the jersey retirement was when Buzz Williams said he graduated from A&M. Aggies love that.
   
• It will not be much longer until LaViolette has the home run record. Taylor is one point away from 2,000 points. What's more important for Taylor is the 92 wins he has. Of all the numbers for him? The Ws are most important to him.
   
• What have we learned from Mike Elko's year twos in the past? It points up. The new phrase for me, going into 2025, is "player retention." You didn't see a lot of people leave, so that means there's something special, and they want to be a part of this. 
   
• He built that foundation, and people understand what they have to do as a player. If you're happy with what you did, great. If you're not happy with it, what are you going to work on? Now, if you're happy with what you did, but you don't want to work, you're going to be watching from the sidelines. That competition is there. 
   
• You have players stay, and now the house continues to get built. There were some key players who stayed, which was really important. You also have to have the pieces. Your high school recruits have to fit. Your transfers have to fit. Players recruit players. When a player says, "I want to come into Texas A&M. What should I expect?" The coaches will tell you what you want. The players will tell you the truth. 
   
• You can bring in all the shiny pieces you want on the outside, but if those five offensive linemen can't protect and can't create holes for your running backs? It just looks good in the showroom. It doesn't look good on the road. That's what excites me. 
   
• Now, not that you didn't have it, but now you have a quarterback with not just the five offensive linemen back. Now, he has a rapport with the others. What does every quarterback need? The leadership. Marcel Reed has that leadership. This is a guy who worked his way to being QB2 and then became QB1. When he was QB2 early in the season, the numbers looked good, but Reed didn't think they were good enough, and that's when he kept going back into the laboratory.
   
• There's a reason why guys elevate to certain roles. The phrase I use is "the work in the dark." That could be lifting in July, running that mountain, on track at 6:30 a.m., or it could be going to work and breaking down film. That's the separator. When we say, "Wow, he's really improved greatly." You always look at that stuff. That's usually what tells how a player has gotten better and is an impact player on his team.
   
• Solomon Washington should have been on the All-Defensive team. Dexter Dennis, two years ago.