COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – It’s highly unlikely that Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams will serve as athletic department administrator, he addressed the matter during a press conference Friday.
But if he finds himself in that situation, there are coaching decisions that will be important in the recruiting process. In this hypothetical world of Athletic Director Williams, the main problem is between coaches having a roster with as much talent as possible and giving players enough time to recover from injuries. It will probably revolve around how to handle the balance between the two.
The conversation is relevant now for Williams, who has to make a decision regarding guard Wade Taylor IV. On Friday, the All-American guard was listed as available in the Southeastern Conference’s mandatory availability report from the previous day as the Aggies prepared to face LSU at Reed Arena on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Taylor has missed the past three games due to an undisclosed injury, and the Aggies have a 1-2 record.
“If (Taylor) is healthy, (Taylor) will play,” Williams said Friday before the availability report was released. “But I’m going to do the right thing in his life, his body, his relationship with his parents, whether it affects our team or not. I’ll give it to him because he’s a potential All-American.”
For the past two seasons, Williams has refused to reveal details of the injuries that have affected his players, citing issues in the growing world of sports gambling. Similar reasons led the Southeastern Conference to require availability reporting in most sports, a practice that began during the most recent football season.
Throughout his career, Williams said his decisions have been guided by a promise he made to his parents to treat players like their own children. Over the past two seasons, the Aggies have had to deal with injuries to standouts Henry Coleman, Tyrese Radford and Manny Obaseki over the past three seasons.
To that end, Williams said the program will not use mandatory reporting levels such as “suspicious,” “suspicious,” or “probable.”
“The expectation to win and the talent required, that’s never going to change,” Williams explained. “But for me, for 18 years, no matter the player’s name, no matter the player’s talent, no matter the player’s age, I’ve been dealing with injuries the same way…(Parents) have told me I’m going to replace their son. I trusted him to do the right thing.”
Washington faces a familiar enemy
On Friday, A&M junior forward Solomon Washington arrived earlier than ever for treatment and film study, Williams said with a laugh.
Whether that’s because the No. 11 Aggies are playing their home state’s LSU Tigers Saturday Williams is humorously left up to speculation.
Washington left New Orleans Carver High School as the No. 1 ranked freshman in Louisiana, but did not receive offers from state schools just a few miles west. Three years later, this game will reunite him with his old basketball friends who remained in “The Boot.”
“Nothing extra,” Washington said of playing at LSU. “I’m kind of excited to be playing with guys that I’ve been playing with since high school.”
LSU freshman forward Corey Chest twice faced Washington in the state championship game while playing at Link Academy. Washington said the Aggie defensive specialists were 1-1 in those title games.
Washington also has a relationship with senior guard Cam Carter, and they played select basketball together.
“It’s going to be really fun to play with the guys I grew up with,” Washington cheered.
LSU enters Saturday’s contest ranked No. 68 in the NET and boasts strengths in offensive rebound percentage (34.8 percent), two-point field goal percentage (57.8 percent) and free throw percentage (76.3 percent). Over 50% of their points come inside the arc.
This season, Washington has been playing with a trio of scoring point guards in Tarryo, Juric Phelps and Manny Obaseki. He noted that all three are from Dallas, Washington.
“I don’t know if this has something to do with the Texas players and the Dallas players, but they just want to score the ball,” he suggested.
For New Orleans fans, Washington is happy to embody the grit of his hometown.
“I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, it just adds intensity,” Washington said. “No matter who you’re playing with, you’re trying to be the toughest guy on the floor. When you bring in that dog mentality, somebody’s got to be the bad guy, right?”
Mr. Lee received a scholarship.
Aggie redshirt sophomore guard Jaelyn Lee was awarded a scholarship for the spring semester on Friday, according to a Williams College social media post.
Lee has been a walk-on his entire career at Aggieland. This season, he added valuable minutes to the team when his teammates were in foul trouble.
This season, the Paris, Texas, native played 29 minutes and averaged 1.2 points and one rebound per game.
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