Texas A&M Aggies
Overall Rank: #20
Conference Rank: #4 SEC
Texas A&M won their first SEC title last year and were among the favorites to win a national title. They entered the postseason with just one overtime loss at LSU. The Aggies fell to Georgia in the SEC Tournament, but still earned a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. From there, Texas A&M had a pretty tough NCAA Tournament. They barely beat #15 Troy in the first round and it took overtime to get past Iowa State and reach the Sweet Sixteen. It ended there at the hands of Arizona. With three starters gone, all of whom were selected in the 2021 WNBA Draft, Coach Gary Blair has some rebuilding to do.
2020-21 Record: 25-3, 13-1
2020-21 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Gary Blair
Coach Record: 430-170 at Texas A&M, 836-332 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Aallyah Wilson, Guard, 12.7 ppg
N’dea Jones, Forward, 12.1 ppg
Ciera Johnson, Center, 10.5 ppg
Alexis Morris, Guard, 6.0 ppg
Zagy Green, Guard, 2.9 ppg
Ella Tofaeono, Center, 1.7 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Kayla Wells, Senior, Guard. 11.5 ppg
Jordan Nixon, Junior, Guard, 10.6 ppg
Destiny Pitts, Senior, Guard, 7.0 ppg
McKinzie Green, Junior, Guard, 1.6 ppg
Sahara Jones, Sophomore, Guard, 1.6 ppg
Kay Kay Green, Sophomore, Guard, 1.3 ppg
Maliyah Johnson, Sophomore, Forward, 0.8 ppg
Key New Players
Qadashah Hoppie, Senior, Guard, Transfer from St. John’s
Eriny Kindred, Freshman, Guard
Jada Malone, Freshman, Forward
Keslynn Oxendine, Freshman, Guard
Aaliyah Patty, Senior, Forward, Transfer from Ohio State
Sydnee Roby, Junior, Center, Transfer from Miami
Projection:
Kayla Wells and Jordan Nixon are the team’s returning starters. The backcourt duo each averaged double-digits in the scoring department. Both can hit some three-pointers, but are not particularly efficient in that area. Nixon also dished out a team high 3.3 assists. Destiny Pitts is back after hitting a team high 49 three-pointers at a 46.2 percent clip. If Pitts can keep that up and take more shots, she will be in for a big 2021-2022 campaign. Qadashah Hoppie will add another proven shooter to the team. The 5-7 guard has been a double-digit scorer for St. John’s the last four years. Aaliyah Patty will anchor the new look frontcourt. The 6-3 Ohio State transfer averaged 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks with the Buckeyes last season. Miami transfer Sydnee Roby and incoming freshman Jada Malone will look to add some much-needed depth to the frontcourt. This will be a bit of a rebuilding year for Texas A&M, but the pieces are there for the Aggies to remain a competitive team in the SEC and it would be a surprise if they fall too far down the SEC standings.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.2 (28th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.6 (114, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.9 (12, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.4 (86, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.6 (268, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.4 (12, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.8 (93, 4)
Rebound Margin: 4.7 (52, 4)
Assists Per Game: 13.7 (121, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.6 (97, 7)
Madness 2021 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#61 Jada Malone
#119 Eriny Kindred
