Texas A&M basketball head coach Buzz Williams has picked up the pieces in 2019 recruiting; here’s how his guys look in the final rankings.
When Buzz Williams took over as head coach of Texas A&M basketball, there was an understanding among realistic fans he wouldn’t turn this thing around overnight. It took a couple of years to make the tournament at Virginia Tech, but he improved every season until making the Sweet 16 in his final year and taking Duke to the brink in the loss.
He’s also inheriting a team that will undergo much turnover from last season and even the returning players didn’t inspire much confidence moving forward after a 14-18 finish. All four Billy Kennedy recruits requesting their release was the result of the coaching change. However, Williams was quick to pick up the pieces and put together a solid recruiting class for a coach in his first year.
Here are the recruits and how they finished in the final Top 247 rankings on 247 Sports released last week
Cashius McNeilly (Thornhill, Ontario) – No. 82 overall, No. 12 SG, No. 1 from Ontario
One of the big gets for Williams was McNeilly re-classifying from the 2020 class down to 2019, so he’ll be able to join the squad for the 2019-20 season coming up. He will be big in replacing Brandon Mahan who has entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Emanuel Miller (Napa, CA) – No. 147 overall, No. 22 PF, No. 11 in state
The only recruit who didn’t come in that blitz on a Saturday in April, Miller was a late snag and an excellent addition to the class. His size and defensive versatility will be big off the bench early on. Miller was a Virginia Tech commit before briefly opening his commitment back up after Buzz left. He stuck with coach.
Quenton Jackson (Carson, CA) – No. 21 overall, No. 10 SG, No. 5 in state
It’s important to note Jackson is a JUCO transfer and his rankings reflect that, but he’s one of the top players at the level. We’ve seen JUCO transfer come and have major impact over the years and Williams is hoping Jackson can bring some leadership to a relatively young group.
Yavuz Gultekin (Bel Air, MD) – No. 205 overall, No. 36 PF, No. 5 in state
A big floor spacer, Gultekin was a Virginia Tech commit before following Williams to Aggieland. You got to like that kind of loyalty. Can be a perfect stretch 4 or 5 at this level.
Andre Gordon (Sidney, OH) – No. 253 overall, No. 35 SG, No. 2 in state
Gordon is another recruit who followed Buzz from Virginia Tech. He’s a super athletic combo guard who played football in high school as well.
The Aggies are currently ranked No. 35 in the 2019 rankings in the 247 Sports Composite. They will have a big test early on with top-ranked Gonzaga on the non-conference schedule as well as a high profile tournament most likely.