Texas A&M just showed they are all in on the new era of college basketball with Bucky McMillan's latest grab out of the portal— guard Bryson Warren, very recently of the G-League's Westchester Knicks. Warren went straight to the G-League out of high school, bypassing college altogether, and has now elected to come to school to play ball.
This is different than a case like Charles Bediako, where a former Alabama player played a couple of years in college, forewent the rest of his eligibility, and then returned to play more minutes with the Tide at a later point. Though both players were in the G-League, Warren has never played in college— his situation is much more analagous to players like Ruben Dominguez, who came over from pro ball in Europe.
That won't stop opposing fans from making noise about how upset they are that the Aggies were able to add such a big piece in Warren, of course— with the usual labels of "hypocrite" and the like being thrown around. The bigger worry, of course, is the ever-intransigent NCAA— but even if they put up a fight, it's one worth engaging in for the Aggies.
Texas A&M's latest portal addition may result in protracted court battle, but it will be worth every second
The NCAA never makes anything easy in this new era of college sports, even though hardly any outcome has gone their way since things have been taken to the courtroom. They are no doubt bound to make the Aggies' life hard when it comes to their addition of Warren.
Warren is an elite shooter that can help give the Aggies one of the best backcourts in the SEC alongside PJ Haggerty. That is immediately obvious on first blush, but is he really worth the trouble the NCAA may make the Aggies go through?
The clear answer is yes. The court may drag things out for a while, but we saw a similar situation with Rashaun Agee— and the Aggies' most important player last season ended up being granted an injunction that allowed him to play last year.
Warren is a similar value add to this team in the spacing and shooting that he will provide. This is worth taking to the courts, even if the NCAA doesn't make it easy— with precedents that have been set, Texas A&M should get a win very easily, even if the NCAA hands down an unfavorable decision at first.
This is a masterstroke by Bucky McMillan, to say the least. Though it may be tough for a time and fans may feel uneasy, when it all ends up working out, fans will be forced to appreciate just how much foresight and acumen went into this one.
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