Bucky McMillan and Texas A&M Basketball landed their first major pickup out of the transfer portal landing top 5 scorer in the country, PJ Haggerty. This commitment comes on the heels of the recent departures of Ruben Dominguez and Pop Isaacs (not surprising) to the transfer portal. There were even reports that it was inevitable that Haggerty would end up with Will Wade at LSU, but it seems like Bucky and co. worked their magic behind the scenes and got it done.
Why choose the Aggies over LSU if you're Haggerty? Well outside of Haggerty coming back to his home state, the Bucky Ball system is much better for his game. In a system that promotes either 3-point shooting or getting layups at the rim/getting fouled and going to the line, this is perfect for how Haggerty wants to play.
Texas A&M's pickup of PJ Haggerty is massive for Bucky McMillan in 2026's campaign
Haggerty shot 48.9% from the field last year and had a solid 35% of makes behind the 3-point line. He's a player that doesn't have to rely on one shot or the other but can exploit opponents' weaknesses on defense since he can score from multiple levels.
Haggerty also is someone that can pass the ball well and rebound well as a guard. The Bucky Ball system relies on assists and grabbing rebounds to get into transition so someone that averaged nearly 4 assists and over 5 rebounds a game despite only being 6'4" is exactly what the Aggies needed.
Of course, there are some obvious red flags when it comes to Haggerty. Most obvious being that this is now his 5th school in 5 years. It is clear that the Aggies know this going in. This is Haggerty's last year of eligibility, and the staff knows he is a one-year mercenary. Haggerty's also hasn't been one to lead a lot of his former teams to success. Despite that, he is as much of a sure thing production-wise as you can get, averaging over 21 points per game each of the last 3 seasons.
Time will only tell for Haggerty and the Aggies, but with his production and bringing back Mckenzie Mgbako. This Aggie Basketball team could be very dangerous next year. Check back for more transfer portal updates as they are announced.