Texas A&M Aggies
Overall Rank: #23
Conference Rank: #6 SEC
Texas A&M lost much of last year’s squad, including a couple of them unexpectedly. However, Coach Gary Blair has taken the Aggies to 13 straight NCAA Tournaments and there is little doubt that he will make it 14. That is largely due to the return of Chennedy Carter. As a freshman last season, Carter averaged a team high 22.7 points per game and dished out 4.9 assists. She was the catalyst of the offense in 2017-2018 and will certainly be again this year.
2017-18 Record: 26-10, 11-5
2017-18 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Gary Blair
Coach Record: 357-151 at Texas A&M, 765-314 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Khaalia Hillsman, Center, 14.4 ppg
Danni Williams, Guard, 14.2 ppg
Anriel Howard, Forward, 12.1 ppg
Jasmine Lumpkin, Forward, 6.6 ppg
Lulu McKinney, Guard, 1.4 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Chennedy Carter, Sophomore, Guard, 22.7 ppg
Kayla Wells, Sophomore, Guard, 2.8 ppg
Caylinne Martin, Senior, Forward/Center, 1.8 ppg
Jada Walton, Sophomore, Guard, 1.5 ppg
N’Dea Jones, Sophomore, Forward, 1.4 ppg
Jasmine Williams, Sophomore, Guard, DNP last season
Key New Players
Anna Dreimane, Sophomore, Center, Transfer from Colorado State
Aja Ellison, Senior, Forward/Center, Grad Transfer from Maryland
Lauren Harrison, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Texas Tech
Ciera Johnson, Sophomore, Center, Transfer from Louisville
Cheah Rael-Whitsitt, Junior, Forward, JC Transfer
Shambria Washington, Junior, Guard, JC Transfer
Aaliyah Wilson, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Arkansas
Projection:
The Aggies are loaded with sophomores. Last season Kayla Wells, Jada Walton and N’Dea Jones rarely got much opportunity to play, but they will now. However, Coach Blair has brought in a slew of transfers to help bring in some much needed experience. In total there seven newcomers and all of them have collegiate experience. Cheah Rael-Whitsitt, Ciera Johnson, Aja Ellison and Anna Dreimane will look to make an immediate impact in the frontcourt. Johnson has the highest expectations after the former McDonald’s All-American spent one relatively unproductive season at Louisville. Lauren Harrison, Aaliyah Wilson and Shambria Washington are the transfers looking to fill in around Carter on the perimeter. Wilson spent one season at Arkansas where she averaged 4.8 points and 2.9 rebounds. Like Johnson, Wilson was highly regarded coming out of high school and Texas A&M hopes that the change of scenery will lead to more production on the court. If that is the case, the Aggies will be a dangerous team in the SEC and fight for another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.7 (25th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.5 (251, 10)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.4 (24, 4)
Field-Goal Defense:41.2 (238, 12)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.7 (275, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.2 (44, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 77.2 (8, 1)
Rebound Margin: 8.7 (13, 1)
Assists Per Game: 13.8 (136, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.2 (48, 5)
