Williams' exit comes after six good-but-never-great years at Texas A&M

No matter how simple the question, Buzz Williams often answered with a lengthy lecture.

Such was the case about a year ago.

In response to a rather benign question, Williams began a diatribe about his reluctance to interact with Texas A&M basketball fans. That was a surprising take since, as Texas A&M’s basketball coach, he wanted fan support.

Paraphrasing here: Williams said he did not often go to restaurants because he may be approached by someone wanting to talk basketball. He didn’t attend church for the same reason. He revealed he returned to church at the behest of his son but always sat in the back so he could get a quick getaway.

In retrospect, that diatribe should have hinted that Williams would someday leave A&M.

That day came on Tuesday when it was announced Williams was leaving A&M for Maryland.

Williams’ exit ends a good, but overall disappointing six-season tenure in College Station.

The Aggies were 120-73 under Williams. They made the NCAA Tournament three consecutive years from 2023-25 but only won in the first round against Nebraska in 2024 and Yale in 2025.

Kay Naegeli, TexAgs

Buzz Williams’ tenure at Texas A&M came to a close with a 91-79 loss to Michigan on March 22 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32.

Two NCAA Tournament wins in six seasons is not acceptable for a coach paid approximately $4.5 million annually. Especially considering his predecessor, Billy Kennedy, was fired despite twice getting A&M into the Sweet 16.

Williams’ A&M teams had a reputation for playing aggressive defense and getting offensive rebounds. But they also typically shot poorly — sometimes horrifically — from 3-point range and at the free-throw line.

From here, the move seems good for both Williams and A&M.

Clearly, he didn’t want to be here. And with eight players gone from last season’s 23-11 team, including guard Wade Taylor IV, whose jersey now hangs in the Reed Arena rafters, the outlook for next season isn’t promising.

Williams appears to have topped out at A&M. The Aggies need a coach who can take them to the top.

But will A&M pay the price to get such a coach? A prepared statement from Director of Athletics Trev Alberts provides little clue in how the Aggies will proceed.

“We would like to thank Buzz for his years of service heading up our men’s basketball program,” Alberts said in the statement. “We wish he and (wife) Corey and their family all the best moving forward.

“We are excited about the future of Aggie basketball, and we will find the right leader for our program.”

Define the right leader at A&M? Is it a coach that’s good or a coach that’s good enough?

Detractors would say it doesn’t matter. They’d say A&M basketball can be good but never great.

History would indicate otherwise.

Back in the day, Shelby Metcalf compiled some great teams. Billy Gillipsie came a missed layup away from greatness. Mark Turgeon may have reached greatness if not for a swallowed whistle when Donald Sloan was obviously fouled at the end of an NCAA Tournament loss to UCLA. Even Kennedy approached it with his two Sweet 16 appearances.

The Aggies must make the financial commitment to get the best coach possible.

Kay Naegeli, TexAgs

Trev Alberts has been A&M’s Director of Athletics since being introduced to the 12th Man on March 18, 2024.

They should make a strong bid to lure Chris Beard away from Ole Miss. Beard once coached Texas Tech to the national championship game in 2019. He put together a championship-caliber team at Texas in 2023. He guided Ole Miss to the Sweet 16 this season.

Yes, he was fired from Texas after being charged with felony assault against his then-fiancée. However, the case was later dismissed.

Beard has been punished. He lost his job. Given another chance at Ole Miss, he’s not had any issues in two years there.

But if A&M isn’t interested in Beard — or if he’s not interested in leaving Oxford — Alberts should aggressively pursue a coach who has had consistent success.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood would be an attractive candidate. He has a Texas background, having once coached Stephen F. Austin to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Why not take a shot at Greg McDermott at Creighton? He took Creighton to the Elite Eight in ’23 and the Sweet 16 in ’24.

He has been at Creighton since 2010, so maybe he wouldn’t be interested. But Creighton is in Omaha. Alberts came to A&M from Omaha. Maybe there’s a connection there.

Or how about Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger? He has led the Cyclones to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Twice, they’ve reached the Sweet 16.

Or maybe try to lure Grant McCasland away from Texas Tech.

We’ll see how Alberts proceeds. But Alberts must find a coach who honestly wants to be at A&M. He must find a coach who recruits aggressively — which Williams often admitted he did not do.

And it wouldn’t hurt if Alberts finds a coach who doesn’t mind interacting with A&M basketball fans.