Texas A&M is searching for a new head coach after Buzz Williams left Texas A&M for Maryland. ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg joined Wednesday's edition of TexAgs Live to discuss the movement and what kind of coach Trev Alberts & Co. should seek out.
Key notes from Seth Greenberg interview
- If you look at Buzz Williams' track record, it's five and dive. He's done great at A&M. He brought the enthusiasm and energy back. I don't know if they hit the ceiling or not, but I think, in his eyes, that Maryland job and that opportunity was better. I don't know if it was a breakdown in the administration’s communication with Williams or vice versa. It felt like a Texas guy going back to Maryland would not make any sense to me, but obviously, there is a cause and effect. There must have been something there that drew him to the opportunity to coach at Maryland in the Big Ten.
- I am not big on listing coaches that are coaching somewhere else. I don't think that's right for that coach who is in the middle of recruiting the transfer portal and things of that nature. I think it is probably most important to get someone in there who understands what A&M is all about, wants to be a part of that and looks at A&M as a career job.
- I thought Williams was the perfect guy at A&M. I thought it was a situation where he was going back home. He has roots there. He has a connection there. When he first got there, he had a great passion for everything that was A&M. I don't think you have to have a Texas guy, but you have to have a guy that says, "You know what? We can be at the very highest level here, and we have the resources. I am excited to represent A&M." I don't like to sit and speculate about a coach who is a sitting coach. It is not the right thing to do. I have been in that seat.
- A&M is a great job. Come on down and hire me. I think you can win there. You have the resources. You have the facilities. You have the infrastructure. You have the passion of fans. You are in a great league. People want to go play there. You have a state that is rich in talent.
- Sean Miller just got hired at Texas. There are so many players in that state that you can get the right guy to buy into the group and get the right guys to play to win. The right staff that gives the relationships that you need, whether it is in the portal or in high school. You don't need to live just in the portal. You get high school guys and get them to be proud of what they're doing at the school they are at. Develop them. Get them to buy in with revenue sharing, a collective and things like that. You can find ways to supplement their patience.
- I think A&M is a great destination because you have seen in the last several years that if you win, people are going to support you. To me, it reminds me of Virginia Tech on steroids.
- The next season could be a bust, or it could be a Final Four season. You need to recruit more shooters. They played so hard and were so disruptive on the glass, but eventually, you have to make some shots. That's the game.
- Williams had a system and recruited to the system. He got those guys to play so hard, and they always represented A&M in a positive way, but you have to have a complete team. You have to have a mixture. You have to use the resources you have. Roster construction is the most important. One of the parts of that is you have to have shotmakers. You have to retain the right guys and bring in the right guys. They just never seemed to get those guys.
- I look at Wade Taylor IV. Taylor could make shots, but early in the game, they struggled to make shots. What Williams did was amazing. He was a heck of a coach. Sometimes, the longer you are at the same place, the expectation changes. Also, people get tired of who you are and how you do it. That's just the truth. He surely had a good run. If you're not in line with your athletic director and your administration, and you're not seeing eye to eye, it's impossible for the administration and the coach.
- It's all about evaluation. There are guys out there that can rebound and make shots. You can find those guys and can find competitive guys that are also skilled. Some of those guys are in more demand. That's just the situation. You have to have a staff that is locked in to international and also in your state.
- Texas A&M is a national brand. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have some international connections to fill voids, and A&M is a national brand and destination where you can go into the portal and find shooters. I think the best way for A&M to do that is to find those guys in the portal.
