Aggies add former SMU guard

The 6-foot-5 senior started his last two seasons at SMU, scoring 14.8 points per game this past season while adding 4.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He had his best season to date in 2022-23, when he averaged 17.5 PPG while shooting nearly 40% from the flooring, including 31% from 3-point range.

A native of Midland, the Aggies jumped in quickly when Phelps entered the portal. After an official visit last weekend, A&M seemed the likely landing spot for him as he had no other visits scheduled.

Phelps, at this point, is likely the starter at the shooting guard spot as A&M looks for a replacement for Boots Radford. They have some similarities in their games: Phelps scores the majority of his points by attacking the rim, frequently off of screen and rolls. Though he's right-handed, he has the ability to attack and lay the ball in with his left, making him tougher to defend. A total of 51% of his points came at the rim, and he shot 75% from the line in 2023-24.

Phelps scored in double-digits in 15 of his last 16 games at SMU, including a 21-point outing in a first round loss in the NIT to Indiana State. While he can score and get to the free throw line, Phelps has not been a good 3-point shooter. He only made 30 of 139 attempts this past season (21.9%), and those 139 attempts would have put him third on the Aggies in attempts, trailing only Wade Taylor (302) and Jace Carter (142).

Phelps is a good scorer in transition, and his addition could be another sign that the Aggies intend to continue to go more up-tempo as they did later in the season. He does not thrive in a half-court offense and struggles to score in catch and shoot situations. But with a starting lineup that includes Phelps, Taylor, Manny Obaseki and Solomon Washington, picking up the offensive pace makes a lot of sense.