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Q: There has been next to nothing heard from Joni Taylor and ATM womens basketball program since seasons end.

Any updates? What can be done to revive the program? (RacerRod)

A: Outside of a couple of transfers in, there’s nothing to report. Taylor appears almost certain to return next year, at least in part because A&M doesn’t want to eat her contract and pay a buyout. But she has to be on extremely thin ice, because women’s basketball is the absolute outlier in A&M athletics. Every other one is at least competitive at the highest level, and four of them are ranked No. 1 in the nation in their respective sports. And then there’s women’s basketball, which is at the bottom of the SEC.

Q: What happened to WTF Wednesday?

A: This week, the portal did. I was going to tee off on the stupidity that is retiring Shedeur Sanders’ number, but got into to trying to figure out who A&M was targeting as soon as the portal opened.

How was the party?

A: You’ll have to ask Cody, but it seemed to be good.

While in my opinion….IT WAS GREAT!!!! (That was Cody.)

What was the theme of the party?

A: We took her and a few of her friends to a local tea room. Good salads. This weekend, which is the weekend of her actual birthday, she gets to go to Great Wolf Lodge with a few friends and spend the night. I will take any donations to defray that expense, because dang, that ain’t cheap!

When a HS player commits does the coaches give him strength and conditioning workout plans? What are somethings coaches do to help the player in the transition from HS to college both academically and athletically? (Spar2cus)

A: They do get workout plans and at least portions of the playbook. A&M athletics has a huge academic support structure to help athletes as soon as the get on campus, so they do as much as humanly possible.

Q: 1. SIAP but what's the format of the spring game going to be? #1 offense vs #2 defense, etc.

A: Trey Zuhn drafted a team and Taurean York drafted a team. It’ll be a regular game with regular scoring rules.

2. What has to happen in order for you to consider the game a ‘success'? (Pebbycree)

A: Nobody gets hurt.

Q: How many wins in the SEC does the baseball team need in order to get to a regional?

A: 13 or so.

How many would they need in order to host?

A: They’d better stay hot and win every series from here on out to have a shot.

What are your thoughts on their post season outlook? (Gmalone)

A: Let’s see how they do tonight and tomorrow.

Q: 1. What do you think was the reason for the slow start offensively for the baseball team?

A: I doubt it’s just one thing. Being a former baseball player myself, I know how tough it is to get in a groove as a hitter and how easy it is to get off your game and start thinking too much. They had a new hitting coach, so that may be part of it; it could have been some guys messing with their mechanics, some guys trying to hit for power instead of contact and some just pressing.

2. Can you elaborate on what Micah Hudson did to burn bridges during his brief stint at A&M? I'm shocked that he was here long enough to wear out his welcome. (Phastman)

A: He was just a really bad fit from the word go. Mike Elko and his staff have a very regimented way of how they want things done, and you do that or else. He apparently didn’t like that and poof, he was gone as fast as Mark Stoops.

Q: Are there any WR already in the portal you think A&M will go after, or is it a wait and see if the right guy hops in?

A: Hykeem Williams went in today, and the former 5-star took a long look at A&M before picking FSU two years ago. I would be surprised if they didn’t go after him.

Is there any chance they take a RB in the portal with the uncertainty of when Moss will return? (AggieAppraiser)

A: I would be stunned if they did.

Q: Have you heard if A&M is interested in true freshman WR Adrian Wilson from CU? He is from Pflugerville, TX and was a 4 star WR in the 2025 class. (Davidimy)

A: They were not, and he committed to North Carolina.

Q: You mentioned in another thread about basketball visitors now & this weekend. Who are we talking about? (Travster23)

A: One of them was Mackenzie Mgbako, and he’s now signed. So is Josh Holloway. Former. Oklahoma guard Duke Myles spent two days on campus this week, so they’re in it for him. I suspect there were more.

Q: I once asked you "What did Schloss do different than Childress to make A&M have a better baseball team." Your answer was "He brought in better players." Looking at what Schloss is doing at Texas this year, how did he improve them so much so fast? Did he get better players through portal and high school recruits or is it more than that? Is he such a good coach because he is good at putting the right players in the right position and making great game day decisions? I played baseball and had a chance to play baseball in JR College, and my limited experience, success is mostly about having great players, especially at pitching. In other words, its hard for a coach to screw it up. I know I am wrong about that and is the reason I am asking you about Schloss. (FbFan222)

A: Well, part of it is, again, that he brought in better players. He had an excellent recruiting class, most of which he stole from A&M when he left. The guy is an utter dirtbag with no sense of decency, but he’s a damned good coach. And Max Weiner has done a great job with their pitching.

Q: What’s the story on Arceneaux? Looking for a payday with NIL? Other issue? Is he worth the trouble to go after? (Gunsnwoodrow)

A: He’s looking at NC State and UVA, so far as I can tell. NC State is trying to throw big money around, which is why they presumed they were getting Mackenzie Mgbako. I don’t think anyone in this region of the country is involved with him.

Q: Why has our former BB coach managed to get the number of transfer players with his brand of play yet we seem to be lagging even with "Bucky Ball" on the way? Proven versus unproven D1 coach? (BVOSUX)

A: I know you asked this question before Thursday evening, so would you like to retract it?

Q: IYHO, how is the basketball recruiting going so far?

A: Pretty darned good.

What is the single biggest thing you'd like to see Marcel improve upon right out of the gate?

A: Decision making. Be faster, be smarter.

Is our current AD the right guy?

A: If this is still about Schlossnagle and Buzz leaving, haven’t they shown enough to indicate this wasn’t an AD’s call, this was all about them?

Is Reed Arena “fixable"? (Tsip despiser)

A: No. It can be improved. It cannot be fixed.

Q: I know you don't like to do percentages, but what is the odds A&M gets 2 more basketball players to fill out the rooster, considering there is, per someone's stat, only 1500+ players in the portal and a whole 12th man to pick from?

But seriously, are there some real good players they are looking at and have a realistic chance on getting them? I don't know this coach, but he definitely will have "his" team since he inherited only one player. I am not a fan of how the current portal transfer system along with NIL work, but I am hoping we can take advantage of it. Have any other schools built an entire team this way and was a decent or good team?

Thanks, I'll hang up and listen. (SYoungblood)

A: Yeah, there were a couple of good teams that were almost entirely made up of transfers last year that not only made the tournament, but advanced. Arkansas was one of them, for instance. A&M beat them pretty handily, but they were a good team by season’s end. Michigan (ugh) was another. A&M’s not alone in having to do this rebuild this offseason. Maryland and that guy will have to; Baylor has zero returning players. So it’s not a good situation, but increasingly common.

Q: Does Marble have any eligibility left, or do we just roll on without him?

A: Marble is long gone. He got in some serious trouble before last season and was booted. He will never return.

Way too early floor and ceiling (record wise) for the football team this year?

A: Ceiling: Natty. Floor: 6-6.

Speaking of which, did some of us give up on Earley too early? (TAMU-83)

A: Yes. You can’t fire a coach after half a season. Now they’re 22-15, have won eight in a row and have taken three straight games, on the road, against the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation.

Q: It seems to me without a big, strong nose tackle to anchor the middle, our D will be challenged to stop the run. I don't think we have that guy, and I didn't think we had that guy last year. I understand they are hard to come by in the portal, but the sips were able to get some very solid D tackles in the portal last year, and this year they have already picked up a couple of what seems to be talented 350 lb D tackles, plus the Ohio St. guy. Why can't we seem to get these types of guys? Is it our NIL, that Elko doesn't see that as important, or that they we're not an attractive option? (Thepassag)

A: For starters, there are not very many 350-pound defensive tackles who can move. If there were, Samu Taumanupepe would still be at A&M. What they’re looking for is someone between 310 and 320 pounds who has some quickness. They have that in DJ Hicks and Albert Regis; Dealyn Evans is up to 310 and DJ Sanders is at least 315. So I would say that Elko does not agree with you.