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Few teams in the next few weeks will have better unexpected personnel fortune for next season than Texas A&M.
In a somewhat surprising decision, 6-foot-9 Aggies forward Robert Williams announced he would return to College Station for his sophomore season. Williams would have definitely been a first-round pick in this upcoming NBA Draft, and it’s possible he could have gone in the teens.
“First of all, I would like to thank God for blessing me with the awesome opportunity to play at a great university like Texas A&M,” Williams said.
“I would also like to thank my parents, family, coaches, teammates and fans for supporting me through my freshman year. I love A&M and it was a great experience which helped me grow and get better as a player and a person. Although I’ve grown, I still feel like I would benefit from another year of college. This will give me more time to mature and develop my game before moving on to the NBA. With that being said I’ve decided I owe it to myself to stay another year at Texas A&M.”
Williams averaged 11.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and shot 55.8 percent. He’s a top-15 defender in college basketball, and if A&M is a top-25 team next season, he’ll have a chance at being a Second or Third Team All-America. He was the only player in college basketball this season to have a block in every game. With Williams coming back, A&M will be a projected top-three team in the SEC thanks to bringing back small forward D.J. Hogg, center Tyler Davis (most likely) and combo guard Admon Gilder. Per the school, A&M returns 86 percent of the scoring output from this past season.
The Aggies finished 16-15 this past season but will be in the mix as a preseason top 25 club.
