SEC Basketball Summer Teleconference

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M men's basketball head coach Billy Kennedy visited with members of the media on Monday during the SEC Men's Basketball Summer Teleconference. Below are some of his thoughts on the summer progress of this team and the upcoming 2015-16 season.
 

Opening Statement…

"We're really excited about next season. Our three seniors – Danuel House, Jalen Jones and Alex Caruso – are three guys who have had success in the SEC and playing for me the last few years. They've done a really good job leading the young guys we've brought in. We're expecting great things and are excited about this year coming up."
 

On what newcomers are on campus…

"All of our freshman are on campus and our transfer will be soon, we're working on getting him in school as of today. We're hoping he'll be here for the second summer session next week. We should have everybody by next week."
 

On liking what he's seen from the newcomers…

"I really do. I like our new guys, they've been well-advertised with a lot of hype and are still young, but the character and the talent they've brought to our program has been really refreshing. It's rare you see four really good players who are also really good kids. That has a lot to do with the culture that has been set by our three seniors, these kids have come in and learned how to work and adjusted right away. The seniors have done a good job leading."
 

On what impact the Aggies' freshman class can make…

"All four have won state championships and that's the biggest thing aside from being able to play. The two big guys, Tyler Davis and Elijah Thomas, bring a presence about them that we need in the program right away. Both of those guys have the chance to impact right away at the 4 or the 5 spots with their size and athleticism. They both have already shown the ability to be great teammates and we hope that's going to continue to progress when playing time is affected. I see both of those guys playing a lot of minutes for us. DJ Hogg and Admon Gilder are both guys who have been as good as advertised so far and that's rare for me to say. It's because their work ethic and character speaks to what kind of kids they are. They're fun to be around, so I see them making a smooth transition at this point. They'll be young, inconsistent and want things to happen in a hurry. I'm sure they'll struggle like most freshman but the thing that makes these four kids special is they're solid kids and have won before and know what it takes to win championships."
 

On the new coaches coming into the SEC…

"We've got some really good coaches in the league. You look at Ben Howland and the job he's done at UCLA, Pitt and Northern Arizona. Not many people remember how good he was at Northern Arizona but coaches do. Mike White, who I've known for a while. It's kind of interesting, you've got three head coaches from New Orleans who all played in the same high school league with Avery (Johnson), Mike and myself. I'm familiar with them because they've got New Orleans roots like mine. You're talking about bringing some quality coaches into a quality league. And, of course, Coach (Rick) Barnes, I'm familiar with him being at a rival like Texas during my first year in the Big 12. Moves like this continue to make the SEC an elite league."