Photo by: Craig Bisacre/Texas A&M Athletics
Aggies Gear Up for 2024-25 with UH Exhibition Clash
Sep 13, 2024 | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON – The Texas A&M men's basketball team opens its 2024-25 season with an exhibition clash with the Houston Cougars at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27 at UH's Fertitta Center, the two schools announced.
Proceeds from the game will benefit Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 6 and those who were affected by Hurricane Beryl throughout the greater Houston area in July. For more information about how to apply for assistance from that storm, fans can click here.
With less than 100 miles separating the Texas A&M and UH campuses, the two teams have played more than 85 times since the first meeting just after World War II. The Aggies and Cougars faced off twice last season with UH taking a narrow 70-66 victory in a neutral site matchup at the Toyota Center in December and then ending the Aggies' 2023-24 season in overtime in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March. In the all-time series, the Cougars hold a 55-32 advantage over the Aggies.
The Aggies return seven of their top eight players in scoring and minutes played from a team that won 20-plus games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24. The Aggies finished 2023-24 with a 21-15 overall mark while advancing to the second round of the "Big Dance." Williams' 2024-25 Aggies are mentioned prominently in multiple "way-too-early" top 25 rankings, including No. 11 by CBSSports.com and The Athletic and No. 12 by ESPN.
Leading the way is two-time first-team All-SEC pick Wade Taylor IV, who is college basketball's only player to log 500+ points, 100+ assists and 60+ steals in each of the past two seasons. Also returning is the SEC's top rebounder from 2023-24, Andersson Garcia, who finished the year with 327 total rebounds to break the 42-year old school standard of 317 set by Claude "The Crockett Rocket" Riley in 1981-82.
Other top returnees include Jace Carter (16 starts in 2023-24), Solomon Washington (20 starts in 2023-24), Henry Coleman III (73 career starts), Manny Obaseki (started final eight games of 2023-24) and Hayden Hefner (18 starts in 2023-24).
The Aggies added three impact transfers in guard Zhuric Phelps (leading scorer at SMU), Pharrel Payne (leading shot blocker at Minnesota) and C.J. Wilcher (top bench scorer at Nebraska), along high school standouts Chris McDermott, Andre Mills, Janusz Ratowski and George Turkson Jr.
Proceeds from the game will benefit Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 6 and those who were affected by Hurricane Beryl throughout the greater Houston area in July. For more information about how to apply for assistance from that storm, fans can click here.
With less than 100 miles separating the Texas A&M and UH campuses, the two teams have played more than 85 times since the first meeting just after World War II. The Aggies and Cougars faced off twice last season with UH taking a narrow 70-66 victory in a neutral site matchup at the Toyota Center in December and then ending the Aggies' 2023-24 season in overtime in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March. In the all-time series, the Cougars hold a 55-32 advantage over the Aggies.
The Aggies return seven of their top eight players in scoring and minutes played from a team that won 20-plus games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24. The Aggies finished 2023-24 with a 21-15 overall mark while advancing to the second round of the "Big Dance." Williams' 2024-25 Aggies are mentioned prominently in multiple "way-too-early" top 25 rankings, including No. 11 by CBSSports.com and The Athletic and No. 12 by ESPN.
Leading the way is two-time first-team All-SEC pick Wade Taylor IV, who is college basketball's only player to log 500+ points, 100+ assists and 60+ steals in each of the past two seasons. Also returning is the SEC's top rebounder from 2023-24, Andersson Garcia, who finished the year with 327 total rebounds to break the 42-year old school standard of 317 set by Claude "The Crockett Rocket" Riley in 1981-82.
Other top returnees include Jace Carter (16 starts in 2023-24), Solomon Washington (20 starts in 2023-24), Henry Coleman III (73 career starts), Manny Obaseki (started final eight games of 2023-24) and Hayden Hefner (18 starts in 2023-24).
The Aggies added three impact transfers in guard Zhuric Phelps (leading scorer at SMU), Pharrel Payne (leading shot blocker at Minnesota) and C.J. Wilcher (top bench scorer at Nebraska), along high school standouts Chris McDermott, Andre Mills, Janusz Ratowski and George Turkson Jr.
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