College athletics has never stopped changing since Buzz Williams took Texas A&M head coaching job in 2019.
It took a couple of seasons for Williams to get going in College Station after inheriting a team that went 16-14 during his first season with the program before the pandemic marred the Aggies from getting any sort of rhythm going.
However, Williams has seemingly adapted to the times and has seen Texas A&M make three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. To the Aggies headman, it’s get with the times or move on in his line of work.
“You’ll be extinct,” Williams said of coaches that won’t adapt to college athletic’s new landscape. “And I think there are even roles now that have been a part of college athletics forever that will not be a year from today. You know, I was thinking about, on that point, from the first time I came here, there was the pandemic. Then the portal began, then NIL began. Now the leagues are different, including ours.
“In the time, that I’ve been here [at Texas A&M], including myself, there are only four coaches that were here in my first year that are here now at their same job. It’s pretty remarkable in five years. That’s that doesn’t count football coaches, ADs, presidents. It’s pretty fast.”
Williams noted that he’s seen three presidents, three athletic directors, two women’s basketball coaches, two baseball coaches, two football coaches and countless assistants across the board since taking the Aggies men’s basketball coaching job.
This offseason, Williams has proven his worth as a head coach in one of the most competitive conference in college athletics. He’s returned a handful of players from last season — something that is a luxury in the transfer portal era — while adding several veteran, instant impact talents to his roster ahead of next season.
The Aggies headman has returned key players from last year’s NCAA Tournament team such a leading scorer Wade Taylor, Andersson Garcia and Henry Coleman, among others. He also added CJ Wilcher, Pharrel Payne and Zhuric Phelps out of the portal to compensate for the loss of Tyrece Radford.
On3’s James Fletcher has the Aggies at No. 24 in his latest way-too-early top 25 list. Five SEC teams — Alabama, Auburn, Texas, Florida, Tennessee and Arkansas — are ahead of Texas A&M while Ole Miss is tied for the final spot in his rankings. The SEC is once again expected to be a top conference in college basketball. Adding Texas and Oklahoma only adds to the mix, especially for Texas A&M — bringing back some old rivalries from its days in the Big 12.
The post Buzz Williams on coaches who do not adapt to changes in college sports: ‘You’ll be extinct’ appeared first on On3.