Buzz Williams details Texas A&M's success in the paint

Texas A&M rode their war horse down low to victory over SMU earlier this week. The Mustangs kept it competitive in the first half but the Aggies pulled away by dumping the rock down to big Henry Coleman, A&M’s wide-framed anchor in the paint. He bruised his way to 23 points on the night to lead all scorers, taking it to SMU in the second half to extend the lead into blowout territory in favor of the Aggies.

When Texas A&M was at its best last year, Coleman was a huge part of the equation. And with so little size on the 2022 roster, he really had to do everything. This time around, the Aggies are definitely still a small team but have options besides Coleman down low. So he can focus more on being a scoring threat this season, which requires poise, according to head coach Buzz Williams.

After the SMU win, Williams was actually critical of Coleman’s play early in the game, but credited his improved poise the rest of the way. Here were his full comments on the Aggie big man:

“As good as Henry was, I didn’t think Henry started the game very well. I think he missed three bunnies. And I had like deja vu of Myrtle Beach versus Murray State, when he missed three bunnies and went one of six. At DePaul, if you watch that game, he played with more poise — and at the right pace, within six feet of the basket — than he’s played since he got here.

“And I go on the court for pregame to try to touch our guys individually, and that was one thing I mentioned to him. I said…“hey man, against DePaul, your poise on your pace, it was like the best I’ve ever seen.” And he said, “yeah, I watched it and I’m trying to slow down.” And I go, “you just need to keep doing that,” and so I subbed him out after the first time. I go…”hey man, you remember what we talked about?” He says yeah and I said, “I thought you were sped up there.

“But then from that point forward, we’re playing off two feet as perimeter players play much better. And then I think that Henry is beginning to have that poise. So we put pressure on the rim and that was good.”

Texas A&M has won with defense so far under Buzz Williams. But Coleman’s improved ability to score one-on-one down low could be a key to unlocking a higher offensive ceiling for this year’s group.