Buzz Williams calls Dexter Dennis' contributions 'otherworldly'

Texas A&M extended their winning streak to seven games and remained undefeated in conference play on Wednesday night as they defeated Florida in a narrow 54-52 win. Aggies’ guard Dexter Dennis finished the game with 11 points and 16 rebounds on the night, and head coach Buzz Williams gave him some heavy praise for his efforts.

“It’s otherworldly what he’s doing, like I try to make sure that the words that I say are humble in nature with zero arrogance, but I think the last time that we were here I think Dexter had 11 defensive rebounds and seven of those defensive rebounds came off of missed threes,” Williams said. “Like the effort that he is playing with on things that are not stated, I don’t know if I’ve seen in my 500 plus games as a head coach.”

Dennis’ rebounding contributions were huge for the Aggies, and especially impressive for a 6-foot-5 guard. But his rebounding and overall effort are not a new trend according to Williams, as he made key plays for the team all night that may have gone unnoticed to some reporters at the game on Wednesday.

“He’s doing things that are not in the box score that are trending towards things in the box score,” Williams said. “That offensive rebound scrum that led to 4 being fouled that Olin’s talking about, yes I understand 4 made the free throws and Olin should ask that. What should be asked is did you see Dexter Dennis get a fingertip on the ball that led to that?”

Dennis joined the team this offseason, transferring to Texas A&M following a four-year career at Wichita State. But even in his short amount of time in College Station, he’s made a huge impact on and off the court for the Aggies.

“And our players know it too, like he commands a level of respect because if the consistency that he works with but he’s the best listener I’ve ever coached, and I’ve told you that before. But the consistency and who he is as a person, he’s literally the same upbeat, greet you with a smile, shake your hand like a man, absorb the scouting report, everything is brand new, every game is new, what we’re doing is new, but his learning curve is as fast as anybody I’ve seen,” Williams explained.

Dennis has truly come to life during the Aggies’ winning streak, scoring in double figures in his last four games and securing double-doubles in two of them. His athleticism and effort on both ends of the floor have been vital in Texas A&M’s success, as they still stand as one of two teams in the SEC that are undefeated in conference play.

“He’s changed our team, I mean he had 33% of our rebounds as a perimeter player, in a game that he said we scored in the 50s. I know, and he still had over 33% of our rebounds, that’s unheard of,” Williams said.