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Was it too much to ask for one evening of quiet contentment?
The Aggies had just put the finishing touches on a wire-to-wire victory over Northwestern State, kickstarting the first winning streak of the season. They were wins over two bad teams, sure, but they were wins all the same, and they had come at a time when wins were in short supply.
So it was in this context, this somewhat ironic yet real joy of an evening, that the following news dropped.
Thin Texas A&M just got thinner -- forward Isiah Jasey has chosen to leave Billy Kennedy's program, A&M said following the Aggies' 80-59 win over NW State. He had averaged 3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in five games this season.
— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) December 4, 2018
It’s starting to look like joy is not in the cards this season.
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There’s no game flow to discuss, so let’s land some quick hits from the evening and get outta here.
- Wendell Mitchell was excellent tonight. He didn’t have great assist numbers, but he handled the ball well and seemed interested in running an offense, which instantly makes him the most qualified point guard on the roster. He had three threes, and when you combine him with Brandon Mahan, they were 5-10 from downtown on the evening.
- The rest of the team? Still couldn’t shoot worth a lick. The non Mahan/Mitchell crew shot 2-14 from beyond the arc, dragging us down to 7-24 as a unit for a healthy 29%. Sadly, that’s an improvement on this season. Many of these looks were wide open, and we just couldn’t get ‘em to fall.
- We were significantly better than Northwestern State in second-chance points (15-6), blocks (12-2), steals (10-2), and bench points (30-11).
- We looked a little selfish at times on the fast break. Multiple 2-on-1’s and 3-on-1’s ended up with fouls instead of an open look. Hit the open man and take the easy points, gents. We’re gonna need ‘em all.
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So, this Jasey news. It comes out of absolutely nowhere, as he averaged between 8-11 minutes during our first give games of the season. That doesn’t make it likely to be a playing time problem, so I have to wonder… what on earth is going on behind the scenes at this program? Guys seem to voluntarily leave the program an awful lot, here, and I have to believe it’s happening at an above average rate. Even in today’s transfer-happy climate.
It stings, and it’s a blow to our depth that we didn’t need.
BTHO Boston College