Texas A&M Basketball Team Defeats AMW Elite 80-78, Splits European Tour

The Texas A&M Basketball Team defeated the AMW Elite 80-78 in Paris, France. With the win, the Ags concluded their European Tour with a 2-2 record. A&M lost their first two games of the tour 62-51 and 85-73 to the Swiss National Team. The Ags rebounded with two wins over AMW Elite by the scores of 90-61 and 80-78. AMW Elite is made up of players from two French professional teams. The trip to Europe gave the team a chance to get an early look at Coach Billy Kennedy's system. Kennedy was a late hire in the spring when Mark Turgeon left for Maryland, and this was the first time these players have played a game for Kennedy.

The surprise of the trip was easily the strong play from junior guard Elston Turner. The 6'5" transfer from the University of Washington led the Ags in scoring averaging 13.7 points per game for the four-game trip. Turner did most of his damage from the outside, hitting 8-14 shots behind the arc. If Turner can keep up his scoring during the season, it will be a big boon to the Ags who need an outside threat to make opponents pay when they double Khris Middleton.

Senior PG Dash Harris appears to be fully recovered from a wrist injury that nagged him last year. Harris averaged seven points and five assists per game. Harris is the unquestioned leader of this team. If the Aggies are going to make their seventh straight trip to the NCAA Tournament then Harris is going to need to make a quantum leap in his play from last season. Harris was so poor on the offensive end last year that defenders often sagged off of him on offense, and doubled Khris Middleton. A&M does not need Harris to be a scorer, he just needs to set up his teammates and make layups and free throws when they are available. His performance the last four games appear to be a nice step in that direction.

Sophomore Kourtney Roberson seems to be adjusting well to his spot in the post. The Ags need Roberson to play the 5 this year so David Loubeau can remain at his natural position of power forward. Roberson had 11 points and 11 rebounds in the Ags 80-78 win over AMW.

The trip was a nice introduction to the college game for freshmen guards Jamal Branch and Jordan Green. It is doubtful that the two freshmen will see any teams more physical than the Swiss National Team and AMW Elite this year. It also gives the young guards a chance to bond with their teammates and coaches.

Billy Kennedy came to A&M from Murray State with the reputation as a defensive coach. Judging from this trip, the Ags could use some work on that end of the court. The team allowed 68.5 points per game during the tour on 38 percent shooting from the floor. While the shooting percentage is acceptable, the PPG are not. When taking into consideration the fact that A&M only had one week to practice before the trip, the numbers are not too bad. The coaches now have had an early look at their team and know what to concentrate on before the season begins. This was the Ags first foreign trip since 2003 when the team toured Italy.