Texas A&M has reportedly contacted USC transfer guard
New Texas A&M basketball head coach Bucky McMillan has already raised the fan base's expectations after landing eight players from the transfer portal, looking to make an immediate impact in the SEC during his first season at the helm. While the level of talent he's acquired over the past month is somewhat surprising, his dedication to building the roster isn't based on what we witnessed during his successful career with Samford.
Last week, McMillen added his seventh and eighth players from the portal, as Texas Tech forward Federiko Federiko and Alabama/Kansas guard Rylan Griffen, who are both slated to either start or play hefty minutes during the 2025 season. While McMillen can already field a roster that is talented enough to compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, he is still a couple of pieces away from matching the top teams in the conference.
What's been most impressive has been McMillan's willingness to reach out to every portal player imaginable despite A&M's lack of "elite" basketball stature, which includes USC transfer guard Desmond Claude, who has become the target of multiple blue blood programs this week.
During his 2024 junior season, Claude averaged 15.8 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, while he shot nearly 50% from the field, and 30% from 3-point range. Claude is an elite scorer, ranked as the 34th player in the transfer portal, and would be a guaranteed starter in McMillan's lineup, opposite former North Alabama guard Jacari Lane.
With Florida and North Carolina now out of the picture, Gonzaga, Duke, Ole Miss, Virginia, and Kentucky are reportedly in the mix, which is a tough task for McMillan and his staff, but similar to landing Rylan Griffen, don't count the Aggies out.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
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