Melvin Watkins announced his resignation yesterday as Texas A&M University‘s men’s basketball coach. In six seasons at A&M, Mr. Watkins did not post a winning record, going 60-111. The Aggies lost 20 or more games four times in the last five seasons.
Mr. Watkins — as with recently reassigned University of Houston basketball coach, Ray McCallum — is one of the nicest men in the coaching profession. The lack of success that both Messrs. Watkins and McCallum experienced at their respective schools is further evidence that the age-old saying “nice guys finish last” applies to big-time college basketball. While Coach McCallum’s failure at UH was attributable to his inability to recruit effective front court players, Coach Watkins was never able to establish the recruiting pipelines in Texas generally and in the Houston metropolitan area particularly that are necessary for success at A&M. The basketball program at A&M has now been in the tank for almost two decades — it’s most recent NCAA Basketball Tournament appearance was in 1987.
Houston's Clear Thinkers
Longtime Houston attorney Tom Kirkendall's observations on developments in law, business, medicine, culture, sports, and other matters of general interest to the Houston business, professional, and academic communities.
Good luck to Coach Watkins, but it’s time for A&M to start with “first principles” and take baby steps.
A coach with solid Texas coaching connections and with a strong desire to recruit and play disciplined basketball would be a great fit for A&M. A&M should worry about recruiting elsewhere after its Texas affairs are in order.