Marble’s transfer adds tall depth
COLLEGE STATION — The addition of forward Henry Coleman III from Duke added plenty of heft to Texas A&M’s rotation a year ago. But there was a key ingredient still missing that could have perhaps helped lift the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament: more heft.
This season A&M mixed in fellow 245pounder Julius Marble from Michigan State, and the result more than twothirds of the way through Southeastern Conference play is a likely NCAA postseason bid and a possible league title.
“Henry and I are both big, strong guys,” Marble said.
The two juniors are similarly built, prompting Coleman to proclaim they’re practically the same person. Coleman checks in at 6-foot-8, while Marble is 6-9, and each is listed at a sturdy 245 pounds.
Marble’s addition this season for the Aggies (19-7, 11-2 SEC), who play at Missouri (19-7, 7-6) at 5 p.m. Saturday, has resulted in a much more well-rounded squad. One willing to selflessly share the load, as Marble and Coleman often do on both ends of the floor.
“There’s (not) any selfishness in this organiza
tion, everybody is pulling with the same intensity and everybody is very self-aware of what’s required in our organization,” A&M fourth-year coach Buzz Williams said. “This is my 29th year in coaching, and my 16th year as a head coach, and I’ve never been a part of it where the cohesiveness on an ongoing daily basis is as fluid as it is here. Currently.”
Williams threw in that last word because he knows things can change in a hurry. Last year the Aggies won their first four SEC games before losing their next eight, narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament with a 9-9 league record.
This year they’re aiming to leave no doubt for the NCAA committee that determines the 68-team field, and this season marks the first time since joining the SEC in the summer of 2012 that the Aggies have won at least 11 of their first 13 SEC games. Former coach Billy Kennedy’s 2016 and 2018 A&M teams that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament were 8-5 and 6-7, respectively, after 13 SEC games.
Coleman averages 10 points per game, while Marble checks in at 9.4, and Coleman also holds a rebounding advantage over Marble (six per game compared to 4.1).
“We play off each other really well,” Marble said. “… I’ll play on the perimeter a little bit more when (Coleman) is driving, because he’s able to attract so much attention when he goes into the paint.”
Marble’s sizable addition, drawing more attention from foes down low, has helped free up guards Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford to make plays on the outside and drive the lane.
Marble, who starred at Dallas Jesuit, said he left Michigan State last summer “to get closer to home, mainly,” and that bit of homesickness has helped shove the Aggies into position to make the NCAA Tournament for the first
time in five years, and for the first time under Williams.
Marble added that he was in search of more offensive freedom at A&M over MSU, and he scored a career-high 20 points in the Aggies’ 83-78 home win over Auburn on Feb. 7. He averaged 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds last season for the Spartans, as he’s bettered both numbers with the Aggies 26 games into the season.
Marble’s addition, too, has helped push the surprising Aggies to within a game of league-leading and top-ranked Alabama with five SEC contests remaining, although the Aggies remain unranked following a brief appearance in the Associated Press top 25 two games into the season.
“I’m just making sure I stay consistent every day, making sure I contribute and get one percent better each day — just get better as a person and as a player,” Marble said. “I believe that’s what has contributed to my success of late.”