Texas A&M big man to return for junior season

Texas A&M big man Jamie Vinson has decided to stay in Aggieland for his junior season, per Luke Evangelist of TexAgs. An Austin, Texas native, Vinson began his collegiate career at Texas, where he saw limited action on an overall disappointing Longhorn squad. When head coach Rodney Terry was fired and Texas acquired two big men in the portal, Vinson left for College Station.

Vinson didn’t get much burn during his sophomore season; his 6. 7 minutes a night ranked 12th on the team. When the Aggies faced off against a pair of physical teams in the NCAA tournament, however, Vinson’s playing time jumped to 9 and 11 minutes against St.

Mary’s and Houston, respectively. He thrived against Houston, picking up 6 rebounds against a UH side that thrived on the glass. Per Hoop Explorer, Vinson was also the only Aggie to leave a positive defensive impact, and he posted a game-high 1.

2 net points generated by defensive rebounds. While his limited playing time clouds his statistical impact, Vinson played like one of the best defensive big men in the country this season. He ranked top-90 in the country in defensive box impact, top-110 in defensive rebounding influence, and top-150 in defensive RAPM and offensive rebounding influence.