On a day when the Aggies already took a loss against the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge 66-55 last week, Texas A&M also took another "L" when its third-leading scorer, point guard TJ Starks, dislocated his shoulder when he tried to split multiple defenders driving to the basket.
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The 6-foot-2 sophomore appeared to injure his shoulder while bracing his fall when he went to the ground. Although the trainers were able to put his shoulder back into place, his injury was severe enough that it required surgery for him to fully recover. Although he was coming off the bench for the last five games or so, he was still averaging 12 points and 3.5 assists per game.
Starks is a fan favorite on the Aggies basketball team and he received well wishes from Aggies fans everywhere for a speedy recovery. He also got a message of encouragement from NBA champion Mo Williams on Twitter.
The question now is, who is going to step up for the rest of the season with a very short rotation at the point guard spot between Jay Jay Chandler, Wendell Mitchell, Chris Collins and Mark French?
On the surface, it looks like the Aggies' leading scorers — guard Wendell Mitchell (13.4 ppg.) and Savion Flagg (12.8 ppg.) — are most likely to pick up the slack.
In their last game against Vanderbilt, Flagg (22 points) and Mitchell (13) combined for 35 points to help Texas A&M win, 64-57. In addition to their points, a just as impressive stat jumped out from these two. Flagg and Mitchell also combined for 20 rebounds and five assists.
Savion Flagg had 12 rebounds in Saturday's game and currently ranks fourth in the SEC in rebounds. This type of production from them is a welcomed sign of how much they were willing to step up for head coach Billy Kennedy.
With two games left against unranked SEC teams against South Carolina and Mississippi State, the Aggies still have an opportunity to finish the regular season with a .500 record. This would be a great accomplishment considering all the challenges they faced this season.
If they can have this type of performance from Flagg and Mitchell for the next two games, they will finish the regular season on a high note before the SEC Tournament.
