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With the conclusion of their NCAA tournament run in the first round, the Texas A&M Aggies had to end their season in a different way than they had hoped.
A brutal 76-59 loss to Penn State saw coach Buzz Williams and company eliminated early, but not before making school history with a 15-win SEC season — the most they'd ever had.
A strong core of players ranging from a freshman Wade Taylor IV to a graduate Dexter Dennis helped the Aggies to find the success they had been looking for since their 2016 sweet sixteen bid, but as they now look to repeat it next year, they'll have to do so without Dennis.
The 24-year-old is moving up as an NBA prospect, where he'll look to continue his basketball career, and now has his first pre-draft workout set for the Detroit Pistons.
Last season for the Aggies, Dennis averaged 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and a shade over one assist, bringing energy to the locker room and serving as a floor general.
Dennis' experience came in handy for the Aggies, as he maintained poise better than anybody during some of the Aggies' bigger games against top-ranked Alabama or highly-touted Tennessee.
And Williams couldn't have been more thankful for the guard during his lone season.
"Thank you for [Dexter's] decision nine months ago to come here," Williams prayed aloud to his team following Texas A&M's loss to Penn State. "Thank you for the impact he's had on our program ... he's changed our team."
Dennis earned the respect of his teammates throughout the year, and became a go-to guy for the Aggies on offense and defense, which will bode well for the guard as he looks to break into the NBA.
Though he isn't projected to be drafted in any mock drafts, he is still earning attention after a strong showing at the 2023 NTX Combine.
Should he join the Pistons, he'd be paired with a few recent top prospects like Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes and Jaden Ivey, who are still carving their place in the league — giving Dennis a chance to learn in the same way.
And given the chance, Dennis would be more-than-happy to earn a spot in the league to begin his career.
The 2023 NBA Draft is set for Thursday, June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Coverage on ESPN will begin at 7 p.m. CST.
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