Assessing Texas A&M’s Bucky McMillan Hire

Texas A&M moved quickly in its search to keep up with the rapid pace of the transfer portal and the rest of college basketball’s offseason. But, did the Aggies get it right?

To the Aggies’ credit, they clearly hired one of their top candidates, as McMillan’s name was in the mix from the beginning of the search. While Texas A&M missed on Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard, its primary candidate, they still conducted a thorough search and landed a rising mid-major coach.

The main drawback with McMillan is his lack of college coaching experience. The Birmingham, Ala. native coached 12 seasons at Mountain Brook High School in Alabama before making the jump to the NCAA Division I level. McMillan became the head coach at Samford in 2020 and went 99-52 in five seasons with the Bulldogs.

While McMillan’s success at Samford is impressive, his lack of experience, especially compared to other candidates, could be a concern. Samford made two postseason appearances under McMillan, losing to Kansas in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament and falling to George Mason in the first round of the 2025 NIT. McMillan won three straight Southern Conference Coach of the Year awards from 2022-2024.

Despite his inexperience, McMillan’s style of play, known as “Bucky Ball,” is potentially his biggest asset. Samford played at an aggressive, fast pace under McMillan, which led to the Bulldogs maximizing their possessions. This season, Samford ranked 13th in the country in points per game and 25th in pace.

This is a stark contrast from how Texas A&M played under Buzz Williams, as the Aggies relied on physicality and defense to win games. As Texas A&M basketball enters a new era, this change of play style should be a welcome one for Aggies fans.

Along with his popular play style, McMillan’s ability to develop talent is a positive of the hire. After Samford’s 2024 NCAA Tournament appearance, two Bulldogs transferred to the high-major level. Forward Achor Achor left for Kansas State and guard A.J. Staton-McCray transferred to Miami. With much of Texas A&M’s roster departing the program, McMillan could bring some of his top talent from Samford to College Station.

While the Aggies didn’t get their top candidate, they hired one of the top mid-major coaches in the country. Time will tell if McMillan succeeds at Texas A&M, but the hire is certainly a promising one.