Bucky McMillan Recaps Texas A&M's 'Unbelievable' Practice, 2 Scrimmages

Recently, the Aggies had their first opportunity to showcase publicly how they fared against other collegiate programs when they won a scrimmage 95-88 against the Sun Devils, and McMillan was pleased with what he witnessed.

“I thought it was good,” McMillan said. “It was a little ahead of schedule from where I thought we’d be. Not talking scoreboard-wise. Just knowing what’s going on.”

After A&M registered 13 made three-pointers and had 45 bench points, it was the first signal of how the team chemistry was quickly constructing something special. 

“We were able to play a lot of guys, which will obviously be good for them long term,” McMillan said. “They’re starting to get the pace down. We were able to get to the free-throw line a lot of times. The urgency to get the ball down the field was way better than it was when we scrimmaged Rice.” 

Although the game was just a preseason evaluation of the roster with no importance in terms of going toward A&M’s record, there were things McMillan knew he needed to address that were going to need improving, but he shared his words of encouragement even after some minor mistakes. 

“In your first game, everyone kind of tries to do a little too much, so we had too many turnovers. Probably took a couple bad shots. In the second half, we settled down and moved the ball. Shot a high percentage from the field, so I like that. I like that we got better as the game went along.” 

Embracing Culture 

One part of the A&M experience is participating in Midnight Yell at least once. McMillan’s program was honored with recognition at one of the yell practices, and it was the first impression that many of his players got about what it meant to be part of the 12th Man.

“For a bunch of new guys, they didn’t know a lot about it when we started recruiting them,” McMillan said. “I think going to those football games has really opened their eyes. That’s why I really wanted them to go to that because there’s no question when you go to football games or you go to Midnight Yell, like hey buddy, this isn’t about you. This place is a lot bigger than you, and this isn’t about what they’re gonna do for you. It’s really about how hard you are going to have to fight for them. You know that it’s pretty easy.” 

That’s the unselfish and joyful personality McMillan exhibits. With the high hopes and joy radiating, the Birmingham, Alabama, native recognized what the future should look like and spoke about the bond the sport can bring to Aggieland. 

“As the season goes, and we start having a great home game atmosphere and we have a lot of wins together and its student section, fans, players all together, that bond is going to be even cement even further,” McMillan said. 

At the center of it all, there is joy that McMillan has brewed for a newly-constructed roster, and it is only just beginning. A&M’s home opener will tip off on Monday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. at Reed Arena with the game streaming live on SEC Network+.