Get ready to learn Bucky Ball, Aggie fans.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — In the wake of a sudden departure of former Texas A&M basketball head coach Buzz Williams to Maryland, moves have been made quickly to find his replacement, which is coming in the form of a name known as an up and comer from outside the SEC.
That replacement is Bucky McMillan, who previously coached at Samford.
According to ESPN, McMillan’s deal will be a five-year deal for the 41-year-old, who is renowned for his fast-tempo offensive style that relies heavily on turnovers, disruption, and high-powered offense to put pressure on the opposition, forcing 16.1 turnovers a game in the 2024-2025 season, which put the Bulldogs at fourth in the country.
“People ask what kind of style do you play? And I oftentimes say ‘it’s real simple, we play the kind of style that WINS, we just want to do it FASTER!'” McMillan said in an announcement on Saturday.
Over his past two seasons at Samford, the Bulldogs found themselves in the top 20 in the country for opponent turnover percentage, which over the past four years has netted the school four straight 20-win seasons.
“We’re incredibly excited about Bucky coming to Aggieland to lead our men’s basketball program,” Alberts said. “He’s an innovator as a coach, and he has a smart and analytics-driven approach to the game. Bucky brings a unique combination of qualities to our program and we’re thrilled to begin the next chapter of our basketball history under his leadership.”
A welcome ceremony is being held for McMillan at Reed Arena in College Station at 3 p.m. on Monday, April 7. Attendance is free, and doors will open half an hour before the event begins.
“I couldn’t be more excited to wake up to the reality of being the head basketball coach at Texas A&M,” McMillan said in a statement from Texas A&M Athletics on Saturday, when he was announced. “As a guy that grew up around the SEC, I am motivated by the vision of Texas A&M’s leadership to compete at the highest levels of college basketball. As I’ve done my entire career, I won’t rest until we get the Aggies playing at a championship level year-in and year-out.
As a part of his staff, McMillan has chosen to tab two coaches with ties to A&M in Kyle Keller and Mitch Cole, who both served on former head coach Billy Kennedy’s staff for five seasons from 2011 to 2016.
Cole follows McMillan from Samford as his associate head coach, and Keller will return to College Station after spending the past nine seasons in Nacogdoches with the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks as their head coach.