Bucky McMillan Named Next Texas A&M Head Basketball Coach

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford men’s basketball coach Bucky McMillan has been named to the head coaching position at Texas A&M University. McMillan served as the head coach for the Bulldogs for five years, leading the Bulldogs to four straight 20-win seasons. He ends his tenure at Samford with a 99-52 record over his five seasons as head coach.

“I want to thank Bucky for all he has given to Samford University and the men’s basketball program,” said Samford Athletic Director Martin Newton. “The past five years have been a special period in our program’s history. We wish Bucky the best in his new endeavor and look forward to conducting a national search with the goal of keeping Samford among the premier Division I programs in the nation.”

McMillan has been at the helm of the Samford program since his hiring in April of 2020. He ushered in unprecedented success to the Bulldogs program, with four straight 20-win seasons, two regular-season Southern Conference championships, a SoCon Tournament Championship, and an NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2023-24 season. McMillan was named the SoCon Coach of the Year for three-straight seasons from 2021-24 and was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 21 Coach of the Year.

“Samford will forever be indebted to Bucky McMillan for reestablishing the Samford men’s basketball program’s tradition of excellence,” said Samford President Beck Taylor. “Even more than the exciting brand of basketball he brought to Homewood, or the championships won, I will personally be most grateful for the way Bucky represented Samford’s values and Christian mission. Our disappointment in losing our head coach is matched only by our desire to see Bucky succeed at the highest levels.”

The Bulldogs are coming off a 22-11 season where they made the postseason for the second straight year and earned an invitation to the NIT for the first time in program history. They fell in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament to Furman before having their 2024-25 season end at George Mason in the NIT. Samford will begin an immediate national search for the university’s next men’s basketball head coach.