Bucky McMillan hired as new head basketball coach at Samford

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Samford University has hired Bucky McMillan as its 29th head men’s basketball coach.

McMillan was the head coach at Mountain Brook High School for 12 seasons.

MBHS reached the state finals in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and the team won the title in the state’s highest classification in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

“When we set out to hire a new coach for our men’s basketball program, we had three main criteria,” Newton said. “We wanted someone with head coaching experience and a proven track record of winning championships, someone who could excite and engage the Birmingham and Samford communities and someone who understands and embraces the mission of our great university. Bucky McMillan quickly became the obvious choice. Bucky has a proven track record of winning championships, a tireless work ethic, a unique basketball mind and the energy and enthusiasm to bring championship basketball to Lakeshore Drive.”

McMillan was named USA Today’s Alabama Coach of the Year in 2019; Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Coach of the Year in 2013, 2014 and 2015; Birmingham Tip-Off Club State Coach of the Year in 2012, 2015 and 2019; and Over The Mountain Coach of the Year in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019. He was selected to coach the Alabama All-Stars in the 2019 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. That same year, he was named one of the coaches of Michael Jordan’s “Jordan Brand” All-Star Classic.

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