‘Will forever be indebted’: Samford Athletics releases statement after head basketball coach Bucky McMillian hired at Texas A&M

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Samford Athletics released a statement Saturday afternoon confirming the news that basketball coach Bucky McMillan has been named as the new head coach at Texas A&M after it was reported Friday night.

“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 was named as the Bulldogs head coach in 2020 after spending 12 years as the head coach at Mountain Brook High School. Including his time as an assistant, McMillan 15 seasons at Mountain Brook before going to Samford.

With Samford, McMillan guided the program to four consecutive 20-win seasons, two SoCon regular season titles, a SoCon Tournament title, and an NCAA March Madness appearance.

McMillan finishes his time at Samford with an overall 99-52 record.

Samford President Beck Taylor says the university with forever be indebted to McMillan for what he did for the basketball program.

“Samford will forever be indebted to Bucky McMillan for reestablishing the Samford men’s basketball program’s tradition of excellence. 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," stated Taylor.

The move to Texas A&M marks the first time ever that McMillain will have played or coached outside of the Birmingham area. He played collegiately for Birmingham Southern from 2002-2006 before coaching at Mountain Brook from 2006-2020 and Samford from 2020-2025.

Samford says they will begin an immediate national search for a new head coach.

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