COLLEGE STATION — In Bucky McMillan’s introductory conference as the new head coach of Texas A&M men’s basketball, he spoke of seizing the moment.
McMillan, now 42, was just five years removed from coaching high school basketball and two years removed from an NCAA appearance with Samford.
Eleven months later, the Alabama native helped the Aggies exceed preseason projections, finish fourth place in the SEC and win an NCAA Tournament game. Not bad for a guy who inherited a roster with one scholarship player.
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“What is the mission of you being here at Texas A&M,” McMillan started to a Reed Arena crowd in April. “Our mission is very simple. We want to have an elite basketball program, a first-class basketball program.”
While he hasn’t fully established that environment in Aggieland yet, A&M (22-12, 11-7 SEC) appears to be heading in the right direction.
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Texas A&M Aggies head coach Bucky McMillan talks to Texas A&M Aggies guard Ruben Dominguez (9) before he subs into the game during the second half of Lone Star Showdown, Jan. 17, 2026 at the Moody Center in Austin. Texas A&M won the game 74-70.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Bucky, A&M basketball passes first-year test
McMillan was hired nine days after the transfer portal opened and the only rostered player was then-freshman Chris McDermott. Not to mention, he had to find players that fit his “Bucky Ball” style, predicated on high-energy, 3-point shooting and fullcourt defense.
After building a team of transfers — most of whom were either midmajor starters or power-conference reserves — the expectations for the new-look Aggies were low in the fall.
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Coaches in SEC predicted them to finish 13th in the conference and no Aggies were named to a preseason list. Sports Illustrated was a bit kinder, picking A&M at seventh in the conference.
Yet, A&M spent a month of SEC play tied for first, and forward Rashaun Agee earned All-SEC honors after ending the year averaging a team-high in points (14.9) and rebounds (8.9). He recorded a program-high 13 double-doubles this season.
“It was a great season for our team,” McMillan said following Sunday Round of 32 loss to Houston. “… put together a heck of a season. Had 22 wins. Tied for fourth in the SEC. Advanced to the Round of 32 to play the team that played in the national championship last year and brought back about half their roster with elite guard play and elite defense.”
Adding 14 new players and finishing 12th in the nation in scoring offense shows McMillan’s offensive acumen. Even after the program’s top-ranked recruit, Mackenzie Mgbako, was ruled out for the season the night before SEC play began, A&M managed to go 18-11 without the Indiana transfer.
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It started conference play at 7-1 before finishing 11-7, the same record as last year. One of those victories was the first win over Texas in Austin in 25 years.
“We all came together in the summertime, guard Pop Isaacs started following the Houston loss. “Basically, nobody knew each other. Nobody knew what to expect, but within the first week, you could tell we had a really good group of guys that were all about the right things.”
But there were growing pains.
Improvements were obviously needed after being crushed by Oklahoma State 87-63 in the third game of the season. The Aggies went 0-4 against ranked teams and lost their nonconference games against fellow NCAA Tournament teams (UCF and SMU). And at one point in conference play, they lost four straight, then dropped two of their next three after snapping the skid.
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“(I) think that really helped us throughout our season with the ups and downs we had,” Isaacs said. “Much adversity where we could have folded. Especially in conference play, we went on a four-game losing streak, and we figured it out. Got to the point nobody expected us to be in this position, playing a game with a chance to go to the Sweet 16 today.”
Still, the groundwork appears laid. What McMillan and A&M do moving forward is crucial.
“This is not a story about team and what happened today (loss to Houston),” McMillan said. “This is a team that, wow, this team got here despite a lot of obstacles with a really good player who got knocked out early in the season… So to do that, you can only do that with great people.”
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Mackenzie Mgbako (21) of Texas A&M shoots the ball against Tyrone Iroghama (13) of the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils during the first half at Reed Arena on Nov. 25, 2025 in College Station. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
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What’s next for McMillan and the Aggies?
So, what’s next for McMillan and A&M?
First, it starts with a full offseason. The Aggies are set to bring back eight players, including Mgbako, giving McMillan a better foundation heading into the summer.
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They will also be active for a full transfer portal cycle, a luxury they did not have in 2025.
“We started this year, I would say, rocky,” McMillan said. “But it wasn’t rocky in my eyes because I knew it would be at that point. Hopefully, we can start game one next year where we left off, and by the time we get to this time next year, it’s like, ‘hey, this is a team that’s not just hoping to get into the tournament, this is a team that knows you’re getting in the tournament.'”
The Aggies added two four-star freshmen to the class of 2026.
Neiko Mundey from Washington, D.C. is a top-50 player in the class. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 21 points per game, shooting 44% from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range. He enrolled early and redshirted this season. Forward Josh Irving from California is 6-foot-11 and brings a stretch-big style of play, with the ability to secure boards down low but also shoot from beyond the arc.
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Both possess the traits needed to run McMillan’s system. This offseason will focus on adding more size, a box Irving checks. However, more veteran players who can help strengthen them in the paint will be crucial.
There’s also freshman Jeremiah Green, who was recruited by Williams and the previous staff and stayed with McMillan. Green is another former four-star recruit; a reliable scorer from North Texas who can make an impact on both ends of the court. He didn’t play during SEC play this season, but Green recommitted to A&M after McMillan’s hire.
Texas A&M head coach Bucky McMillan speaks with Aggies forward Rashaun Agee during the second round of the NCAA Tournament held at Paycom Center on March 21, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
“Bucky Ball” is here to stay, and early returns on the unique style look promising. But to be successful, it takes a special kind of player who doesn’t mind exerting themselves on both ends to stay in the game. The Aggies may require another leader to emerge as Agee did — now a beloved Aggie, he arrived as an out-of-towner who came to A&M sight unseen.
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Finding the right additions won’t be easy, and McMillan knows that. But neither was winning an NCAA Tournament game with a completely new roster after jumping from the Southern Conference to the SEC.
“We’re ahead of schedule,” McMillan emphatically proclaimed. “We got to salute this group because they got this program ahead of schedule in my opinion, and we’ll always remember (that).”
Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com.
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