With basketball season starting to get underway, the absence of Bucky McMillan does not go unnoticed by the Samford Community. “Bucky Ball” looks a little bit different this year. The Texas A&M Aggies, home of the 12th man, are going into their season with a new coach and new expectations.
McMillan is leading his new team through a long stretch of out of conference opponents throughout November and December before starting Southeastern Conference play in January of next year.
“We’ve had a couple of key players out to start the season,” he said. “We will hopefully have our whole team back together here Friday.”
McMillan was in attendance when Samford football visited Texas A&M on November 22.
“I’m glad the Bulldogs are coming into town, so I can get to see some of my friends here that are coming out to the game,” said McMillan.
Although the Bulldogs did not fare too well against the then number three ranked Aggies, it was a good opportunity for Bucky to see his old school again.
The basketball team starts off SEC play with LSU and faces other notable opponents such as Auburn, Alabama and Florida. The transition from Southern Conference to SEC is a big difference, but Bucky is taking it in stride and finding his place within the Aggies’ athletic department.
The Texas A&M men’s basketball team currently sits at 6-2. Bucky has led them to victories over Florida State, Texas Southern and Arizona State, but has taken a notable loss to Oklahoma State. The team has dealt with some injuries throughout the season thus far but still sits in a good position to make an impact when conference play begins.
Although Bucky Ball at Samford may be gone, it lives at Texas A&M. Even in his first year, he sits in a good spot to find a way to lead his team to a high performing season.
Staff Reporter
