WATCH: Texas A&M introduces Bucky McMillan as head basketball coach

Bucky McMillan was formally introduced on Monday afternoon as the head basketball coach at Texas A&M. Watch the welcome event and introductory press conference as the "Bucky Ball" era is officially underway in Aggieland.

The following are live, paraphrased notes from Bucky McMillan's introductory press conference.

Welcome Event — Reed Arena

• Andrew Monaco steps on stage.

Andrew Monaco

• Howdy, Ags! We are tipping off today. This place has become special. This is where the No. 1 team goes down on Tuesday night. The No. 2 team went down on a Saturday afternoon, and No. 4, No. 6 and No. 9 teams. A lot of that is because of the 12th Man.
   
• Fearless, hardworking and unselfish. You will see those three words a lot that play right into the core values of Texas A&M.
   
• *Bucky McMillan, Trev Alberts and Mark A. Welsh step onto the stage.*

President Mark A. Welsh

• Howdy! Welcome home, coach! Coach Bucky McMillan has his parents here today. Thank you for being here today to welcome our coach. I think he knows Aggieland is a great place. He has heard it from a lot of people.
   
• I want to thank Coach Buzz Williams for the work he did while he was here. He poured his heart and soul. I want to thank the players on that team. They represented Texas A&M exceptionally well.
   
• I have learned a lot about Coach McMillan. Any coach who wins 330-plus games as a high school, has the record he did at Samford or raises attendance like he did is worth paying attention to. I am looking forward to seeing what he brings to Aggie Athletics. He is going to work hard to find us a team. I think it will be phenomenal to watch this team come together.
   
• I want to thank Trev Alberts for conducting this search. The best thing about A&M is everybody is passionate about it. Sometimes, that's the worst thing about Texas A&M. Trev, we are proud to have you as the leader of Aggie Athletics.

Trev Alberts

• Howdy! I want to say a couple of thank yous. I want to thank General Mark A. Welsh. I want to thank the Board of Regents and the donors. I want to thank our head coaches who are here, Jamie Morrison and Michael Earley. I want to thank Buzz Williams, his wife Corey and their family. He worked extremely hard. Henry Coleman III is here.
   
• I want to thank our staff. Our staff immediately went to work. We have so many wonderful Aggies who care deeply about this place. I want to thank Bucky. There is no ceiling here. I want to thank you for your belief.
   
• When you have a transition, you have time to think. Today is an interesting day. The House settlement case is underway. College athletics is changing significantly. The word “modernization” kept coming to mind. We have one player right now. How do we create championship-level basketball?
   
• We talked to a lot of folks. The thing about Bucky that kept coming up was he was one of the elite merging young minds in college basketball. The players enjoy playing his style of basketball. Our fans will enjoy it, too. I kept hearing he was genuine, real and authentic. He is who he reports to be.
   
• I would like you to join me in welcoming our 23rd head coach, Bucky McMillan.

Bucky McMillan

• Howdy! Howdy! First, I want to thank Trev Alberts for our conversations and trust in Gen. Welsh and me. I was coaching at a fantastic place at Samford. For me to leave that place, I would have to leave for somewhere truly special.
   
• Alberts had mentioned the previous players. It was one of fantastic culture. I want you to know this is a program you can relate to and identify with. You always have a home here in our program.
   
• I have lost my voice over the last couple of days. I haven't slept. Mitch Cole was here years ago. Stand up, coach. Kyle Keller is joining our staff. They were a part of Bily Kennedy’s great teams — The last Sweet 16 teams. They had other opportunities, but they said they were in. We are going to build something so special.
   
• I want to thank my mom, my dad and the woman in my life, Liz. They never miss a game. I wouldn’t be here today without y’all.
   
• There are so many people who have made me who I am. I grew up in Alabama. It’s not much different than here. The people are real. I got into this as an AAU basketball coach at 17. Now, I am a college basketball coach in the SEC. I ran the popcorn machine, and I was the bus driver. I did everything. I got into it because I love the kids.
   
• It is a tremendous day for me. God has given me an opportunity to influence so many more. I can't wait to do it in Aggieland.
   
• I want to thank Terry Cooper, my first Athletic Director. He gave me an opportunity. I wouldn't be sitting here today if it wasn't for him. I went directly from being a high school head coach to a college head coach. I heard it all. I heard that going from JV to varsity. When we had an opportunity, we knocked the door down. When this job came open, it meant a lot to me because he said, “You have to take that job because that job is about to be the best in the country with the way college athletics is going.”
   
• I want to thank my former athletes. What our players did at Samford allowed me to coach in the SEC. I love y’all and appreciate y'all. Most importantly, I want to thank the 12th Man. We are going to do things with this basketball program that have never been done before. It's time for us to seize this moment.
   
• What is the mission of me being here? We want to have an elite basketball program. We want to have great personnel involved in our program. Our program will be founded on hard work. Get the best coaches and best players you can get. When we bring recruits to the games, we are leading the country in scoring, and this place is rocking, people are going to say, “I want to be a part of that.”
   
• The SEC is the toughest league since the inception of college basketball. It was the NBA. There are teams in this state that are playing in the national championship. How are we going to outwork our competition? We have to get athletes here that are going to be unselfish. I tell our team we would never have a true team until someone gives up something.
   
• When you have the correct personnel, they outwork everyone and give 100 percent of themselves 100 percent of the time? They are more together than their competition. You will be able to feel it. I remember when I was in Bryant-Denny Stadium, and a guy named Johnny Manziel rolled into town. It was the way they went about it. They were fearless. That's how we are going to play basketball.
   
• At Samford, we were a top-10 scoring team in the country. We will lead the country in scoring at some point. We play full-court defense. We run. We pressure. We shoot a lot of 3-pointers. The students, you are going to love it. I am from the South. I love football. I greatly appreciate the coaches here. I will be at all your games. We will win, but it’s also entertainment. You will be entertained.
   
• We are going to make this program so excellent, like the gas station, Buc-ee’s. When you pull over, we will be so excellent they will say, “Oh, like the basketball coach.”
   
• I can't wait to get started. The core values of this university — Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity and Selfless Service — I'll know them by heart tomorrow. Gig ‘Em Aggies!

Introductory Press Conference

Bucky McMillan

• We are going to have a championship program here. I can’t wait to build this here. You guys will have a lot to cover.
   
• We won't be able to be as selective as we would like to be. We have to fill a roster. Most of the players this year went to the portal early because the compensation was significant early. Because of that, a lot of players are not available. That’s not an excuse. We will have to get to work immediately. We can't run that system with four players. We will have to get players on the board and do it quickly. You will see us going to work right after this press conference. 
   
• I love Birmingham. It’s special I got to grow up there. For me to leave that place, it was going to be for a place not only to win championships, but a great place with great people. Cole is a coach here with me. I played with him in college. I have known him since I was eight years old. He has also talked about this place.
   
• We take players from anywhere that we feel can make our program successful. The most important thing to recruiting is when I say, “You have to build a car. You can't have three steering wheels.” You have to have a mix.
   
• We want to play in a manner that is something we do every day. We will have a board that shows what drills you won and lost that day. That’s how we practice. On game day, that's just another day at the office. We will play with discipline.
   
• We are in the process of filling out the staff. Cole and Kyle Keller are tremendous to get. Cole is one of the best offensive minds in the game. Keller’s defense tries to take your will from you. We have a good mix. We want a defense that compliments what we do on offense. In football terms, he blitzes every play. The connections are tremendous. We will be adding new staff members here shortly.
   
• The 1,200 texts and phone calls. They are passionate, anyone associated with the 12th Man. The facilities are top-notch.
   
• Cole and I have had conversations about A&M through the years. He has always talked about this place. When you live in Alabama, it's either Alabama or Auburn. Coach Cole talked about the universities in this state. When this job came open, he lit up. He has lived in Birmingham for 20-plus years. My AD is a guy I love to death. He didn't want to lose me, but he said, “If you can get that, you have to go.”
   
• The pillars in your program translate to any level. Xs and Os are last. When we play, you are going to see dogs on the floor. You are going to be proud to wear a “Texas A&M” shirt. You will see five guys on the floor for a ball. Xs and Os is five percent.
   
• At Samford, we beat Ole Miss. We beat Georgia State, and we were a call away from beating Kansas.
   
• We will need all the help we can get in the support we get. In the future, it will be easy when they know me. In the short term, everyone will have to take a leap of faith.
   
• My route has been different. I coached AAU basketball, JV and Varsity. I got to coach in a back gym when no one was watching. I got to experiment.
   
• I haven't slept in three days. The “Bucky Ball” thing started in high school. Everyone was playing really slow in high school basketball. We started winning, and it became a positive. I appreciate the fans.
   
• I know that anytime there are rivalries, it's great for athletics. It brings out the best in the players. Maybe not the fans. Bear Bryant was a great coach here and in Alabama. He had an Auburn jacket in his closet that he would look at every day.
   
• I feel the passion from this place.
   
• As long as the support and resources are there like we know this place is capable of... I do know in time, if we get all of the 12th Man behind what we are doing, with all the resources, what’s not possible? You can catch up with the “Blue Bloods” like that.