Bucky McMillan's whirlwind first offseason leading Texas A&M hoops

On April 1, Buzz Williams was officially announced as Maryland’s next head coach.

Over the ensuing two and a half months, Texas A&M’s basketball program underwent unprecedented changes, leading to a new era in College Station under the guidance of Bucky McMillan.

Today, June 11, A&M is just over two months removed from not having a head coach and just one player on the roster. During that time, McMillan assembled a veteran coaching staff and a competitive roster to begin his Aggieland tenure.

After so much movement, the Aggies now have the next 10 months to write their story as McMillan’s first team in Maroon & White.

In case you missed it during the action-packed spring, follow along with how McMillan built his roster and staff from one returning player to a full staff and 13 players:

April 4: Bucky McMillan hired as the 23rd head coach in Texas A&M history
Just a few days after Williams’ departure, Director of Athletics Trev Alberts met with McMillan at the Final Four in San Antonio, where the Samford head coach was speaking at an NIL conference, as Alberts zeroed in on his target.

McMillan was the last Power 5 head coach hired in this cycle. At the time of his hiring, he was two weeks behind in the portal and had just one returning player on his roster.

An impossible task for most, but it was just another rebuild for McMillan, who took Samford from the depths of the SoCon to a consistent powerhouse.

April 5 and 6: McMillan’s first two staff additions
The Alabama lifer was lacking crucial experience within the A&M program and the Texas basketball landscape, so he brought in two of the most successful recruiters and former assistants from Billy Kennedy’s staff in Mitch Cole and Kyle Keller.

Cole was the associate head coach on McMillan’s Samford staff for the last four seasons, and Keller had been Stephen F. Austin’s head coach since 2016.

April 7: Introductory Press Conference
In his first appearance at Reed Arena, McMillan was formally introduced to the 12th Man.

My favorite quote from the new head man was: “Thank you for your trust in me to lead this program, and we’re going to have a lot of fun doing it.”

An under-the-radar addition first noted during this press conference was McMillan bringing his chief of staff, Warren Fitzpatrick, from Samford. Fitzpatrick was officially announced later in April, but his presence was felt early in McMillan’s tenure, helping build relationships in the community.

April 8: McMillan makes first TexAgs Live appearance
Despite limited sleep and a roster to fill, McMillan made time to stop by the TexAgs Live studio for a radio segment.

The most notable part of his time at the office wasn’t something he said on camera, it was what he did off it. McMillan went through the office introducing himself, shaking hands and chatting with every intern, part-timer and full-time employee he saw. It was refreshing to see a head coach make time for others instead of expecting them to make time for him, and this genuine nature has been on full display since he arrived, as he has embraced the Aggieland community.

April 10

• TJ Cleveland joins the staff
• Social media team debuts Drake’s “Nokia” as the commitment song
• 2025 four-star signee Jeremiah Green‍ confirms he will stay at A&M

With experience at St. John’s, Arkansas and Missouri, Cleveland satisfied McMillan’s need to build a staff with both power conference and SEC experience. The phrase “Who’s calling my phone” has been heard hundreds of times on my Spotify account since April 10, and Green’s commitment set off the first of many pieces of good news on the recruiting front for McMillan’s staff associated with the catchy tune.

April 12: North Alabama’s Jacari Lane marks McMillan’s first transfer portal addition
The two-time First-Team All-ASUN selection got the party started for the Aggies in the portal.

Despite being just the third player on the roster with returner Chris McDermott and youngster Green, Lane took a leap of faith to trust McMillan in his final season of college basketball.

Coincidentally, McMillan threw out the first pitch at an A&M baseball game when Green announced his return and the first pitch at a softball game when Lane committed.

April 13: Kansas forward Zach Clemence transfers to A&M
The 6-foot-11 San Antonio native had limited playing time with the Jayhawks, but his size and shooting ability fit well as depth in the “Bucky Ball” system. Three weeks into the portal with 81 of the top 100 players committed and no stars on the roster yet, many wondered just how competitive a roster the Aggies could field in 2025-2026.

April 17: Former five-star Mackenzie Mgbako commits to Texas A&M
The Indiana transfer became the highest-ranked recruit in program history and sent shockwaves around college basketball with his pledge to McMillan and A&M.

Considered an NC State or Ole Miss lean, Mgbako’s choice to sign with the Aggies showed that McMillan, his system, staff and vision were legitimate players in the portal despite other schools having a head start and a perceived NIL advantage.

However, signing him wasn’t the most significant battle; keeping Mgbako in Aggieland would prove to be difficult as he became one of the fastest-rising prospects throughout the NBA Draft process.

April 18: Josh Holloway follows McMillan from Samford
A key piece of the “Bucky Ball” system is continuity.

Holloway, the SoCon’s Sixth Man of the Year and First-Team All-Defense selection, bolstered the backcourt depth and will serve as an extra coach on the floor with his two seasons of experience in the system. He didn’t receive much fanfare because many expected him to follow his head coach, but Holloway’s impact will be felt as he helps his teammates adjust to the unique system.

April 21 and 22

• McMillan adds Frank Haith to the coaching staff
• Duke Miles transfers from Oklahoma

Bringing 18 years of experience as a Division I head coach, Haith was a perfect puzzle piece to the existing assistant coaching group of Cole, Keller and Cleveland, solidifying an elite recruiting staff with deep ties in state.

The next day, McMillan got more good news as Oklahoma’s Duke Miles announced his commitment to A&M. While this one wouldn’t last, it marked another data point of confidence that McMillan’s staff could recruit Power 5 starters despite no proof of concept in the SEC.

April 27 and 29: Momentum starts to build as veteran guard Marcus Hill and young center Jamie Vinson IV transfer to A&M
Some people argue that momentum in sports isn’t real, but at the end of April, it certainly felt tangible surrounding Texas A&M basketball.

Hill led NC State in scoring last season, and Haith brought over one of his top prospects from Texas in Vinson IV to build for the future.

This was just the tip of the iceberg this week.

May 1: Bucky Ball momentum reaches a fever pitch as big man Federiko Federiko commits
McMillan pulled off another stunner, signing Federiko after experts had again projected him to land at Ole Miss.

An important piece on Texas Tech’s Elite Eight run, Federiko is one of the elite rim finishers in the country, shooting 74 percent from the field last year.

Cookies were baking, Jelly Kelly was having himself a ball, and the Aggies were working in silence to build a competitive roster.

The addition of Federiko was massive for momentum, and it didn’t take long for McMillan to strike again while the iron was red hot.

May 2: McMillan wins massive recruiting battle over Nate Oats to land Rylan Griffen
The Dallas native was projected to return to Alabama, where he was a starter on their Final Four team two seasons ago, but McMillan worked in silence to land a veteran starter in the Maroon & White.

In an intense recruiting battle, the Aggies emerged victorious for Griffen and put the rest of the SEC on notice.

McMillan & Co. were on fire, closing on all nine of their campus visitors up to this point. Settling for a transition year wasn’t an option; they were doing everything in their power to build an NCAA Tournament team for 2025-2026.

Griffen’s addition ultimately led to Miles seeking a release from his NLI, but that would serve as a footnote in this portal cycle with how the roster unfolded.

May 10-15: Mgbako starts to build NBA Draft hype
It’s a unique position to be rooting for a player to be so good that he’s an impact player for you next year...but not too good that he decides to test the NBA Draft.

A&M fans found themselves in this predicament in mid-May as Mgbako started to shine in front of NBA scouts. The projected undrafted free agent went off at the NBA G League Elite camp, averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in two scrimmages. His elite performance earned him one of the last five invites to the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, where he impressed scouts again as his name began to creep back into the second-round projection.

May 21: USC’s Rashaun Agee becomes an Aggie
A player who wears No. 12 and is named Agee was born to be an Aggie.

Just as I was walking into Mike Elko’s Brazos County Coach’s Night, the news broke of Agee’s commitment, boosting the frontcourt with a veteran producer who was a fan favorite with the Trojans last season. Agee reunited with Hill, his former Bowling Green teammate, as the pair earned first and second-team All-MAC honors in 2024, respectively.

May 27: A Tuesday we’ll remember for a long time
For many of you, May 27 may have invoked emotions of pure joy and happiness that you haven’t felt in months.

For McMillan, the NBA Draft pendulum swung in favor of the Aggies on two crucial decisions.

The day started with the elusive Pop Isaacs finally landing in Aggieland.

Milos Uzan decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Houston, leaving Isaacs without the starting point guard role he was seeking. That domino fell, and in rapid fashion, McMillan swooped in to land Isaacs, who will run the Bucky Ball offense this season.

Just a few hours later, Mgbako announced he would withdraw from the NBA Draft process and play at A&M in 2025-2026.

On his decision to return to school, Mgbako said: “I look forward to playing in coach McMillan's system, doing whatever is asked of me to help our team win, play in the NCAA Tournament and go deep into March."

May 28-June 2: McMillan continues to round out his first staff with solid additions
Darby Rich returning as strength and conditioning coach was a welcomed sight in College Station, as one of the top minds in the industry was eager to get back after a short stint away at Memphis, Texas Tech and Texas. Rich helped develop Kennedy’s teams in the 2010s, and he has a long list of NBA players he developed, including Alex Caruso, Khris Middleton and Robert Williams III.

Two more young additions were made as Neb Exantus followed McMillan from Samford to serve as the director of player development and personnel, and Corey Felder moved over from DePaul to be the video coordinator next season.

June 6: Bucky Ball goes global for Rubén Domínguez
Looking for their 13th player, McMillan & Co. got creative and identified one of the best shooters in the European pro ranks as a potential target to come to College Station.

The 22-year-old had a decorated international career and shot 41.5 percent from 3-point land last season on over three attempts per game in Spain’s top league. The Spanish Sniper is an X-factor next season.