Why basketball fans should keep an eye on Bucky McMillan and Texas A&M this offseason
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Bucky McMillan is building something special in College Station.
Texas A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts sees it too. The program confirmed on March 28 that the Aggies head coach will be receiving a “market adjustment” pay raise, as well as a contract extension through 2032 (his original contract was set to expire in 2030) following a successful first year in Aggieland.
Someone, somewhere — perhaps in the Texas Triangle — just thought to themselves, “heard that one before.”
Texas A&M athletics has, admittedly, made an ill-advised habit of monetarily ensuring head coaches prematurely. Because of the history of such extensions in College Station, I’ve already seen several Aggies fans complain by comparing the news to recent contract extensions for Jimbo Fisher, Buzz Williams and even Mike Elko.
To those fans, I’d say this: I really don’t think you fully appreciate what Texas A&M has found in head coach Bucky McMillan. What Bucky Ball accomplished in Year 1 was as intriguing a storyline as you could find in the SEC, and history says he and the Aggies will only get better.
Let me provide some context.
Despite being late to recruit the transfer portal and retaining just 1 player from the previous season’s roster, McMillan’s Aggies exceeded expectations by reaching the NCAA Tournament and winning their first-round matchup against Saint Mary’s. That’s not even mentioning the fact that Chris McDermott — the lone returner — ended up seeing 45 minutes of total action across the whole season, or that Mackenzie Mgbako, brought in as the crown jewel of McMillan’s first recruiting class, saw action in 7 total games.
Despite all that, the Aggies finished with a 22-12 record and won 11 of their 18 league matchups.
Texas A&M is not a basketball school. Apart from perhaps Ole Miss, the Aggies have fared worse in the NCAA Tournament than any other program in the SEC. Texas A&M has reached the second weekend just 3 times since the tournament’s expansion to 64 teams in 1985. The Aggies have never been to the Elite Eight or further. All in all, Texas A&M is a pretty dismal 16-18 all-time in the Big Dance.
Now consider the 2025-26 roster itself.
McMillan was officially hired on April 5, a full 2 weeks after the transfer portal opened. His style is the antithesis of the system Buzz Williams took with him to Maryland. If the 2 basketball philosophies were cars, Bucky Ball would be a Tesla Model S and Buzz Ball would be a Willys Jeep.
Because Bucky Ball is so frantic, McMillan had to keep a long bench to keep his guys fresh. Ten different Aggies saw 10 minutes of action against Houston, for example, and Texas A&M ranked 26th in bench minutes per KenPom. So not only did McMillan have to attack the portal with some of the best transfers already off the board or in talks with major programs, but he also had to find enough quality players to give his system a fighting chance.
To be blunt, thanks in part to the late start, pure talent was not a strength for this Aggies squad. McMillan simply found guys that fit his system, put the pieces in place and went off to war.
“Stepping back from it, this is one of the more miraculous stories in college basketball,” McMillan told TexAgs regarding the 2025-26 Aggies, “…that that group was such a functioning unit and cared so much for each other, and cared so much for Texas A&M. … This group will be remembered as a team that really, against all odds, kept this program going so that the next group of guys could come in at take that step.”
But what will that next group of guys look like, exactly?
First, it’s important to note that Texas A&M’s NIL budget for 2025 was about $7-9 million. That sounds like a lot, but it’s actually below average or right at the average among SEC programs.
This year’s NIL budget will be more advantageous for McMillan, and he appears poised to keep a couple key pieces heading into Year 2. Mgbako, Pop Isaacs, Ruben Dominguez, Zach Clemence, Jamie Vinson and Josh Holloway are all able to return in 2026-27, plus a few freshmen and seldom-used rotational players.
Of the names in this group, Mgbako is the most exciting. As mentioned earlier, the former Indiana forward and 5-star prospect appeared in just 7 games for the Aggies while dealing with a foot injury, which he re-injured in nonconference play. Mgbako insisted in mid-March that he’ll be back with the Aggies in 2026-27.
Zach Clemence is another intriguing name. The 6-11 Kansas transfer shot 40% from 3 and flashed the best basketball of his career with a 29-point outing against Arkansas. Keep in mind, Clemence never scored more than 11 points with Kansas and eclipsed 5 points just 3 times across 3 seasons in Lawrence.
Assuming at least 4 of the 6 stick around, the names listed above offer a stable place to start building for the future through the transfer portal. The Aggies will need more consistent scoring, but with more in NIL spending and proper go at roster construction this offseason, it’s hard to believe Texas A&M won’t be even better in 2026 and beyond.
McMillan (obviously) agrees. Here’s what he told reporters postgame after the final game of Year 1.
“I’ve done this before when I’ve started programs at high school or college, everywhere I’ve gone our first year was the lowest that we achieved… That’s a pretty big deal for this group and we’re only gonna get better.”
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
