Published on April 5, 2025 at 1:15 p.m.  
BuckyMcMillan

Samford men's basketball coach Bucky McMillan was named head coach  at Texas A&M on Saturday. McMillan coached the Bulldogs for five years, leading the Bulldogs to four straight 20-win seasons. He ends his tenure at Samford with a 99-52 record. 

"I want to thank Bucky for all he has given to Samford University and the men's basketball program," said Samford Athletic Director Martin Newton. "The past five years have been a special period in our program's history. We wish Bucky the best in his new endeavor and look forward to conducting a national search with the goal of keeping Samford among the premier Division I programs in the nation.“

“I want to thank Bucky for all he has given to Samford University.  The past five years have been a special period in our program’s history.” — Athletic Director Martin Newton

McMillan has been at the helm of Samford's program since his hiring in April 2020. He ushered in unprecedented success to the Bulldogs program, with four consecutive 20-win seasons, two Southern Conference regular-season championships, a SoCon Tournament championship, and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2024. McMillan was named the SoCon Coach of the Year for three consecutive  seasons from 2021-24 and was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 21 Coach of the Year.

“Samford will forever be indebted to Bucky McMillan for re-establishing the Samford men's basketball program's tradition of excellence," said Samford President Beck Taylor. "Even more than the exciting brand of basketball he brought to Homewood, or the championships won, I will personally be most grateful for the way Bucky represented Samford's values and Christian mission. Our disappointment in losing our head coach is matched only by our desire to see Bucky succeed at the highest levels.“

“Our disappointment in losing our head coach is matched only by our desire to see Bucky succeed at the highest levels.” — President Beck Taylor

The Bulldogs are coming off a 22-11 season where they made the postseason for the second consecutive year and earned the program's first NIT invitation. They fell in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament to Furman before having their 2024-25 season end at George Mason in the NIT.

Samford ranked fifth nationally in scoring in 2024 averaging 86.1 points per game and ranked 14th this past season (82.9). 

Bucky McMillan at Samford 

Season     Overall   SoCon  Noteworthy accomplishment           
2020-21         6-13      2-9   Eight games cancelled by COVID
2021-22     21-11    10-8   First league winning record since 2007
2022-23     21-11    15-3   Tied school record for conference wins
2023-24      29-6    15-3   Earned first NCAA bid since 2000
2024-25     22-11    12-6   Earned school's first NIT bid
 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.