This Saturday, Samford’s head basketball coach, Bucky McMillan, was announced to take the head coaching job at Texas A&M. Although we will be sad to see him go, Bucky Ball will be long remembered by the students who witnessed it here.
In his five years at Samford, Bucky changed the culture of basketball at Samford as we knew it. A program that hadn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2000 was transformed into a school known for basketball excellence. Since the 2000s, we have only had two 20-win seasons outside of McMillan. He had four consecutive 20-win seasons in his time here.
As I’ve had the opportunity to be a photographer for Samford Athletics, I’ve seen the rise of McMillan’s basketball career from a courtside seat. His unique style of play makes games riveting and exciting. Fans are enthralled by the dominating defense and overpowering offense.
The fast-paced speed of Bucky Ball has given me so much experience in how to track action in fast-paced games. His coaching excellence allowed me to travel with the team to their SoCon Championship and March Madness appearance last year. Each game I shot grew my love for the sport more and more.
When I have the privilege of travelling with teams like this, the content department is basically handcuffed to the team, ensuring that every moment is captured and not a second is missed.
After a Salt Lake City shootaround during the first round of March Madness, we went to Crown Burger, Rylan Jones’ hometown favorite. I ordered the usual — kid’s cheeseburger with an Oreo Milkshake. The three other media team members at my table ordered their meals, and we all awaited our 10 p.m. feast. Half an hour went by and practically everyone else in the restaurant got their food, yet I still sat in my seat with no food.
McMillan whooshed past our table, asking us if we had tried their delicious milkshakes. I told him I ordered one, it just hadn’t made its way to me yet. He whipped around and told the closest waiter in sight, “Get this girl her burger and milkshake right now!” Within minutes, I was feasting on the best burger I’ve ever had.
Even silly moments like this give McMillan the golden legacy he will carry here at Samford. Although the 2024-25 season wasn’t what the fans hoped for in terms of a championship, McMillan persevered through the first-round SoCon loss and led his team to the postseason NIT Tournament.
After the brutal 95-78 loss to Furman, we traveled back to the Asheville DoubleTree after a heart wrenching game. We walked past the coaches to get to the lobby, who were deep in conversation. Mid-sentence, McMillan acknowledged and thanked me and the other content creators for all the hard work we did for the tournament.
I’m so grateful for the countless hours, practices and games Coach McMillan has put into training this basketball team. It’s allowed me to grow not only as a photographer, but as a person who has taken thousands of images of his awe-inspiring teams.
As a school, I think we should be extremely proud of our hometown hero. Taking a job as a head coach at an SEC School is no minor feat. It’s incredible what he did in the five years he was here, and I strongly look forward to seeing his performance alongside the Aggies! Thank you, Coach Bucky, for everything!
