COLLEGE STATION — With the wind whipping and the roar of a jet engine dominating the tarmac, new Texas A&M men’s basketball head coach Bucky McMillan made sure that every person in attendance for his arrival was seen and heard.
Flashing a warm smile and genuine gaze, McMillan approached each school representative and media member at Easterwood Airport on Monday morning with a firm handshake and an inquisitive introduction.
Ultimately, how the Birmingham, Ala. native will be remembered in College Station probably has more to do with the scoreboard and his body of work on the court. However, if the first impression was a test, he nailed it.
"Now, it's time for us to seize this moment. Our mission is very simple: We want to have an elite basketball program, a first-class basketball program," McMillan told the crowd Monday. "Our program has been founded on hard work. The pillar of our program is getting the best personnel you can. The best coaches and the best players you can get."
McMillan and A&M leadership gave the public the first chance to meet the new leader of Aggies men's basketball. The former Samford coach was introduced at Reed Arena by A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts and President Mark Welsh in front of dozens of media members and excited Aggies fans.
McMillan in his 15 minutes, expressed his desire to take the program to new heights. He also held a maroon No. 12 jersey on stage with his new bosses.
As the crowd began to file out, McMillan and his family entered the press room to field reporters' questions.
The 41-year-old coach was honest about the challenge ahead. A&M currently has just one scholarship athlete on the roster, and the hire is considered late, considering the transfer portal schedule and offseason calendar.
McMillan didn't shy away from that issue but seemed to be tempering expectations, at least in the short term.
"We won't be ...
