Texas A&M basketball has a new head coach. Former Samford head coach Bucky McMillan will replace Buzz Williams, who departed the program after six seasons for Maryland just a week after the Aggies' second-round loss to Michigan in the NCAA Tournament.
While McMillan's arrival has already bred excitement from the Aggie fan base, the way Buzz Williams left the roster completely gutted, outside of sophomore forward Chris McDermott. At the same time, forwards Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington followed Williams to Maryland as soon as he accepted the position. Payne's decision made sense, but Washington would have perfectly fit McMillan's system.
During Williams' six-year tenure in College Station, he deserves credit for rebuilding a program that was in horrible shape. While the Aggies' three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament were impressive, consecutive losses in the second round were never good enough, given the talent on each roster.
Relationship-wise, former AD Ross Bjork gave Williams an early extension, and whether it was warranted or not, their relationship was solid. However, after Bjork departed for Ohio State, Texas A&M hired former Nebraska AD Trev Alberts for the same position, and from an outside point of view, Williams and Alberts remained cordial over the last year of his tenure.
However, just hours after Bucky McMillan was officially hired, ESPN's Seth Greenberg made a surprising claim during a segment on College GameDay regarding Williams and Albert's apparent lack of communication during their one year together at Texas A&M, claiming that, through sources, both men never spoke.
"Coaches change jobs for a lot of different reasons. Coaches change jobs to get a better job, just like players change schools to get a better job. … That happens. That’s not a problem,” Greenberg stated.“I’m going to use Buzz Williams as an example. He hasn’t talked to his athletic director in a year. In 1 year, he hasn’t talked to his athletic director. That relationship, once your relationship … deteriorates, it’s a win-win for the school, the coach, and the program. That’s just the way it is.”
College Gameday host Rece Davis sought clarification from Greenberg, who went on to say that his statement was coming from a "very, very good source" that should be trusted. He noted that, during his final season at Virginia Tech, he had just one conversation with the late Hokies AD Jim Weaver.
While you can choose to trust Seth Greenberg's information, the Buzz Williams era was always bumpy, and knowing that he was personally vying for the Maryland job as soon as it opened, I'm not surprised that this story came to light. ...
