COLLEGE STATION — Before Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford ever played on the big stage, it started in a small high school gym, with Texas A&M basketball's new head coach, Bucky McMillan, expecting the best of him.
As A&M prepares to introduce the new coach on Monday, Watford has known McMillan since he was just seven years old and spoke to the American-Statesman on Saturday with excitement about the opportunity for the coach and his new team.
“One thing I can just say is they’re going to get a hardworking, young and hungry coach,” Watford said. “Hungry to win. Hungry to succeed."
Watford may know the Aggies' new coach better than anyone; he played under McMillan at Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Ala. The duo won three state titles together from 2016-19 before Watford moved on, spending two seasons at LSU before entering the 2021 NBA draft.
Watford went undrafted, but has spent the last four years in the NBA, tallying 212 games and 25 starts, averaging 7.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
The road to the NBA is a grind, paved by tough love and expectations that McMillan instilled in the Nets' big man.
“He was tough on me a lot, but he’s a players coach at the same time,” Watford said. “He’s a coach that’s going to get on your ass, and he’s going to demand a lot from you, and if you go back and just watch his teams at Samford and watch how hard they play… he demands a certain level of tenacity you’re going to (have to) play with.”
The best news I ever seen about the Aggies wow… 🔥🔥🔥🐐 🐐 🐐 https://t.co/GJiiKfYIZx
— Trendon Watford (@trendonw) April 5, 2025
"Bucky Ball" comes to A&M
With McMillan's arrival comes the introduction of “Bucky Ball” to College Station, the style of play of which the coach is famous for: a high-intensity level of play on both ends of the floor. This is a stark difference from the defensive, grind-it-out style the Aggies have used for the last six years under Buzz Williams.
“He’s out there to compete," Watford said. "He’s out there to literally break the other team's will. That’s how he is, that’s how he was brought up, and that’s how he started his culture, man.”
According to Kenpom, in 2024, Samford finished 24th in the nation in adjusted tempo and 34th in 3-point percentage. The Bulldogs attempted 978 threes and made 36.4%, third-best in the conference. On defense, Samford led the Southern Conference in steals with 9.9 per game.
"(McMillan) lets his players play with freedom, play confident. (But) If you're not going to play ...
