Has anyone seen this in their feeds yet?

https://www.al.com/alabamabasketball/2026/02/goodman-gross-speculation-about-bucky-mcmillan-after-an-all-time-classic.html



Good Grief!

Notes for those without a subscription?

Says Bucky could replace Oates if Oates goes to the NBA. Hot take!

Frig Bama. WE NEED TO SQUELCH THIS, STAT.

Low hanging fruit.

Bucky's smart enough to realize the potential at A&M and his ability to achieve whatever he wants right here with much less pressure.

Sure it is.

I don't doubt they would like to have him but it's not a given that Bucky would automatically take it. For all we know he may absolutely love it here. There's no doubt we can, and will, make it worth his while financially but we can't change the geography. On that front, it just comes down to him and his family

Sterling82 said:

---

I don't doubt they would like to have him but it's not a given that Bucky would automatically take it. For all we know he may absolutely love it here. There's no doubt we can, and will, make it worth his while financially but we can't change the geography. On that front, it just comes down to him and his family

---

He literally has lived his entire life in Birmingham until this season. A whole lot would have to go right for us to keep him here assuming he continues to be incredibly successful. And there's zero reason to believe he wont build something to last here.

I happen to believe that Bucky is the type person with the kind of loyalty that will appreciate the school that gave him his big chance and will be loyal to that end.

PJYoung said:

---

Lol yes, if Bucky continues to have success here he will 100% be their next coach when Nate leaves.

There's almost no way around it. As Bucky builds a monster here Nate needs to continue winning and baby Pearl winning wouldnt hurt either.

---

You 100% have no idea. Unless we keep unattractive Reed arena, then I concur. Though I could also see him going somewhere easier to be anonymous. Can't tell his preference on that, but he's commented on how these college towns are all about the school and so here is different than Birmingham for him where there was other stuff going on unrelated to the school he coached at (Samford) so focus was less on him.

PJYoung said:

---

Sterling82 said:

---

I don't doubt they would like to have him but it's not a given that Bucky would automatically take it. For all we know he may absolutely love it here. There's no doubt we can, and will, make it worth his while financially but we can't change the geography. On that front, it just comes down to him and his family

---

He literally has lived his entire life in Birmingham until this season. A whole lot would have to go right for us to keep him here assuming he continues to be incredibly successful. And there's zero reason to believe he wont build something to last here.

---

So he lived an hour away from UA in Birmingham. Parents went to Bama. He did not. Not sure his parents raised him to be a hardcore Alabama fan. He had the chance to transfer and play for Alabama for a last year he said, and he instead decided to quit basketball and start coaching HS. If was that hardcore, you'd think he would've chosen to play a last year at Alabama instead of coaching JV basketball but who knows. He said his body was getting old. lol

Since we don't have a prestigious history in basketball of any kind, I would definitely replace our basketball arena with an attractive one, beyond matching NIL and salary. You have to maximaize your advantages to overcome him being from the state or another program simply being historically prestigious.

TXAGBQ76 said:

---

Nothing we candid about it, if it happens it happens. Might as well enjoy the fun of Bucky Ball

---

That kind of talk got Claytie bounced out of the governor's race.

Jeff Goodman's piece titled "Gross speculation about Bucky McMillan after an all-time classic",
This piece refutes this kind of articles so early.
Goodman criticizes the immediate coaching-carousel speculation around Bucky McMillan after Texas A&M's instant-classic win vs Auburn , calling it premature, lazy, and disrespectful to what McMillan is building at A&M.

There may very well be something we can do about it. At the very least make it very difficult for Bucky to believe he's better off there than here (or anywhere else for that matter).

We love putting the cart ahead of the horse. Many were afraid of Buzz Williams getting poached. Olin wrote a "how you like me now?!" article for Billy Kennedy.

We're years away from this being something we actually need to worry about.

My comment was there is nothing I can do about it, so I'm just going to enjoy watching the success we are having and enjoy the ride. If the AD wants to throw a bunch of money at him (which history says we do very well). I want him to stay, there are so many great things about him that are good for the program.

You may be right about years but we need to commit to pumping up basketball here asap. Complacency is the best way to make sure Bucky does get poached.

My opinion, Bucky is the whole package . This is the kind of opportunity that doesn't come knocking very often. Like maybe every 20 yrs . BCG was the last time and complacency got him poached . Granted he had other issues that were a factor.

Yeah, those two situations are so much alike. Sheesh.
My comment was I cannot do anything about it. Sounds like you think you personally can do something about it, what's your plan, you going to write him a big check?

He's from Bama, might happen. Wouldn't really blame him for wanting to coach at his home area dream school.

But the longer he's here and happy, the less likely that becomes. I can't do anything about it, not really going to worry about it.

It's not just about compensation altho that is important. It's also about committing to what is probably the 2nd most important sports program with better marketing , perhaps better facilities , making sure we have the NIL resources , etc.

Writing checks is certainly a part of it.

like many have said. I doubt Nate Oates is leaving anytime soon. He knows Bama donors and now judges will help him succeed at Bama and pay him the bag fortune comparable to NBA. The longer he is at Bama and the longer Bucky is here building successes and getting what he needs from our big basketball donors, then the harder it will be for him to pack his family and kids up and leave in my opinon.

He seems to really like it here and hopefully his wife and kids do to and put that "family"pressure on him to stay here at his new home

If ever there was a situation where the school had the leverage
A&M hiring Bucky was one of those situations

If there isn't a prohibitive buyout then our Lawyers let us down
It was unlikely that Bucky would have this much success this early but it should have been a contingency in the contract that if he did He would be very expensive to poach

good grief...if he goes, he goes

we'll get another good coach.

Bucky success doesn't all comes from him. A&M powers his success...

Don't necessarily disagree. It's obvious he had NIL money available to assemble this team, I agree 100% with your marketing comment. Regarding facilities, I thought the consensus last was "…no more bricks and mortar, there's no ROI, everything needs to go to NIL…". I'm okay with spiffing up the locker room workout rooms and practice courts, but I'm not for building a new arena- we very seldom come close to selling it out (except for games like tu, Kentucky, Tennessee).

And that's the trick. A& M powers his success and his success powers the A & M basketball program.

I mean, your'e right we'll hire another good coach if he were to leave but that's proven to be a crapshoot. Why not make him as happy as we can and maybe we're building a new basketball only arena in 5 yrs and naming the court after him in 15.

Of these dominoes, the least likely seems like an NBA team wanting to hire Nate Oats any time soon no?

I guess. Who really knows what goes on in NBA GM and owners minds?

Could be that Bucky gets an NBA job before Oats. Could be neither ever goes to the NBA.

PJYoung said:

---

Lol yes, if Bucky continues to have success here he will 100% be their next coach when Nate leaves.

There's almost no way around it. As Bucky builds a monster here Nate needs to continue winning and baby Pearl winning wouldnt hurt either.

---

Why even post something like this with such certainty? Everyone knows he's from Alabama. That in no way means he will "100% be their next coach". If he builds a monster here - or even just makes a few tournaments - he will get a large raise and extension which will also increase his buyout. People were always worried about Turgeon leaving for Kansas one day (Maryland fans were worried about this too) and Bill Self is still the coach. Why even worry about something that would take a perfect combination of factors to become a possibility

Ag13 said:

---

PJYoung said:

---

Lol yes, if Bucky continues to have success here he will 100% be their next coach when Nate leaves.

There's almost no way around it. As Bucky builds a monster here Nate needs to continue winning and baby Pearl winning wouldnt hurt either.

---

Why even post something like this with such certainty? Everyone knows he's from Alabama. That in no way means he will "100% be their next coach". If he builds a monster here - or even just makes a few tournaments - he will get a large raise and extension which will also increase his buyout. People were always worried about Turgeon leaving for Kansas one day (Maryland fans were worried about this too) and Bill Self is still the coach. Why even worry about something that would take a perfect combination of factors to become a possibility

---

Exactly.

If Bucky goes to Bama or Auburn, it won't be because they are better than us. It will be because he wants to go home and/or wants to coach at his dream school. There's nothing we can do about it.

Why does everyone always freak out about stuff like this?

Sure, he may want to coach in his home state. He may build a monster here and want to stick it out here. He may want to go to the NBA.

Coach K grew up in Chicago. Spent a majority of his career in NC.

Bruce Pearl is from Boston. Coached at Tennessee and Auburn.

Nick Saban grew up in West Virginia. Spent the bulk of his career in the south at LSU and Bama.

Some guys want to go be close to home, some are happy where they are at. In a day and age where it is so easy to communicate with people across the country and coaches are paid so handsomely that they can fly friends and family out with ease, this should be less of a concern but it obviously just depends on the makeup of the man and what they want. If someone wants to return to their home, they will.