Bucky's coaching

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Ag-ME
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9:55a, 4/28/26
AG
I think he did a fabulous job last year taking a bunch of players at the last possible moment and making them into a sec competitive team. He played many players especially early in the season because of not knowing for sure what he had and from the players to learn his system. He also had to deal with having some real holes in our roster and how to fill them.
Now that I look at the coming season it looks like he has a lot more talent and potentially fewer holes. Now I know it would have been wonderful to have 2 7+ rim protectors and 3 guards that can shoot 50% 3pointers but that didn't happen.
But overall he has what appears to be much better overall talent and players that want to be on the court all the time.
These aren't the high school guys that haven't really played much and he can experiment with for half the season.

Since this is most talented team he has ever coached, how long will it take him to figure out the best 8 or 9 rotation and be able to keep the bench players from rioting?

If he indeed has 5 or 6 players that turn out to be much better than the rest, does he change his coaching style?

His first season was so much better than I thought it would be, does everyone think he can improve much over last season?
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CC09LawAg
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In reply to Ag-ME • 10:09a, 4/28/26
I don't see any way with his gameplan how you keep from going 8 to 10 deep every night. There will be plenty of opportunities for our guys.

They will just have to move on from the "minutes played" mindset to an opportunity mindset - when the pace of the game increases, the number of possessions increases. Scoring opportunities will be there.

Overall, some of these guys may get less shots up than they're used to, but the hope is they become more efficient so you don't see much, if any, drop in total scoring.

I am sure Bucky told them most of this during the recruiting process and they would not have committed knowing their FGA per game were going down unless they understood this system will make their life on offense easier.
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halfastros81
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In reply to Ag-ME • 10:18a, 4/28/26
AG
Yes. They are going to be better than last year. Figuring out the best rotations is going to be a constantly morphing process and it will be partly dependent on opponents strengths and weaknesses but I do not expect him to shorten the bench at all . I believe the roster is deeper and he'll spread the minutes accordingly . He tinkered with starting lineups and rotation combinations this year all the way into mid to late February even with the limited flexibility he had at his disposal. Now he gets to do it with more talent, size, and roster flexibility.
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bobinator
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10:33a, 4/28/26
AG
We also had three significant players with various injuries and illnesses that kept us from really nailing down our rotations earlier in the season with Isaacs, Griffin and Mgbako; nevermind that the entire team and coaching staff were new to each other and that we basically couldn't practice for much of the summer.

But I think if last year made one thing pretty clear, the system is the system. We're going to play a lot of guys.
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WallyWonka
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12:03p, 4/28/26
AG

(sorry for being a little long)

I agree with most all points noted in the previous posts.

In my humble opinion, in recruiting, Bucky and staff (and he has an awesome staff) really doesn't have to promise certain positions (though most all of the recruits have specific positions), and/or whether they are starting or coming off the bench.

Bucky Ball is BALLZ OUT HUSTLE AND PLAY--100% OF THE TIME. Maybe we call it Ballz Out Bucky Ball.

As they used to say in Arkansas under Nolan Richards, "40 minutes of Hell." Therefore, if/when you are playing and need a "blow" come out and put someone fresh in.

If you look at playing times this year, he did go as deep on his bench as was productive. Meaning, there were some nights the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th guys weren't as productive, still got minutes, just not as much.

If you look at the stats from this past year (remember 40-minute games), you had five (5) guys averaging 20+ minutes per game; four (4) guys averaging 15+ minutes per game; and two (2) guys average about 10+/- minutes per game--that's eleven (11) deep on your bench. Therefore, to an extent you can see he goes by the methodology of plug-and-play--if you're hustling and bringing something to the game (i.e., whether it be defense, assists, rebounds, points, etc.), you're on the court. Again, when you're tired or not bringing any energy, you're out.

I also remember games, where initially a player wasn't very productive at the start of the game, but contributed later in the game-he doesn't bury you on the bench, he gives you chances. These characteristics should appeal to both NIL and high school recruits.

The ultimate college players dream is to get to the LEAGUE. As Bucky probably says, what better way to show it than through hustle and stats--they will watch your film and read your stat line. You can get those whether you start or come off the bench.
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The Marksman
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12:17p, 4/28/26
AG
I predict that we'll see 11 players in our rotation every night: Warren, Haggerty, Shelley, Mgbako, Phillips, Clemence, Reece, Archie, Vinson, Walls, and Mundey
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The Lost
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In reply to WallyWonka • 1:32p, 4/28/26
WallyWonka said:

(sorry for being a little long)

I agree with most all points noted in the previous posts.

In my humble opinion, in recruiting, Bucky and staff (and he has an awesome staff) really doesn't have to promise certain positions (though most all of the recruits have specific positions), and/or whether they are starting or coming off the bench.

Bucky Ball is BALLZ OUT HUSTLE AND PLAY--100% OF THE TIME. Maybe we call it Ballz Out Bucky Ball.

As they used to say in Arkansas under Nolan Richards, "40 minutes of Hell." Therefore, if/when you are playing and need a "blow" come out and put someone fresh in.

If you look at playing times this year, he did go as deep on his bench as was productive. Meaning, there were some nights the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th guys weren't as productive, still got minutes, just not as much.

If you look at the stats from this past year (remember 40-minute games), you had five (5) guys averaging 20+ minutes per game; four (4) guys averaging 15+ minutes per game; and two (2) guys average about 10+/- minutes per game--that's eleven (11) deep on your bench. Therefore, to an extent you can see he goes by the methodology of plug-and-play--if you're hustling and bringing something to the game (i.e., whether it be defense, assists, rebounds, points, etc.), you're on the court. Again, when you're tired or not bringing any energy, you're out.

I also remember games, where initially a player wasn't very productive at the start of the game, but contributed later in the game-he doesn't bury you on the bench, he gives you chances. These characteristics should appeal to both NIL and high school recruits.

The ultimate college players dream is to get to the LEAGUE. As Bucky probably says, what better way to show it than through hustle and stats--they will watch your film and read your stat line. You can get those whether you start or come off the bench.

This makes sense pre nil, but haggerty is going to make more in college than the nba, he'd already be there if he could. It's now make as much money as possible, yearly.
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JJxvi
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3:13p, 4/28/26
AG
The only question I have is does he motivate a team to play hard and do what it takes to win. Last year was great, 100% so far and his pedigree looks great too.

The reality for next year is that we don't know how hard any of the new guys are going to play until we see it. Hopefully Bucky just knows how to motivate and encourage players to play hard like we saw last year, but you never really know. If PJ plays hard and cares about winning games, that's an All-American. Need to see it. Bryson Warren's been playing minor league ball. How much pressure are those teams actually under to win games? The Westchester Knicks are not particularly good. So the jury will still be out. Is there someone who is going to step up and be the leader of the team?

Hardworking, Unselfish, Fearless
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halfastros81
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In reply to JJxvi • 3:35p, 4/28/26
AG
Bucky has said or implied a number of times if you don't bring the energy you won't play. That's the beauty of depth, if one guy just isn't humming for whatever reason he'll bring someone else in. If you don't bring it on the regular your PT is going to diminish.
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MLC88
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In reply to Ag-ME • 3:55p, 4/28/26
AG
It's sort of like Elko's theory in football. Some might say similar to that of Saban or Smart. Why not build a roster where you have little if any fall off from starters to 3rd stringers.

I fully believe Bucky is in line with this line of thinking. I think it won't surprise me if a guy like Vinson takes the big step forward like they expect, Campbell comes in and can contribute effectively as much as they see at the 4 and backup 5, Clemence can be another backup at the 5, but also regularly contribute at the 4 and even the 3 at times when we want to go really long against teams. I am not saying he will play in every game but I would think we will see the true fish in Irving getting limited minutes and probably not every game but won't surprise me if he plays in half or more of the games. Same can probably be said for the other fish in Mundey. We are loaded and probably have a top tier level SEC backcourt and that will get us a long way in our conference games and post season play as well.

It will not surprise me at all if we see us going 10-12 almost every game. Sure, there might be some games where we go 9 (rarely if any, will we see less than 9 played, probably not even 1 game) and it won't be a majority but probably as much as we see 9 or even more games than what we see 9, we are likely to see us go up to 13. Due to the upgrade in talent, experience and ability of flexibility in multiple roles across our roster will allow us to run deeper with little if any drop off and that allows us to run fresher and play Bucky Ball at a higher effective rate.
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phatty26
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4:50p, 4/28/26
next year will be the best year ever for men's bball. We are fixing to have a three year run of greatness. Final 4 next year
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linkdude
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In reply to phatty26 • 5:51p, 4/28/26
AG
where's your stash? (I love the enthusiasm)
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JJxvi
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6:16p, 4/28/26
AG
I'm not ready to declare that, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Hardworking, Unselfish, Fearless
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TheDecadeSapling
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In reply to Ag-ME • 6:20p, 4/28/26
AG
We don't play just 8 or 9 guys. If you're gonna hustle and play with heart, you'll be on the court.

No, his style is hustle and play with heart. There's no changing that.

Coaches improvement is harder to quantify. The system is dependent on the guys running it. Thankfully Bucky believes in sticking backsides on the bench. Sometimes the bench is the best motivator.
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Method Man
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In reply to phatty26 • 6:29p, 4/28/26
phatty26 said:
next year will be the best year ever for men's bball. We are fixing to have a three year run of greatness. Final 4 next year
not sure about that. It's becoming possible.
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NyAggie
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6:56p, 4/29/26
AG
Part of what gives Bucky ball an advantage is that it uses a lot of players to constantly press a d wear teams down.

While there might be games where he leaves some guts in longer than normal based on feel, I don't see him going away from that overall strategy.

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AgLA06
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In reply to NyAggie • 2:49p, 4/30/26
AG
NyAggie said:
Part of what gives Bucky ball an advantage is that it uses a lot of players to constantly press a d wear teams down.

While there might be games where he leaves some guts in longer than normal based on feel, I don't see him going away from that overall strategy.


I think this was true for most of the regular season. I think this year showed us that top 15 type teams with more physically gifted players and high end talent aren't near as impacted by the press and defense as the average team. UofH didn't care one bit.

My hope with next year's team as we see it today is we start to close the gap on the talent / physical ability that was there this year between us and the top 15 teams. Then the effort and system continues to make it a little closer to even than it should be. If we can keep 10+ guys in the regular rotation and avoid our style of play wearing us down as well as we get later in the year, it could be a really good year.
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BuzzFan24
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In reply to Method Man • 2:12p, 5/1/26
What teams in this year's NCAA tournament played bucky ball style?
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GrayMatter
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In reply to Method Man • 3:25p, 5/1/26
AG
Method Man said:
phatty26 said:
next year will be the best year ever for men's bball. We are fixing to have a three year run of greatness. Final 4 next year

not sure about that. It's becoming possible.

Agreed. Gotta first make sure that last year wasn't a lightning in a bottle.
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PJYoung
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3:35p, 5/1/26
AG
This roster is light years ahead of last season, especially when you consider the returning experience in Bucky's system compared to last season. If we can dodge the illnesses and injuries then I truly think we are gonna have one of the more successful seasons A&M basketball has ever seen.

#Believe
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bobinator
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In reply to BuzzFan24 • 3:43p, 5/1/26
AG
BuzzFan24 said:
What teams in this year's NCAA tournament played bucky ball style?


Texas A&M, for one.
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BuzzFan24
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In reply to bobinator • 8:25a, 5/5/26
bobinator said:
BuzzFan24 said:
What teams in this year's NCAA tournament played bucky ball style?


Texas A&M, for one.

1/68 isn't too bad I guess
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JJxvi
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10:28a, 5/5/26
AG
Probably only 1/76 this year
Hardworking, Unselfish, Fearless
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Ball Fan
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2:21p, 5/5/26
Do we know the format for the additional eight teams? Are we expecting there will be 4 play-in games for this group?
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greg.w.h
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In reply to Ball Fan • 2:37p, 5/5/26
AG
Ball Fan said:
Do we know the format for the additional eight teams? Are we expecting there will be 4 play-in games for this group?
Not sure they have been specific. But I imagine it's eight new play-in games in two days at Dayton and possibly another site.

Source: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48621117/sources-ncaa-basketball-tournaments-set-move-76-teams
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