'That stuck with me' QB Johnny Manziel inspired new Texas A&M basketball HC Bucky McMillan
'That stuck with me' QB Johnny Manziel inspired new Texas A&M basketball HC Bucky McMillan
New Texas A&M basketball head coach Bucky McMillan is the newest face in College Station. He inherited a depleted roster after Buzz Williams departed for Maryland. Still, the future is bright nonetheless, as his success at rebuilding a Samford program, including four consecutive 20-plus win seasons, is highly impressive and should translate in due time.
An Alabama native, McMillan was brilliant in bringing in two assistants well associated with Texas A&M, Mitch Cole and Kyle Keller, who served under former Aggies head coach Billy Kennedy during the mid-2010s. However, McMillan isn't a complete novice to Texas A&M history, as he was present during Texas A&M football's historic 2012 road win over Alabama, led by Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel.
During his recent sitdown with TexAgs, McMillan described Manziel's greatness in relation to how he wants Texas A&M basketball to be viewed under his leadership.
"This will relate to the 12th Man and Aggie nation here. I was at Bryant-Denny Stadium because I'm from Alabama, when Johnny Manziel rolled up in there and gave it to Alabama, you know?" It wasn't that they just won that game, but it was that they came in there, and they attacked on the road. Didn't matter. Bang. They were fealess. That stuck with me."
McMillan went on to say that, in football terms relating to Manziel's memorable performance, he wants Texas A&M's basketball team to play with "a lot of confidence" while staying aggressive on both ends of the floor. For those who aren't completely bought into the new regime just yet, interviews like this will continue to win over most of the Aggie fan base.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
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