Bucky McMillan hired as Samford head coach
One of the most successful high school basketball coaches in the state has earned his opportunity to lead a college program.
Longtime Mountain Brook High School boys basketball coach Bucky McMillan was officially introduced as the head men’s basketball coach at Samford University on Monday.
“I am thankful and grateful for this opportunity,” McMillan said in a statement. “I want to especially give thanks to the leadership at Samford for their confidence in me to lead this program. When I came to Mountain Brook, I had never been a high school head coach and the administration there took a chance on me, and this is a similar situation.”
McMillan led the Mountain Brook varsity program for 12 years, leading the Spartans to an unprecedented run of five state championships and seven appearances in the state finals. Notably, the program won three straight titles from 2017-2019.
He takes over for Scott Padgett, who was the coach for six years. McMillan was officially introduced as Samford’s coach via conference call on Monday afternoon.
“I’m elated obviously, I’m humbled, I’m honored for the opportunity to be a college basketball coach,” McMillan told a handful of reporters.
McMillan thanked several people who have aided his life and career to this point, including the administrations at Samford and Mountain Brook, his family, and several coaches that have mentored him along the way.
“When we set out to hire a new coach for our men’s basketball program, we had three main criteria,” Samford Director of Athletics Martin Newton said. “We wanted someone with head coaching experience and a proven track record of winning championships, someone who could excite and engage the Birmingham and Samford communities and someone who understands and embraces the mission of our great university.
“Bucky McMillan quickly became the obvious choice. Bucky has a proven track record of winning championships, a tireless work ethic, a unique basketball mind and the energy and enthusiasm to bring championship basketball to Lakeshore Drive.”
Mountain Brook reached the state semifinals seven times in McMillan’s tenure, making it to the championship game in each of those runs. The Spartans won five titles in the state’s highest classification and finished as the runner-up twice, including in 2020. This past season, the Spartans finished with a 32-3 record, their 40-38 loss to Lee-Montgomery in the state final their only loss to an in-state foe all season.
McMillan said he will model his program at Samford similarly to how he did things at Mountain Brook. His Mountain Brook teams became known for their attacking style of basketball offensively and defensively.
“I’m going to coach the way I’ve always coached,” he said.
McMillan anticipates basketball games at the Pete Hanna Center becoming marquee events in the future, much like the atmosphere cultivated at Spartan Arena over the years.
“Once we get this thing rolling, we’re never going to look back,” he said. “That’s how a culture is built. We’re going to build a culture. Respect is earned, not given.”
During his 12-year run in charge of the Spartans’ program, McMillan won 333 games, averaging nearly 28 wins per season. After posting an 18-12 record in his first season as head coach, McMillan’s teams won at least 23 games in each of the next 11 seasons.
McMillan played his college basketball at Birmingham-Southern College from 2002 to 2006, where he was named to the Big South Conference Academic Honor Roll all four seasons, and to the league’s All-Academic team as a senior. He played at Mountain Brook, graduating in 2002.
Duane Reboul, who coached McMillan at Birmingham-Southern, will join McMillan’s new staff at Samford. Mountain Brook assistant Dave Good will move to Samford with McMillan, sources said.