By Embracing 'Bucky Ball,' Samford Off to Fast Start Under Its First-Time Coach College

The Bulldogs scored an eye-popping 174 points in an exhibition before taking down Belmont on the road, which they credit to Bucky McMillan's free-flowing offense.

Myron Gordon can understand why you’re perplexed, and, to some degree, he’ll concede that this all sounds a bit contrived. But he still stands firm in his assertion that “shock” wasn’t the emotion he felt when he and the Samford Bulldogs hung 174 points on Division III Greenville (Ill.) in an exhibition win on Nov. 25.

“It was exciting and it was fun, but, no, I wouldn’t say I was shocked,” says Gordon, who led the Bulldogs with 28 points in the 174–99 rout. “I guess it’s because I see us put that many points all the time in practice.

No, he’s not downplaying the eye-popping point total, but, yes, he’s saying that seeing is believing.

And the Bulldogs really believe.

“That’s what makes it work for us,” says Gordon, who will lead the Bulldogs into Georgia on Dec. 12. “We bought in right away, and we’re all on the same page. We’ve all felt like this was gonna be a special season.”

For that reason, Gordon says the Bulldogs “don’t discuss the [Greenville] game at all.”

Not the 41 turnovers they forced or the 64 points they scored off of them, not the 10 different players who scored in double-figures, not the 20 three-pointers they drained, nothing.

“I get that it’s a lot of points and before the season I probably wouldn’t have thought it was something that could be done,” Gordon says. “It’s been more realistic in the way we get after it on defense and offense and run the ball ever since Bucky [McMillan] got here.”

Courtesy of Samford Athletics

To say that McMillan took the road less traveled to being a Division I head coach would be severely understating the process of becoming a Division I head coach.

McMillan, 37, was hired in April after serving as coach for the last 12 years down the road at Mountain Brook (Ala.) High School.

“He just brings an energy that really gets us going,” says Bulldogs forward Jacob Tryon. “We just play loose. The offense is fun, and we don’t call plays. We want to get a lot of shots up, play fast and hit the open guys. We’re more excited about making that extra pass to the open man. The system is something I’ve never experienced before.”

It’s so rare, in fact, that it’s got a name: “Bucky Ball,” a moniker McMillan earned for his fast-paced, energetic, aggressive style of play in which posts points in abundance and helped him reel off 333 wins and five state championships at Mountain Brook.

So far this season “Bucky Ball” has translated into a 2–1 record, 90 points a game, including 49% shooting from the field, 37% shooting from the three-point line and 9.7 three-pointers a game.

The Bulldogs also average 18 assists.

“Selfish play starts when there’s a fear of not getting the ball back,” McMillan says. “That’s not the case here. They know there will be a lot of opportunities and a lot of moving the ball. We don’t really call plays, it’s more about reads so if you’re selfish or not playing hard, you’re gonna really stick out. These guys get that, and they play with great energy and passion. It becomes contagious. The culture here is really about confidence, energy and effort.”

To enhance that, McMillan implemented a three-minute fast-break drill in which the team must score 180 points or run sprints. “And we don’t run after,” says Gordon.

So, as you may have guessed, McMillan wasn’t floored by the 174-point total either; in fact, he’s quick to point to the 96–83 win at Belmont on Dec. 5 as “by far” the team's most impressive feat so far this season.

Makes sense, as the Bruins hadn’t suffered a nonconference home loss in 1,104 days. It was Samford’s first win at Belmont since 1999.

“That was bigger for our program because of our improvement throughout the game,” McMillan says. “This group will have ups and downs all year, but I feel like, for us, we’re not worried about the 174 points being the highlight of the year after that win even with all the attention it got. Now we’re just working to get better.”

Samford center Jacob Tryon is averaging 11 points and six rebounds through three games / Courtesy of Samford Athletics

At Mountain Brook, current LSU forward Trendon Watford was the star of McMillan’s last three state championship squads and says he “expected” McMillan to have immediate success at Samford.

“I’m definitely not surprised,” says Watford, who is averaging 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game for the Tigers this season. “I knew if he was ever able to get even solid players at the college level, with the offense he ran in high school, he would be able to dominate even more. The unselfishness and spacing is the key. Also, he gives his players freedom, so everybody has confidence.”

Good thing too, since McMillan doesn’t only expect self-assurance—he demands it.

“You’ve earned the right to play with supreme confidence, so why wouldn’t you?” McMillan says. “My guys have to give 100%, 100% of the time, they have to be unselfish and they know that they’re together. They know they’ve outworked everyone else on the floor, so it naturally gives them an edge. That’s how I’ve always prepared.”

That tedious planning has enabled him to take up simultaneous causes. McMillan is unabashed about his motivation to succeed being twofold.

“Obviously, I want to be successful for the university and for the people that believed in me and hired me,” McMillan says. “But also, I want to be successful for the other high school basketball coaches out there who never got a shot but deserved a shot. There are great coaches in high school basketball. I want others to get a chance.”

A noble quest indeed, but the question remains: Is “Bucky Ball” good enough to take the Bulldogs to the next level?

Samford has never won the Southern Conference since joining in 2008 and has not been to the NCAA tournament in 20 years.

But don’t expect an answer from the team.

“We don’t talk about that,” Gordon says. “Never. I feel like our best basketball is ahead of us, so that’s the focus. We’re always gonna be the team that plays the hardest and we’ll never be scared of any team. Ever. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true; the only thing I’m thinking about is getting better in practice tomorrow.”