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Texas A&M Basketball Hires New Strength & Conditioning Coach

The Texas A&M Aggies are bringing back a familiar face.
DJ Burton|
Mar 20, 2024; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Samford Bulldogs head coach Bucky McMillan during the NCAA first round practice session at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Mar 20, 2024; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Samford Bulldogs head coach Bucky McMillan during the NCAA first round practice session at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillan is rounding out his staff.

The Aggies announced they will be bringing back a familiar face on Wednesday with the hiring of strength and conditioning coach Darby Rich, who spent last season with the Texas Longhorns.

Rich previously served as A&M’s strength and conditioning coach under former A&M coach Billy Kennedy from 2011-19. Since his eight-season stint in Aggieland, Rich has bounced around from program to program, spending time at Texas, Texas Tech and two stints at Memphis.

Texas A&M Aggies
Feb 10, 2018; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies guard Duane Wilson (13) walks off the floor with athletic trainer Matt Doles and assistant coach Darby Rich during the first half at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: C. Morgan Engel-Imagn Images | C. Morgan Engel-Imagn Images

Over the course of his career, Rich has helped develop over 20 NBA players. Six of those 20 NBA talents came during his time at A&M: Robert Williams, Khris Middleton, Danuel House, Alex Caruso, Tyler Davis and Jalen Jones. At the same time, Rich had been involved in some of the most successful seasons in Aggie basketball history. During his tenure, they won the 2016 Southeastern Conference regular-season title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 in both 2016 and 2018.

On top of his 22 years of coaching experience, Rich brings SEC playing experience to the table. In his playing days, Rich spent five seasons at Alabama at the same time as future NBA stars Robert Horry and Latrell Sprewell. The Crimson Tide made four NCAA Tournament appearances and back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances.

With the plethora of talent on the new-look A&M roster, Rich could be working with his next batch of NBA talent. With forward Mackenzie Mgbako deciding to withdraw from the NBA Draft pool, it will be interesting to see the impact Rich has on his development.

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DJ Burton
DJ BURTON

DJ Burton is a journalist from Kingwood, Texas. He is a credentialed writer for Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He graduated from Texas A&M with a journalism major and a sport management minor. Before attending A&M, Burton played offensive line for two seasons at Hiram College in northeast Ohio, where he studied sport management. Burton brings experience covering football, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. He also served as a senior sports writer for A&M’s student newspaper, The Battalion.

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