Texas Longhorns' Sean Miller Has Unique Connection To Texas A&M Coach Bucky McMillan

Texas and Texas A&M officially revived their intra-conference rivalry last season in the SEC, with the Longhorns accumulating a record of 2-1 against the Aggies.

Now, with one year of this renewed rivalry under their belts, each team is set to embrace new leadership. Former Xavier head coach Sean Miller will be at the helm for the Longhorns, while former Samford head coach Bucky McMillan prepares to lead the Aggies.

Interestingly enough, the two coaches actually share a connection with one another through Washington Wizards shooting guard Colby Jones. At the SEC spring meetings, Miller shed light on how each coach knew with the player during his pre-NBA career.

Mar 21, 2024; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Samford Bulldogs head coach Bucky McMillan during the first half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament against the Samford Bulldogs at Vivint Smart Home Arena-Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

“So, an amazing fact,” Miller said. “Bucky was Colby Jones’ high school coach in Birmingham, Alabama. I was Colby Jones’ college coach at Xavier. Colby Jones, if you don’t know him, he got drafted in the early second round. He’s currently an NBA player, most recently with the Washington Wizards, an amazing kid and connected to somehow, the University of Texas and Texas A&M’s basketball coaches. I think if you bet on that about four years ago, there would be a lot of people that would take the bet that that wouldn’t be the case.”

McMillan served as a high school coach until 2020 when Samford first brought him onboard. In his five seasons leading the team, he won two regular season championships and one conference championship, along with making an NCAA Tournament appearance.

His role at Texas A&M will revolve around a continued upward trajectory for the Aggies. They made it to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament under head coach Buzz Williams, who left to take the head coaching job at Maryland.

Expectations for Miller will require more significant restructuring. His hiring follows the firing of previous head coach Rodney Terry, whose last season with the Longhorns was plagued by inconsistency and marked by elimination in the play-in round of the NCAA Tournament.

The rivalry between these two programs dates back to 1917, and the teams have faced each other 227 times between then and now. Texas has won eight of the last 10 games, but five of these last 10 games were played over ten years ago.

Each new coach has proven capable of developing players, with Jones serving as just one example.

As the Longhorns and the Aggies look to take their programs to the next level, their SEC rivalry is one to monitor closely throughout the 2025-26 season.