Bucky McMillan's Texas A&M snags 6'11 transfer portal target from in-state rivals Texas Tech

Texas A&M appointed Bucky McMillan as its coach last month, and he hit the ground running in the transfer portal after inheriting Chris McDermott as the sole scholarship player. On Thursday evening, On3 analyst Joe Tipton reported that McMillan's team had secured the signing of Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Federiko Federiko.

The 6-foot-11 forward joined the Red Raiders last season from the Pittsburgh Panthers via the transfer portal and averaged 5.1 points on 74.3% shooting from the floor, 4.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 35 appearances.

The former three-star prospect was the No. 511 prospect in the portal, according to On3. He started his career at Northern Oklahoma at the JUCO level before playing for the Panthers for two years.

Federiko will have one year of eligibility left, which will be spent playing for Bucky McMillan due to the blanket NCAA waiver granted to JUCO student-athletes after Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia's lawsuit was settled.

Bucky McMillan recruiting for unique style

McMillan has been busy since his arrival in College Station, securing the commitments of nine prospects. Last week, the Texas A&M Aggies signed Texas Longhorns forward Jamie Vinson and NC State Wolfpack guard Marcus Hill.

McMillan has been credited with a fast-paced tempo of basketball. During last week's news conference, he said,

"We're going to have to get to work immediately. We do play a unique style, very up-tempo and fast-paced. We love to recruit to that system, but we can't run that system with four players. So we're going to have to get players on board, and we have to get players on board quickly here."

McMillan turned the Samford Bulldogs into a high-powered offensive team during his tenure, and last season, they were ranked No. 13 in the country in scoring (82.9 ppg), and their defense forced 16.1 turnovers per game, which was good for No. 4 in the country.