BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Intense, unending pressure on both ends of the court is the hallmark of "BuckyBall" and for the last week, Samford University Men's Basketball head coach Bucky McMillan has been stretching the limits of his Bulldogs as fall practice is officially underway.
 
"I've been pleased with our effort so far this week," McMillan said. "We have a very young squad, and our focus has been on getting better each day. Our goal is to control the tempo on each end of the court and that starts with the way we practice and prepare."
 
McMillan singled out sophomore forward and Hueytown, Ala., native, Jermaine Marshall, a 6-6 transfer from Akron, for his effort.
 
"Jermaine has done a great job of coming in and helping set the pace for our guys," McMillan said. "His energy has really paired well with our key returners as we've wrapped up the first week of drills."
 
The Bulldogs have a solid nucleus returning from McMillan's first season, including 2020-21 SoCon All-Freshman guard A.J. Staton-McCray. The 6-5 guard from Charlotte, N.C., averaged 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game a year ago. Jaron Rillie, a 6-2 freshman from Santa Barbara, Calif., and Richardson Maitre, a 6-1 point guard from Montreal, Quebec, also return in the backcourt for the Bulldogs.
 
"A.J., Jaron and Richardson bring a great deal of experience back to the floor for us this year," McMillan added. "We've also added some key newcomers in Ques Glover, Wesley Cardet, Jr., Jaden Campbell and Cooper Kaifes."
 
The Bulldogs finished 2020-21 as the nation's fastest playing team, averaging a heart-pounding 91 possessions per game. The next four weeks will play a large role in how big a step coach McMillan and the Bulldogs make as they venture into year two.
 
In the frontcourt junior forwards Logan Dye, a 6-8 Haleyville, Ala., native, and Jacob Tryon, a 6-11 Temecula, Calif., native, return after combining to average 16.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Freshmen Angel Smith and Daniel Lobach are also expected to contribute. 
 
Samford continues fall preparations this week as the Bulldogs march toward the 2021-22 season-opener versus Maryville College on Nov. 9 at the Pete Hanna Center. Tipoff is set for 7 P.M.
 
"I'm excited about where we are right now, but we're just getting started," McMillan concluded. 
 
Season ticket information will be released on Monday, Oct. 11 at www.SamfordTickets.com.
 
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