LOS ANGELES — There seemed little intrigue for a week in this coaching search, just one name emerging as USC’s top target for a men’s basketball program in desperate need of a new direction entering the Big Ten Conference.
And the Trojans got their man in Arkansas’ Eric Musselman, a source confirmed to the Southern California News Group on Thursday afternoon, after a steadily building week of reports around USC’s interest in Musselman. It’s an intriguing hire in the wake of longtime coach Andy Enfield’s departure for SMU, Musselman a proven winner at the collegiate level who brings a notable level of grit to Southern California as USC wades into Big Ten waters.
Arkansas struggled this past season under Musselman, going just 16-17, a season of frustration leading to assistants restraining Musselman in the end-of-season SEC Tournament and one staffer knocking a student journalist’s phone out of his hands while recording Musselman walking off the floor. But Musselman transformed the program into a perennial national contender across his five-year tenure, leading the Razorbacks to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 2020-21 and 2021-22 with programs ripe with offensive talent and future NBA prospects.
It’s a clear statement by athletic director Jen Cohen in her first hire since being appointed in August, bringing in a hard-nosed coach with deep NBA ties and an SEC background who also has ties to Southern California, graduating from the University of San Diego.
“We have a track record of competitiveness, passionate supporters and fans, a robust donor collective, and are about to compete in the nation’s premier athletic conference,” Cohen wrote in a statement following Enfield’s departure. “There is no ceiling to what our program can achieve.”
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In that vein, USC would’ve likely offered a sizable chunk to pull Musselman away from Arkansas, as Enfield’s last-confirmed salary – according to USC’s 990 tax form in 2022 – was $3.7 million, and Musselman made $4.2 million at Arkansas last year, according to USA Today’s coaching-salaries database.
It’ll represent a new era for USC, one that’ll bring a fascinating mix of SEC pedigree with the starry nature of Hollywood, for the Muss Bus is officially rolling into town.
More to come on this story.
