Top Takeaways From Eric Musselman’s Introduction As USC Basketball Coach

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As far as coaching searches go, USC’s pursuit of a new men’s basketball coach was about as suspense-free as they come.

Almost as soon as former coach Andy Enfield was reported to be on his way out to SMU, the buzz began for Arkansas coach Eric Musselman as a top candidate to replace him. And just three days after Enfield’s departure was made official, Musselman was formally announced as the Trojans’ new coach Thursday.

And if one surveyed the coaching market as it stood this late in the cycle — with attractive coaches having already signed extensions with their current schools, and the most coveted mid-major coaches having already been poached for bigger jobs — this could have been a tough spot for athletic director Jen Cohen in her first major hire at USC.

If not for the very clear and immediate interest from Musselman, who despite a successful four-year run at a well-supported SEC program at Arkansas was readily open to taking the job.

“Not long at all,” Musselman said with a laugh, when asked how long it took to consider the opportunity. “Our family, even before Jen had called to say that we had the job, we knew that if offered, we were coming.”

RELATED: Watch Eric Musselman’s introductory press conference and subsequent interview with media

And USC was rightly every bit as interested.

“Jen identified Eric right away. That was her top choice immediately,” USC President Carol Folt said.

“This was a really competitive search. We had a lot of interest in this position. But it was very clear that the best of the best for USC men’s basketball was Eric Musselman,” Cohen said.

Indeed it was — as we covered in our breakdown of potential candidates earlier this week, Musselman was the only choice that truly made sense, aside from an unlikely longshot hire of an established star coach.

Musselman was 111-59 in five seasons at Arkansas, reaching the NCAA tournament in three of four possible postseasons (with the 2020 tournament cancelled due to Covid) and advancing to two Elight…

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Author : Trojan Sports

Publish date : 2024-04-06 17:27:42

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