USC hires Arkansas' Eric Musselman to replace Andy Enfield as men's basketball coach
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Eric Musselman of Arkansas was hired as Southern California men’s basketball coach on Thursday, the first major hire by new athletic director Jennifer Cohen.
He replaces Andy Enfield, who left for the same job at SMU on Monday.
The 59-year-old Musselman will be introduced Friday at a news conference at Galen Center.
The Trojans move from the Pac-12 Conference to the Big Ten next season.
Musselman spent the last five years at Arkansas, where he led the Razorbacks to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Elite Eight twice. He was 111-59 overall in Fayetteville.
"My family and I couldn’t be more excited for this incredible opportunity at USC,” Musselman said in a statement. “We will be committed to the development of our student-athletes and upholding the values that make the Trojan Family so special. We will hit the ground running and work tirelessly to make our great alumni, fans and all of Los Angeles proud.”
Musselman was the head coach at Nevada from 2016-19, where the Wolf Pack won three Mountain West regular-season titles and made three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Musselman was an assistant at LSU and Arizona State, following stints as the head coach of the NBA G-League Los Angeles D-Fenders and Reno Bighorns and the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. He also was an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves.
He played basketball for the University of San Diego.
Cohen said Musselman has a track record of building winning programs and has a commitment to creating a culture of excellence.
Musselman took the Razorbacks to three straight Sweet 16s before going 16-17 this season, his only losing record at Arkansas.
“Eric displays heart, boldness, resiliency and everything that it means to be a Trojan,” Cohen said. "He inspires togetherness and will help build and grow the program’s connectivity within the Trojan community. As we move to the Big Ten and enter a new chapter for USC Men’s Basketball, there is no better fit than Eric Musselman to launch our program to new heights.”
Musselman takes over a program that went 15-18 overall and tied for ninth in the Pac-12 at 8-12. This season was the first in four years the Trojans did not make the NCAA Tournament and the first in five years they didn't win 20 games.
The roster will get a major makeover. Leading scorer Boogie Ellis is out of eligibility, freshman star Isaiah Collier could declare for the NBA draft and Kobe Johnson announced his transfer to UCLA on Thursday. Several other contributors are out of eligibility or in the transfer portal.
Bronny James, son of NBA great LeBron James, averaged 4.8 points in mostly a reserve role as a freshman and is considering entering the portal.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
