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Eric Musselman (born November 19, 1964) is an American
college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
coach who is currently the head coach at the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
. He is the former head coach at the
University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...
,
University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada, United States. It is the state's flagship public university and prim ...
, the
Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...
and the
Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
of the
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA). Between head coaching stints at Golden State and Sacramento, Musselman served as an assistant for the
Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...
under
Mike Fratello Michael Robert Fratello (born February 24, 1947), nicknamed "the Czar", is an American sports broadcasting, sports broadcaster and former professional basketball coach. He is currently a part-time Color commentator, analyst for FanDuel Sports Net ...
. He moved to the college coaching ranks in 2012 as an assistant at Arizona State. From 2014 to 2019, he was the head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack. The son of former NBA head coach Bill Musselman, Eric Musselman was a head coach in the
Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...
(CBA) before becoming an assistant coach with the
Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...
,
Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...
(under Chuck Daly and
Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An NBA player for 14 seasons, he was an NB ...
), and
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...
(under
Lon Kruger Lonnie Duane Kruger (born August 19, 1952) is an American former college and professional basketball coach (sport), coach who was most recently the men's basketball head coach of the University of Oklahoma. Kruger played college basketball for K ...
).


Early life


High school

Musselman grew up in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, and
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, before moving to suburban
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
, where he attended Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School in Brecksville, a suburb about 15 miles south of Cleveland. There, he played on the same high school basketball team as former NBA player Scott Roth and former NFL Pro Bowl punter/quarterback Tom Tupa.


College playing career

Musselman graduated from the
University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in San Diego, California, United States. Chartered in 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University ...
, where he played basketball for Jim Brovelli and Hank Egan, both of whom would later work as NBA assistants. While Musselman was at USD (1983–87), the Toreros compiled a 77–36 record. He was a member of the 1986–87 team that compiled a 24–6 record, the best in school history. The Toreros lost to
Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...
in the first round of the NCAA tournament, 62–61. Among Musselman's teammates at USD were Scott Thompson, a 7-foot center who was drafted in the fourth round by the
Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...
in the 1987 NBA draft, and Mike Whitmarsh, who won a silver medal in beach volleyball at the
1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in Atlanta. Musselman was a fifth-round CBA draft choice of the
Albany Patroons The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won ...
in 1987.


Coaching career


Early coaching career (1989–1997)

In the CBA, Musselman posted a 270–122 record (.688), marking the second highest winning percentage in league history behind
George Karl George Matthew Karl (born May 12, 1951) is an American former professional basketball coach and player. After spending five years as a player for the San Antonio Spurs, he became an assistant with the team before being appointed as a head coach ...
, who coached for five seasons in the CBA. Musselman began his CBA career in 1988 as the general manager of the
Rapid City Thrillers The Rapid City Thrillers were a semi-professional basketball team in Rapid City, South Dakota, that competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) beginning in the 1987 season. They were reincarnated in 1998 as an International Basket ...
, a franchise his father Bill had coached to three consecutive CBA titles during the 1980s. His first week on the job, he hired
Flip Saunders Philip Daniel "Flip" Saunders (February 23, 1955 – October 25, 2015) was an American basketball player and coach. During his career, he coached the La Crosse Catbirds, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards. High schoo ...
as the team's head coach. Saunders, who was recruited by Bill Musselman when Bill was the head coach at the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
during the early 1970s, would go on to be one of the winningest coaches in CBA history before moving to the NBA as coach of the
Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...
. In the 1989–90 season, at age 24, Musselman became the Thrillers head coach. The following season, Musselman joined his father Bill's staff on the NBA's
Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...
as assistant coach making him the youngest front-bench assistant coach in NBA history. Prior to joining the Thrillers, Musselman worked for the NBA's
Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...
as an assistant to General Manager
Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...
and Barry Hecker, the team's director of scouting. From 1990 to 1997, Musselman had 24 players called up to the NBA, the highest number in the league during that span. He holds the distinction of being the only person in CBA history to coach in five league All-Star Games (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997) and was the first coach in professional basketball history to win 100 games by the age of 28. When he was 23, Musselman became the youngest coach in CBA history. Musselman also served as head coach of the Florida Sharks of the United States Basketball League (USBL). In the summers of 1995 and 1996, he coached the Sharks to a combined 53–3 record (.946, including playoffs) and back-to-back USBL Championships. Musselman was selected as USBL Coach of the Year in 1996. He holds the highest winning percentage in league history.


Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks assistant (1998–2002)

Musselman was an assistant coach for the
Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...
from 1998 to 2000 under Chuck Daly and
Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An NBA player for 14 seasons, he was an NB ...
who would go on to be named NBA Coach of the Year in the 1999–00 season, then also for the
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...
from 2000 to 2002 under
Lon Kruger Lonnie Duane Kruger (born August 19, 1952) is an American former college and professional basketball coach (sport), coach who was most recently the men's basketball head coach of the University of Oklahoma. Kruger played college basketball for K ...
.


Golden State Warriors (2002–2004)

In 2002, Musselman was named the head coach of the
Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
, a position he held for two years. He finished as runner-up to San Antonio's
Gregg Popovich Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball executive and former coach who is the president for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the List of current NBA head co ...
in
NBA Coach of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who l ...
voting in 2002–2003 with 231 points, including 26 first-place votes. That season, under Musselman's guidance, the Warriors, for the first time in nearly a decade, reached the .500 mark late in the season, holding a record of 30–30 on March 4, 2003. In Musselman's rookie season, his club finished 38–44, the most wins in more than 10 years. Despite numerous injuries and the loss of the team's top two players in Gilbert Arenas (signed with Washington) and Antawn Jamison (traded to Dallas), the team still finished 37–45 under his direction during the 2003–2004 season. In two seasons as head coach in Golden State, Musselman compiled a 75–89 record. Nevertheless, he was let go after the 2004 season ended when
Chris Mullin Christopher Paul Mullin (born July 30, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player, executive and coach. He is a five time NBA All-Star and four time All-NBA Team member. He is also two-time Olympic Gold medalist and a two-time ...
took over as the team's general manager. Musselman's .457 winning percentage with Golden State ranks 10th all-time among Warriors coaches, behind
Steve Kerr Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the United States men's national ...
(.709 through 2019–2020), Neil Johnson (.617), Frank McGuire (.613), George Senesky (.551),
Bill Sharman William Walton Sharman (May 25, 1926 – October 25, 2013) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what was then consider ...
(.534), Al Attles (.518), Don Nelson (.487), Mark Jackson (.473) and George Lee (.470).


Memphis Grizzlies assistant (2004–2006)

After his two seasons as head coach of the
Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
, Musselman was an assistant coach for the
Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...
under
Mike Fratello Michael Robert Fratello (born February 24, 1947), nicknamed "the Czar", is an American sports broadcasting, sports broadcaster and former professional basketball coach. He is currently a part-time Color commentator, analyst for FanDuel Sports Net ...
from 2004 to 2006.


Sacramento Kings (2006–2007)

On June 2, 2006, Musselman was named head coach of the
Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...
, replacing
Rick Adelman Richard Leonard Adelman (born June 16, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He coached 23 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Adelman served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden S ...
. Four months into the job, on October 21, 2006, Musselman was cited for DUI in
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
. At the time, Musselman said, "Alcohol has never been a big part of my life. I don't allow it in my house. My sons have never seen me take a sip of anything." According to , a sports columnist for ''
The Sacramento Bee ''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...
'', " usselmandrinks so infrequently, in fact, that he can count the number of beers he consumes per month." In the first month of the season (November 2006) with Musselman at the helm, the Kings went 8–5. But the team slumped in December and January, posting a 10–21 record before going 7–6 in February 2007. The Kings finished 33–49 on the season. Musselman was fired by Sacramento President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie on April 20, 2007.


NBA D-League (2010–2012)

On August 11, 2010, Musselman was named head coach of the
NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...
's Reno Bighorns. Under his watch, several players, including
Marcus Landry Marcus Landry (born November 1, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Goyang Orions of the Korean Basketball League. Landry attended Harold S. Vincent High School, Vincent High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and ...
, Jeremy Lin, Courtney Fortson, Donald Sloan and Hassan Whiteside were called up to the NBA and the Bighorns finished 34–16 and first in the D-League Western Conference. Musselman was named head coach of the Los Angeles D-Fenders on August 18, 2011. ''Sports Illustrated'' called Musselman one of the "best teachers" in the D-League. During the 2011–12 season, he guided the team to a 38–12 record, the best mark in league history. The D-Fenders, who finished with the best defensive FG percentage in the league, advanced to the D-League finals before losing to the Austin Toros, in a three-game series. In April 2012, Musselman was named the 2011–12 D-League Coach of the Year. A month later, in May 2012, the D-Fenders were named the 2011–12 NBA D-League Development Champion, which recognizes "the team that best embodies the NBA D-League's goals of developing NBA basketball talent via call-ups and assignments."


Arizona State assistant (2012–2014)

Under Herb Sendek, Musselman was assistant coach at Arizona State in the 2012–13 season, then was promoted to associate head coach in 2013. In two seasons with the Sun Devils, Musselman helped ASU to the NIT Tournament in 2013 and the NCAA tournament in 2014. The team went 21–12 in both seasons.


LSU assistant (2014–2015)

In June 2014, Musselman became associate head coach at
LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
under Johnny Jones. In Musselman's one season with the Tigers, LSU went 22–10 and reached the NCAA tournament, losing to North Carolina State, 66–65, in the first round.


Nevada (2015–19)

On March 25, 2015, the
University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada, United States. It is the state's flagship public university and prim ...
hired Musselman as head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack team. In early March 2016, Bleacher Report named Musselman the Mountain West Coach of the Year after guiding the Wolf Pack to an 18–12 record, a 9-win improvement over the previous season. The team's winning percentage jumped from 31 to 60, which ranked as the 11th best improvement nationally. Following the 2015–16 season, Nevada was invited to play in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), winning its first three games to improve its season record to 21–12 and advance to the CBI championship series vs Morehead State. According to Chris Murray, a reporter who covered the team for the Reno Gazette-Journal, "No coach in Nevada basketball history has done a better job of getting everything out of the talent on the roster. It might be the best coaching job in Wolf Pack hoops history." Nevada's 2016 recruiting class was ranked as the 35th best in the nation by 247Sports. Musselman's 2016–17 Wolf Pack team went 14–4 in conference play to win the Mountain West regular season title. The team also won the 2017 MWC postseason tournament championship to earn a bid in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Nevada finished 28–7 overall for the season, tied for the second-most wins in school history. In December 2017, Musselman's Nevada team was ranked in the top 25, the first time since 2007 that the Wolf Pack had ranked among the top 25 teams nationally. Musselman was named 2017–18 Mountain West Coach of the Year after guiding the Wolf Pack to a 15–3 conference record and the MWC regular season title. He was also named the Coach of the Year for District 17 by the
National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the men's basketball head coach for the Univ ...
. The team set a school record for most wins in a season. In March 2018, Nevada was announced as an at-large selection for the NCAA men's basketball tournament as a seventh seed. In their first-round game, the Wolf Pack came back from 14 points down to defeat
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, 87–83. In Round 2, Nevada rallied from a 22-point deficit to upset second-seeded
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, 75–73, propelling the Wolf Pack to its second Sweet 16 appearance in school history. During the 2017–18 season, Nevada finished 12–3 in true road games. Those 12 victories were a single-season school record and tied for most in the country. In May 2018 Musselman and staff signed ESPN's 31st ranked recruit in the 2018 class Jordan Brown. Brown became the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Nevada since Reno native Luke Babbitt pledged to play for his local school in 2008. On September 5, 2018, the Nevada athletics department announced that season tickets for the upcoming men's basketball season were officially sold out. To start the 2018–19 season, Nevada, Reno was ranked #7 in the preseason Associated Press poll and #9 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. It is the highest ranking in school history for the Wolf Pack. The previous top ranking was #9 on February 26, 2007. Additionally, the #7 ranking was the highest preseason ranking in Mountain West Conference history. The Nevada Wolf Pack finished the year ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 all 20 weeks of the college basketball season, with the highest ranking in school history coming in week 4 with a #5 AP ranking. On November 6, Nevada opened the season with an 86–70 victory over BYU. Caroline scored a game-high 25 points, with 21 coming in the second half. Nevada opened the season with the only starting lineup in college basketball consisting of all fifth-year seniors. On November 27, the Wolf Pack avenged their Sweet 16 loss in March to Loyola-Chicago by defeating Loyola, 79–65, in Chicago. The Pack, now ranked No. 5 in the country, was led by Caleb Martin (21 points) and Cody Martin (20 points). A week later, Nevada, Reno rallied in the 2nd half to defeat #20 Arizona State 72–66 in the
Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...
in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. In front of the 12th-largest crowd in Lawlor Events Center History, the Wolf Pack honored its Seniors beating San Diego State 81–53, and earning its third straight Mountain West Conference regular season title. The Pack became the third team in Mountain West Conference history to win three straight regular season conference titles. Nevada's 2018–19 season shattered the all-time attendance record at Lawlor Events Center. The season total of 163,169 broke the former record set in 2005–06 of 150,674, and doing it in 3 less games. Additionally, the average home game attendance of 10,878, broke the record set previous year (2017–18), of 9,048. Musselman joined Mark Few ( Gonzaga), Dave Rose ( BYU), Steve Fisher (
SDSU San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
),
Steve Alford Stephen Todd Alford (born November 23, 1964) is an American men's college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball, Nevada Wolf Pack of the Mountain West Conference (MWC). ...
(
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
), and Shaka Smart ( VCU), as recent mid-major coaches with four-year spans of 25+ wins per season, 3+ tournament appearances, 2+ tournament wins, and at least one week in AP Top 10. After finishing the year with an overall record of 29–5, Musselman received one vote for AP Coach of the Year (tied 11th).


Arkansas (2019–2024)

Musselman was named
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
head coach on April 7, 2019. His team got off to an 8–0 start heading into December, the school's best start to a season since the 1997–98 season. The Razorbacks went 11–1 in non-conference play going in to their conference schedule. They headed into SEC play with a 71–64 win on the road at Indiana University. Arkansas defeated TCU 78–67 at home in the mid season SEC vs Big 12 Challenge. Arkansas at that point had gone 3–3 in SEC play with wins over Vandy and
Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
at home, and Ole Miss on the road. Losses were to
LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
and MSU on the road, and a loss at home to
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
. Arkansas was 16–5 (4–4) when they lost their 2nd leading scorer for a five-game stretch, where they posted a 0–5 record. At full strength over the final six games, the Razorbacks finished the season 4–2. Musselman, in his first year at Arkansas recruited the fifth and sixth-ranked recruiting class in the nation according to ESPN.com and 247sports.com respectively. The season was cut short after a Wednesday victory at the 2020 SEC tournament due to
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
concerns. The Razorbacks ended their season with a 20–12 record overall marking Musselman's fifth straight season with 20 or more wins. Following the 2019–20 season, Musselman and staff reeled in the No. 3 ranked transfer recruiting class after three top 25 ranked graduate transfers signed with the Razorbacks. Late in the 2020–21 season, his Razorbacks cracked the Top 25 for the first time since January 2018 and then hosted No. 6
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
as the No. 20 ranked team, the first matchup of ranked teams inside
Bud Walton Arena Bud Walton Arena (also known as the Basketball Palace of Mid-America) is the home to the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball, men's and Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball, women's basketball teams of the University of Arkansas, known as the Arka ...
since February 1998. On March 8, 2021, the Razorbacks entered the top 10 of the AP poll for the first time since February 1995, checking in at No. 8 heading into the postseason. Musselman was named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's Coach of the Year. Musselman entered the 2021 NCAA tournament as a #3 Seed, the highest seed for Arkansas since the 1994–95 national runner-up. On March 21, 2021, Musselman led Arkansas to its first Sweet 16 since 1996 in a 2-point win over 6-seed Texas Tech. Musselman ended the Cinderella run of 15-seed
Oral Roberts Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christianity, Christian televangelist, who was one of the first to propagate Prosperity theology, Prosperity Gospel Theo ...
on March 27, 2021, to advance Arkansas to its first Elite 8 since 1995. The Razorbacks finished the season ranked #10 in the final AP Men's Basketball Poll and #6 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. On February 8, 2022, his team knocked off No. 1 Auburn in front of a then Bud Walton Arena record 20,327 in attendance. As Arkansas had not beaten a number 1 team at BWA, the students rushed the court, resulting in Arkansas paying a $250,000 fine. Arkansas entered the 2022 NCAA tournament as #4 seed. Arkansas beat
New Mexico State New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a Public university system, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution ...
to be the only SEC program to advance to the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA tournament. Musselman followed that by knocking off #1 overall ranked Gonzaga to advance to the Elite 8, making the first time an Arkansas coach took the Razorbacks to back-to-back Elite 8 appearances since Nolan Richardson in 1994 and 1995. The Razorbacks would fall in the Elite 8 to
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
in head coach
Mike Krzyzewski Michael William Krzyzewski ( , ; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980–81 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team, 1980 to 2021� ...
's 43rd and final season. Arkansas finished ranked #17 in the final AP Poll and #8 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll. His coaching career at Arkansas was further propelled into success with his 2022 recruiting class, which featured several five-star recruits like Anthony Black (basketball), Nick Smith Jr., and Jordan Walsh. On March 18, 2023, Musselman's 8th-seeded Razorbacks knocked off a No. 1 seed and defending national champion
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
in the Round of 32 to advance to the Sweet 16 for a third consecutive season. They would lose to eventual national champion UConn in the regional semifinals in Las Vegas. In his fifth season, Arkansas struggled throughout SEC play after beating
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
in the non-conference, breaking the Bud Walton Arena attendance record in that game for the second time in his tenure. The team finished with a losing record overall, the first time Arkansas had done that since 2009–10.


USC

On April 4, 2024, Musselman was hired as the head coach at the University of Southern California, replacing
Andy Enfield Andrew William Enfield (born June 8, 1969) is an American basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at SMU Mustangs men's basketball, Southern Methodist University. He came to national prominence as head coach at Florida Gulf Coast ...
, who departed for the job at SMU.


Head coaching record


NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 38, , 44, , , , style="text-align:center;", 6th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 37, , 45, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 33, , 49, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 246, , 108, , 138, , , , , , —, , —, , —, , —


College


Others


Coaching style

On his blog, Musselman wrote about the importance of matching an offense to the "team's make up." Depending on the roster, a half-court offense might make more sense. In other cases, a team may be better suited for an "open offense." According to Musselman, the idea is to allow players to "play to their strengths." As head coach of the
Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
, Musselman would often use "three-guard rotations to create mismatches and fast-break opportunities for his club." As head coach of the Venezuela National Team, Musselman said his team's identity was that of a "fast-paced, up-tempo team." According to former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy, Musselman is "as competitive of a guy as I've ever coached against. He's a brilliant offensive mind." According to University of Kentucky head coach
John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (; born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball, University of Arkansas. He has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2 ...
, "Eric is one of the best in our sport. Extremely driven and knowledgeable. I've watched and coached against him in the NBA and FIBA games. He has an uncanny feel for the game, and ability to read where the game is at. More importantly, is his ability to motivate and teach his players what it takes to improve and win. He is as good as it gets."


Developing players

In an August 2011 interview on NBA.com, Musselman said that, as a coach, "you have to continually figure out a way to get your players better." According to Gerald Green, who played for Musselman with the D-League's Los Angeles D-Fenders in 2012, Musselman "did a hell of a job really motivating me, really pushing me every day in practice when I was with L.A. I have to give him credit or improving my game" Green said that Musselman "rode me about staying focused. Don’t take even a second off of any play. Don’t take any plays off. Don’t take practice for granted." Like Green, Jeremy Lin has also credited Musselman with aiding his development. In February 2012, Lin said that when he played for Musselman in the D-League, "he gave me the opportunity to play through mistakes." Gregory Echenique, who played for Musselman on the Venezuela National Team in 2011, said Musselman "had the most energy of any coach I've ever been around. He had a problem with his Achilles, and he would throw his crutches down and literally crawl to get after you. From the first day we met him to when we left him, his intensity never changed. It didn't matter who you were — he was in your face if he needed to be. At the same time, he was so positive. He always believed we could win. He was the guy that put the fire into us." Kevin Martin, who played for Musselman with the
Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...
in 2006–07, told NBA.com that Musselman helped him learn how to draw more fouls. According to Martin, Musselman "saw how teams were playing me and how they got up into me and told me to start absorbing that contact. He said I could score a lot more points in this league if I got to the free throw line. He put an emphasis on me night in night out with that part of the game. He was always pounding it into me and it paid off." In a May 9, 2013, article by CBSSports.com college basketball writer Gary Parrish, Arizona State guard Jahii Carson credited Musselman with helping him develop as a player. "Coach Muss is a great guy with a lot of knowledge because he's coached a lot of great players", said Carson. "He's given me a lot of great advice … about what NBA people are looking for, about how NBA guys don't take days off, how they're always in the gym doing conditioning or something, always trying to better their games. A guy like me? I didn't know anything like that having never been around the NBA game. So, he's somebody who has helped me." During the 2013–14 season, Musselman worked with Arizona State center Jordan Bachynski, helping the 7-foot-2 senior with his footwork. After the season, Bachynski earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors.


Move to the college ranks

In October 2007, ESPN reported that Musselman had a desire to coach at the collegiate level. According to Andy Katz, senior college basketball writer for ESPN.com, "Musselman wants to coach in college and is starting the process of getting his name out among search committees so that he's a viable candidate in March." In late December 2007,
FOX Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...
reported that Musselman was a likely candidate to replace 71-year-old
Eddie Sutton Edward Eugene Sutton (March 12, 1936 – May 23, 2020) was an American college basketball coach. A native of Bucklin, Kansas, Sutton played college basketball at Oklahoma A&M (later Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball, Oklahoma State) and was a h ...
at the
University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...
after this season. In January 2008, his name surfaced in press reports surrounding the head coaching position at Oregon State. In March 2008, Musselman's name surfaced in published reports about the California and
Loyola Marymount Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...
head coaching positions. On August 30, 2012, Andy Katz reported on ESPN.com's College Basketball Nation Blog that
Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
was in talks to hire Musselman as an assistant coach on Herb Sendek's staff. On September 2, 2012, Katz confirmed Musselman's hiring, describing it as a "bold move" and a "coup" for Sendek. Former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy predicted that Musselman will be an excellent recruiter "because of his competitive nature and what he has to sell. This is a guy who can tell kids exactly what it takes to play in the NBA." Fifteen games into Arizona State's 2012–13 season, ESPN's Andy Katz wrote that "It's hard to ignore the difference uard JahiiCarson and assistant coach Eric Musselman are making at Arizona State." According to Katz, "The Sun Devils were painful to watch last season. Now, ASU has multiple options and while it still grinds out wins (see OT game in the 50s to beat Utah), the Sun Devils are 2–0 in the Pac-12 and 13–2 heading to the Oregon schools." On January 9, 2013, ESPN's Jason King wrote that "adding former NBA head coach Eric Musselman...to his staff has also been a huge plus for Sendek and his players." Quoted in King's story, Arizona State center Jordan Bachynski said, "When usselman and Greerspeak, guys listen, just because they have that credibility from being in the league. The way they approach the game … it's no BS. They say, 'This is how it's done. If you don't like it, you're not going to play.'" In a radio interview after the 2012–13 season, Arizona State athletic director Steve Patterson said, "I think Eric's going to have opportunities to look at head coaching jobs. He's a very qualified coach. He did a great job, I think, teaching and working here." In a March 26, 2013, post on the
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
Los Angeles UCLA blog, Peter Yoon described Musselman as one of the "best under-the-radar candidates out there." In May 2013, he was promoted to associate head coach. Musselman resigned from Sendek's staff in April 2014. Following the 2013–14 season, Musselman was a candidate for the head coaching position at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, the
University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...
and
Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...
.


International coaching

In July 2009, Musselman reportedly turned down an offer to coach Spartak St. Petersburg in Russia. On May 19, 2010, Musselman was named head coach of the Dominican Republic national basketball team. At the 2010 Men's Centro Basketball Championship in July 2010,
FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
Americas' top regional tournament, Musselman guided the Dominican Republic team to the gold medal game, losing to
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
, 89–80, the team's only loss of the tournament (5–1). By finishing second at the Centro Basketball Championship, the Dominican Republic qualifies for the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Championships and the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
. In August 2010, Musselman coached the U.S. 2011 team to the gold medal at the Adidas Global Experience in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. The 2011 team is composed of the top high school seniors in the U.S. The tournament featured the world's top 18-and-under players from five regions of the world: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Musselman was the head coach of Team China at the 2009 Adidas Nations camp/tournament in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
, China. In May 2011, the
FIBA World Championship The FIBA Basketball World Cup is an international basketball competition between the senior men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the sport's global governing body. It takes place every four ye ...
website reported that Musselman had interviewed for the head coaching position of the
Puerto Rico men's national basketball team The Puerto Rico national basketball team () represents Puerto Rico in men's international basketball competitions, it is governed by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation (), The team represents both FIBA and FIBA Americas. Since joining FIB ...
. Earlier that month, he was mentioned as a candidate for the
Venezuela national basketball team The Venezuela national basketball team is organized and run by the Venezuelan Basketball Federation (FVB). () They won the 2015 FIBA AmeriCup. Venezuela qualified for two Summer Olympiads: Basketball at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's tourna ...
. On June 15, 2011, Musselman was named head coach of the Venezuela national basketball team. Under Musselman, Venezuela qualified for the 2012 World Pre-Olympic Qualifier by going 4–4 at the FIBA Americas 2011 Pre-Olympic Qualifier in
Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...
,
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
. Venezuela was the top-scoring team in the tournament, averaging 94.8 points per game, 9 points more than the second highest-scoring team. Venezuela went 8–5 in international exhibition games ("friendlies") leading up to the tournament. Musselman guided Venezuela to a runner-up (silver) finish at the 2012 FIBA Men's South American Championship, posting a 3–2 record. With the second-place finish, Venezuela advanced to the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship, qualifier to the 2014 FIBA World Championship. The team went 1–1 in the 2012 FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament, defeating the Nigeria national team, the team that ultimately advanced to the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. Venezuela was also 3–1 in friendly games and won the 2012 Super 4 in
Puerto la Cruz Puerto La Cruz () is a port city located in Anzoátegui State, in Venezuela. It is the seat of the Juan Antonio Sotillo Municipality. The city has road connections to the state capital, Barcelona, to Lecheria and to Guanta. Geography The cit ...
, Venezuela.


Sports broadcasting career

From 2008 to 2010, he served as an NBA analyst for
FOX Sports Radio Fox Sports Radio is an Radio in the United States, American Sports radio, sports radio network. Based in Los Angeles, California, the network is operated and managed by Premiere Networks in a content partnership with Fox Corporation's Fox Sports ...
and Clear Channel Radio, and as a color commentator for college basketball games on the regional sports network Comcast SportsNet California and for
NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...
games on Versus. He's also worked as a basketball analyst for
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
.


Blog

In November 2007, Musselman launched a blog called
Eric Musselman's Basketball Notebook
" It features more than 1,200 posts about coaching and leadership. His last post was on March 20, 2009. Several of the posts from Musselman's blog were reposted on The Fifth Down, the New York Times' NFL blog.


Personal life

Musselman and his wife Danyelle Sargent, a former on-air personality and anchor for ESPN, FOX Sports, and the
NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League NTP and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and N ...
, have a daughter together. Musselman has two sons from a previous marriage. Michael currently serves as the Director of Recruiting for University of Arkansas' Men's Basketball team. Matthew attends the University of San Diego. They live in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Musselman's sister, Nicole, is a fashion designer in Dallas, Texas.


References


External links


BasketballReference.com: Eric Musselman

Eric Musselman blog: Eric Musselman
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Musselman, Eric 1964 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball coaches Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball coaches Atlanta Hawks assistant coaches Basketball coaches from Ohio Basketball players from Ohio College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Continental Basketball Association coaches Continental Basketball Association executives Golden State Warriors head coaches Los Angeles D-Fenders coaches LSU Tigers men's basketball coaches Memphis Grizzlies assistant coaches Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coaches Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball coaches Orlando Magic assistant coaches Sportspeople from Ashland, Ohio Reno Bighorns coaches Sacramento Kings head coaches San Diego Toreros men's basketball players USC Trojans men's basketball coaches United States Basketball League coaches 20th-century American sportsmen