Following the sudden departure of former head coach Andy Enfield to SMU, USC men’s basketball announced Thursday that it is welcoming Eric Musselman into the fold.
“I am grateful to President Folt and Jen Cohen for the chance to lead the men’s basketball program at such a world-class university with a rich tradition of success,” Musselman said. “We will hit the ground running and work tirelessly to make our great alumni, fans, and all of Los Angeles proud.”
The former Arkansas head coach spent five seasons with the Razorbacks, taking the team to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances (in 2021 and 2022) for the first time in over 25 years. This year, however, Arkansas recorded a losing record for the first time since 2009-10.
Musselman will be tasked with reforming a struggling USC men’s basketball program, which secured the No. 3 recruiting class in 2023 but was unable to advance beyond the Pac-12 tournament in March. With a 15-18 (8-12 Pac-12) record for the season, the Trojans fell short of expectations. USC ranked second in preseason Pac-12 media poll, but it fell to ninth in the conference by the end of the season and missed the opportunity to make their fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
To add insult to injury, Enfield isn’t the only one leaving USC. Junior guard Kobe Johnson, sophomore guard Oziyah Sellers and sophomore forward Kijani Wright all recently entered the transfer portal, leaving the Trojans’ roster short-staffed. McDonald’s All-American guard and No. 26 overall recruit in the 2024 class Trent Perry decommitted from USC the day after Enfield was announced as SMU’s new head coach. And, if that weren’t enough, rumors have been circling about freshman guard Bronny James and his future with the Trojans. So, USC’s new head coach clearly has his work cut out for him as he makes a move to Los Angeles.
But Musselman is poised to contribute positively to a program desperately in need of leadership. Before coming on as head coach at Arkansas, Musselman served four years as the head coach for Nevada, where he led the Wolf Pack to three straight Mountain West regular season titles. In 2017-18, the team secured a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second Sweet 16 appearance in program history. Musselman has a career 10-6 record in the NCAA Tournament throughout his time at Nevada and Arkansas.
“His track record of building winning programs and his unwavering commitment to a culture of excellence make him the perfect fit for USC,” said USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen, who made Musselman her first coaching hire as a Trojan. “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’s formal introduction will be held Friday at 10:30 a.m. at Galen Center, according to a statement from USC Athletics.
Prior to his NCAA coaching career, Musselman served as head coach for the Golden State Warriors (2002-2004) and Sacramento Kings (2006-2007). He has also been an assistant coach for several programs at the college and professional levels, including the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, LSU and Arizona State throughout his 35-year coaching career.
Musselman has connections to Southern California, having played college basketball at the University of San Diego from 1983-87 and coached the Los Angeles D-Fenders (now the South Bay Lakers) of the NBA G League in 2011-12.