Eric Musselman, after putting Arkansas basketball back on the national scene in his five seasons leading the Razorbacks, has now been the head men’s basketball coach at USC for two months.
On Monday, he was a guest on the College Hoops Today podcast with CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein. During his appearance, Musselman touched on an array of topics, including what it was like for him to leave the Razorbacks and Fayetteville.
Musselman said the decision was “super hard.”
“You know, I understood, my family understood, our staff understood that the University of Arkansas basketball job is one of the very, very best in the country historically and at the current time,” he added. “You look back at the winning with Nolan Richardson and Eddie Sutton, there’s been historical wins and historical seasons.
“And we felt like in the five years that we were there, some great things happened from a winning standpoint, from an NCAA Tournament [and] March Madness runs [standpoint] and then from guys getting drafted.”
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Musselman, who arrived at Arkansas in 2019 after a strong run at Nevada and led the Razorbacks to two Elite Eights and a Sweet 16, had a 111-59 record at Arkansas. With the Razorbacks, he coached nine players who have spent time in the NBA.
Moses Moody, Anthony Black and Nick Smith — all recruited by Musselman — were first-round picks in the NBA Draft.
Musselman noted his wife, Danyelle, and daughter, Mariah, remain in Fayetteville for now. But they are “heading this way later on this week” to permanently live in California.
Musselman considers USC to be the right job for him at the right time both personally and professionally.
With the Trojans, Musselman has gained pledges from at least 10 transfers, per On3.com, including former Xavier guard Desmond Claude, former Michigan forward Terrance Williams and former UMass forward Josh Cohen, who originally committed to Musselman at Arkansas this spring.
“The USC brand is really, really special as well,” he said. “From an academic standpoint, it’s a special place as well, so we left a great job. The family situation, they have great friends in Northwest Arkansas, so it’s not only leaving a job. You’re also leaving friends that you’ve met.
“It’s hard. It’s hard to change jobs. But there’s also a ton of excitement in it as well.”