Just three days after longtime basketball coach Andy Enfield formally departed for SMU after 11 seasons with the Trojans, USC already has his replacement.
USC officially announced the hiring of Eric Musselman on Thursday, capping a quick coaching search that lacked much suspense as the former Arkansas coach was rumored and reported as the top candidate from the start.
And with good reason ...
This late in the annual coaching carousel, many coaches nationally had already made moves to new programs or inked contract extensions that largely ensured they would remain in their current job.
Scanning the remaining field, USC didn't seem to have many overtly compelling options -- with exception to Musselman.
In five seasons at Arkansas, he went 111-59 with three NCAA tournament appearances - -advancing to the Elite Eight twice and the Sweet 16 the other season. The Razorbacks finished 16-17 this year and missed the postseason.
But Musselman's career track record says a lot about his ability to build a program and coach at a high level. Prior to Arkansas, he led Nevada to three straight NCAA tournament appearances over four seasons there, including a Sweet 16. He won at least 20 games in eight of his nine seasons as a college head coach and won at least 25 games in five of those seasons. He also previously served as head coach of the NBA's Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
This was the first major hire at USC for athletic director Jen Cohen, who was hired in August. A press conference to introduce Musselman is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. PT Friday.
"I am beyond excited to welcome Eric, Danyelle and their incredible family to USC," Cohen said in a statement. "We were determined to find the best coach to champion the development of our student-athletes and elevate our men's basketball program. His track record of building winning programs and his unwavering commitment to a culture of excellence make him the perfect fit for USC. Eric displays heart, boldness, resiliency, and everything that it means to be a Trojan. 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."
"My family and I couldn't be more excited for this incredible opportunity at USC," Musselman said in a statement. "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. 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 replaces Enfield, who went 220-146 with the Trojans while making five NCAA tournament appearances (and likely a sixth if the tournament hadn't been cancelled in 2020 due to Covid) in 11 seasons. The highlight was a run to the Elite Eight appearance in 2021 -- the program's first since 2001 -- and Enfield's teams set the school wins record with 26 in both the 2016-17 seasons and the 2021-22 seasons.
USC followed that Elite Eight run with first-round tournament exits the next two years and tumbled to a 15-18 finish this season despite lofty expectations as star guards Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis missed significant time in the middle of the season with injuries.
Enfield and his staff raised the bar on recruiting, signing five-star prospects Kevin Porter Jr. (2018), Isaiah Mobley (2019), Onyeka Okongwu (2019), Evan Mobley (2020), Vincent Iwuchukwu (2022) and Collier (2023), while producing a slew of NBA players. Porter, Okongwu and Evan Mobley were first-round draft picks, De'Anthony Melton, Chimezie Metu and Isaiah Mobley were second-round picks and Jordan McLaughlin has built a sustained NBA career after going undrafted.
Musselman is a proven recruiter in his own right, meanwhile. At Arkansas, he signed three five-star prospects in the 2022 class in Jordan Walsh, Nick Smith and Anthony Black and had two top-50 prospects on board in this next 2024 cycle with four-star commit Isaiah Elohim (unsigned, from Chatsworth, California) and four-star signee Jalen Shelley.
Musselman will have to get to work fast on building a roster for his first USC team, though, as the Trojans have few pieces remaining from the Enfield Era. The bulk of the roster is already gone via graduation (Boogie Ellis, DJ Rodman and Joshua Morgan), the transfer portal (Kobe Johnson, Oziyah Sellers and Kijani Wright), Collier potentially entering the NBA draft after one season and a decision yet to come from Bronny James on his future.
That would leave center Vincent Iwuchukwu and forward Harrison Hornery as the lone rotation players back along with second-year players Arrinten Page and Brandon Gardner -- and there's no guarantee they all return either.
USC has also seen two of its 2024 recruits decommit since Enfield's departure in local four-star point guard Trent Perry and four-star guard Liam Campbell, out of Idaho, who requested a release from his National Letter of Intent, leaving just four-star forward Brody Kozlowski, who has already signed his NLI.
In more ways than one, a new era of USC men's basketball truly begins.
