Tag: Eric Musselman

College basketball analyst shares expectations for USC in 2024-2025

Making the NCAA Tournament is a realistic goal for USC in Year 1 under Eric Musselman, says a prominent basketball analyst. The Chattanooga win backs that up.

Monday night, the USC men’s basketball team kicked off its 2024-2025 campaign. The Trojans beat UT Chattanooga, 77-51, at the Galen Center. The Eric Musselman era got off to a solid start.

Recently, college basketball analyst Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated shared his expectations for USC in 2024-2025. Sweeney believes that the Trojans can push for an NCAA Tournament bid in their first season under Eric Musselman.

“I think making the NCAA tournament in Year 1 is a reasonable median outcome. There’s enough wing talent here that climbing the ladder in a Big Ten where parity should reign supreme is definitely possible, and we’ve seen in the past that Musselman’s teams tend to be playing their best basketball by March. But with this many new faces and questions at arguably the two most important positions in center and point guard, as well as the unknown effect of all the extra travel, things could unravel.”

With essentially an entirely new team from last season, USC truly is a wild card team heading into Year 1 of the Eric Musselman era. With the Trojans also playing their first season in the Big Ten Conference, we will soon find out how equipped this team is to compete with the nation’s best. Monday’s game against Chattanooga offered a lot of positive signs. USC played strong defense in holding Chattanooga to just 51 points. The Trojans received balanced scoring, with seven players scoring at least 8 points. USC did all of this with Michigan transfer — and expected scoring threat — Terrance Williams out due to injury.

It’s only one game, but USC made a good first step against the Mocs.

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Eric Musselman opens USC tenure with rout of Chattanooga

Eric Musselman made his USC basketball debut. Opening night could not have gone any better. The Trojans looked very well-coached throughout.

USC opened up its season with a dominant 77-51 victory over Chattanooga on Monday, beginning the Eric Musselman era with a bang. The Trojans looked like a well-oiled machine and did not play like a team which had just one returning player from Andy Enfield’s last team. This group, comprised almost entirely of transfers, looked sharp and connected at both ends of the floor. Guard Chibuzo Agbo scored a team-high 14 points on 4-of-9 from 3 while forward Matt Knowling added 13 off the bench. It was an all-around successful night for the Trojans, who had seven players score 8 or more points in the win. The Trojans held the Mocs to just 27.8% shooting from the floor including 17.6% beyond the arc.

The win is reflective of this team’s identity that was showcased in its exhibition win over Gonzaga in late October.

Kevin Sweeney, a college basketball writer for Sports Illustrated, put it this way:

“USC didn’t treat this (Gonzaga) like an exhibition, really pushed its starters to the brink and did everything it could to win the game. Probably a decent move by Muss – try to build some buy-in and confidence inside the locker room while getting a big-name win to build excitement with the fans. Was impressed with how Claude looked as essentially a full-time point guard (a new role for him) and the positional size and shooting they have from 1-4 is impressive.”

In his first year with the program, head coach Eric Musselman seems to be putting an emphasis on culture and making his players buy into his plan. While Chattanooga is one of the easier opponents this team will face this season, a big win, with no roadblocks, will make any Trojan fan happy. This was a very strong and positive opening game. Keep in mind that Terrance Williams, the Michigan transfer who is expected to be one of USC’s better scorers this season, did not play due to injury. USC did really well without him. Imagine what could happen when he gets healthy and gets playing time.

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National basketball podcaster offers surprise prediction for Eric Musselman and USC

One national college basketball podcaster is very high on Eric Musselman and USC as the new college hoops season begins. USC plays its opener on Nov. 4.

The college basketball season begins on Monday. USC fans who are disappointed with the football program can turn their attention to the realm of roundball. USC has a women’s team which is a Final Four contender. The Trojans have a men’s team with a new coach, Eric Musselman, who is taking over after 11 years of leadership from Andy Enfield. USC basketball is fresh and new. Hopefully the men’s program can add to the excitement created by Lindsay Gottlieb and the Women of Troy.

Andy Patton, co-host of the national Locked On College Basketball podcast, used to write for Trojans Wire. He was not Andy Enfield’s biggest fan but sees a lot more upside for the Trojans with Musselman aboard. At 13:25 of the video below, Patton identifies USC as a Big Ten contender and a top-tier team in the conference. Where is he picking USC to finish in the 18-team Big Ten? We’ve shared some details from Patton’s predictions, but we won’t reveal all of them. We’ll let you watch the segment to get Patton’s full prediction on USC basketball for the coming season, which starts Nov. 4 (Monday) against Chattanooga:

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Eric Musselman, USC basketball upset No. 6 Gonzaga

USC men’s basketball got off to a flying start in an exhibition game against No. 6-ranked Gonzaga. The Trojans beat the Zags and created a lot of optimism for their season.

The Eric Musselman era at USC basketball has not yet arrived at its first regular-season game, but the Trojans did take the court against another college basketball team on Saturday night. USC faced No. 6 Gonzaga in a charity exhibition game in Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif. The Trojans got a good first look at their roster, and Musselman was able to get a sense of what does and doesn’t work for his team.

The results were certainly encouraging. USC defeated Gonzaga, 96-93, in a game which will get plenty of attention from college basketball analysts throughout the country. Terrance Williams, a transfer from Michigan, scored 20 points to lead USC. Desmond Claude, the transfer from Xavier, scored 19 points for USC, which built a solid lead and then withstood a late 8-0 run from the Zags to win. Five USC players scored in double figures, giving the Trojans balance and versatility. There was a lot to like in this game. Now the team needs to build on it as it heads into the regular season.

USC opens the regular season against UT-Chattanooga at the Galen Center on Monday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. local time in Los Angeles.

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Eric Mussleman, USC extend offer to 2026 five-star guard

Eric Musselman is going after the top recruit in Arkansas.

USC head coach Eric Musselman has offered Little Rock Christian Academy (Ark.) five-star combo guard JaShawn “JJ” Andrews.

The Class of 2026 Arkansas native stands at 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, with an incredible 7-5 wingspan. His athleticism starts in his household. Andrews’ father, Shawn Andrews, was a two-time All America offensive lineman (2002 and 2003) at Arkansas, and he went on to star for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL as a two-time Pro Bowler (2006 and 2007) and a first-team All Pro (2006).

He is rated as high as the No. 15 player in the nation, according to ESPN. On3’s Industry Ranking compiles each recruiting publication’s ranking into one; Andrews sits at No. 20 overall, the No. 9 small forward and the No. 1 player in Arkansas.

This summer in four games during the Nike E16 Peach Jam including the quarterfinals, semifinals, and title game, Andrews averaged 21.0 points and 8 rebounds per outing while shooting 68.3% from the field and 78.1% from the free throw line.

Along with USC, Andrews holds offers from Arkansas, Marquette, Illinois, Ole Miss, Indiana with many more to come.

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Eric Musselman offers a brilliant insight into coaching a team

Eric Musselman worked under Chuck Daly. He recalled how wise his former boss was as a basketball coach.

Eric Musselman appeared on Colin Cowherd’s show on Thursday. The segment lasted nearly 25 minutes, so the USC basketball coach was able to cover a lot of ground.

Musselman reflected on a lot of different people and moments from his decades-long coaching career. One of his foremost basketball mentors was legendary coach Chuck Daly, known primarily as the head coach who guided the Detroit Pistons to two NBA championships and led the 1992 United States Olympic “Dream Team” to a gold medal.

Musselman recalled something specific about Daly’s coaching methodology. He told Cowherd that Daly wouldn’t micromanage his practice sessions. He would instead delegate them to his assistant coaches so that the assistants would vocally instruct and communicate with his players. The reasoning for that move, Musselman explained, was that Daly wanted his players to literally hear different voices. He wanted various people to speak in the process of coaching and communication which unfolded on a daily basis. Daly reasoned that if he himself was the one always talking to his players, his players might tune him out because they might get tired of hearing the same voice all the time. By letting his assistants talk and communicate a lot, Daly was able to save his own voice for the specific times when his leadership and insight mattered most. It’s a fascinating revelation, and a great look inside the mind of a brilliant basketball coach.

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Eric Musselman joins Colin Cowherd for 25-minute discussion

Colin Cowherd asked Eric Musselman a wide range of questions in an extended discussion.

Eric Musselman was Colin Cowherd’s featured guest on Thursday’s edition of The Herd. The USC basketball coach participated in a 25-minute conversation which naturally covered a wide range of topics. Musselman explored the advantages of coaching in the Los Angeles market. He evaluated JuJu Watkins’ game as USC’s foremost sports — not just basketball — superstar.

Musselman shared tons of stories about basketball coaching and recruiting. He remembers how he evaluated both Vince Carter and De’Aaron Fox on the trail. Musselman has coached numerous NBA stars in his multi-decade career. One such star was Penny Hardaway, who — according to Musselman — was a pro basketball trend-setter in a very specific way.

Musselman shares his reflections on basketball icon Jerry West, who recently died. Musselman also remembers being an assistant coach under the legendary Chuck Daly, who won NBA and Olympic championships in his storied career. Musselman also includes some remembrances of Hubie Brown as a coach.

Here’s the full 25-minute segment:

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Five-star prospect offered by Eric Musselman and USC basketball

Eric Musselman is swinging big on the trail.

According to 247Sports, five-star sophomore small forward Babatunde Oladotun, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound wing at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville (Maryland), was extended an offer by Eric Musselman and USC basketball.

In his freshman season Oladotun attended James Hubert Blake High School in nearby Silver Springs, Maryland.

The class of 2027 recruit also plays for plays for Team Durant on the EYBL circuit.

Oladotun also holds offers from his father’s alma mater, Virginia Tech, along with Louisville, West Virginia, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Creighton, UCLA and Maryland.

“I’m skilled and pretty tall for how I play,” Oladotun told On3. “I can defend all positions. Shooting, I would say, is probably my specialty. My athleticism and defense are getting better. I watch a lot of Brandon Ingram and Kevin Durant. They’re both taller guards and score it efficiently. Durant is a top-five scorer of all time.”

If USC can get a player who is 20 percent as good as Durant, it would be a big splash.

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Eric Musselman names emerging leaders on new USC basketball roster

Trojans Wire writer Tim Prangley talked to coach Eric Musselman about the emerging culture of leadership on the USC roster.

Year 1 of Eric Musselman’s USC basketball tenure is off and running. On a team that returns only one player from last season, Harrison Hornery, Musselman pointed to sources of vocal leadership after a practice held in the Galen Center.

You won’t typically find a roster which is created almost entirely from the transfer portal the way this USC basketball roster was assembled, but Eric Musselman had no choice in the matter. Andy Enfield’s sudden departure to SMU, which was not expected by anyone inside the USC athletic department, initiated the coaching search which led to Musselman’s arrival. Musselman has a reputation for being able to work the transfer portal better than most in college basketball. He went to the portal quite liberally and frequently to replenish his rosters at Arkansas and make three straight Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including two straight Elite Eights in 2021 and 2022. It is important that leaders do emerge on this USC roster, so that the Trojans form the cohesion and chemistry they will need if they are going to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament in the Big Ten Conference.

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USC basketball hosts Kevin Durant, other NBA stars with recruits watching

Hosting Kevin Durant and James Harden after practice with recruits looking on? Seems like a good recruiting tool for USC and Eric Musselman.

USC basketball hosted a number of notable NBA players on NBA draft day at the Galen Center. Dalen Terry (Arizona), Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga), Kevin Durant (Texas) and James Harden (ASU) met with USC coaches Will Conroy and Eric Musselman. Conroy put the NBA guys through a workout after USC basketball practice.

There are many recruiting advantages to USC being located in Los Angeles. Highly-prized 2025 five-star recruits Tounde Yessoufou and Brayden Burries were visiting and taking in practice as the NBA players assembled courtside. It never hurts to have two NBA MVPs working out with one of your assistants when you are hosting two elite prospects.

“It’s good for our guys to watch, jump in, work out with them,” Musselman explained after practice. “We’ve had a steady flow of guys almost every day, and the great thing about being in LA is that a lot of these guys have offseason homes here, and certainly we want to open our doors to them.”

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