The USC basketball team is coming off a challenging 2023-24 season. The Trojans finished with a record of 15-18 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament. In addition, longtime Head Coach Andy Enfield left the team for Southern Methodist. However, Bronny James and company could get their next leader in Arkansas basketball's Eric Musselman.
USC basketball set to interview coveted coach
Musselman is reportedly set to interview for USC's coaching opening on Wednesday, per On3 (h/t Scott Schrader of “We Are SC”). The Arkansas basketball head coach has seen tremendous success with the Razorbacks and is a great candidate for the job.
Eric Musselman has extensive coaching experience on the collegiate and professional level. Most notably, he spent time a head coach for the Golden State Warriors from 2002-2004 and the Sacramento Kings from 2006-07. Musselman later spent three seasons as an assistant for Arizona State and LSU.
His collegiate coaching success reached new heights after he became Head Coach at Nevada. Musselman led the Wolf Pack to a College Basketball Invitational (CBI) victory during his first year. He also helped the team earn a Mountain West Conference Tournament title in 2017, which landed the program its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2007.
After four years, Musselman took his talent to the Arkansas basketball program in 2019, where he propelled them to elite success. The Razorbacks played in three straight NCAA Sweet 16's from 2021-2023. Musselman's squad had a down year in 2023-24, but that will not stop him from continuing to push the team forward.
Musselman has plenty of enticing reasons to start a new journey with USC, headlined by former five-star recruits Isaiah Collier and Bronny James. The guards have sky-high potential and Musselman might be able to extract more from them amid USC's joining of the Big Ten conference.
Andy Enfield had a respectable 11-year-year tenure in Southern California. However, a new era is on the horizon as USC basketball continues its search for its next coach.
The start of an exciting, new era
USC's 2023-24 season not go to plan. However, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the future. Despite finishing the season below the .500 mark, the Trojans boasted some of the top talent in basketball. Star guard Boogie Ellis led the team in scoring, but Isaiah Collier was one of the team's most intriguing pieces.
Collier scored 16.3 points, dished 4.3 assists, and tallied 1.5 steals in 29.8 minutes of action per game. The freshman guard was touted a top prospect for the 2024 NBA Draft. However, his rankings went up and down during USC's roller coaster season. He has yet to decide if he will enter the draft or stay another year.
Similarly, Bronny James is a bright spot on the team despite having somewhat of a subpar freshman year. James ended 2023-24 with averages of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 steals in 19.4 minutes per game.
The former five-star recruit is still getting his groove back after a major heart health scare from the summer of 2023. He is poised for a breakout during his sophomore season, if he elects not to pursue professional play.
All in all, things are looking up for the USC basketball program. It will be interesting to see who they select as their next leader amid their look at Eric Musselman.