Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Like Sutton, Muss may regret leaving
FAYETTEVILLE — The late Eddie Sutton’s lament resonates as Eric Musselman departs Arkansas to coach the University of Southern California Trojans in Los Angeles.
“My biggest mistake was leaving Arkansas,” Sutton said in a documentary covering his basketball Hall of Fame career coaching Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State, and the ups and downs of his personal life.
This space doesn’t wish that lament upon Eric Musselman. However it would be no surprise if Musselman harbors similar thoughts whenever his career concludes.
Sutton’s 1974-85 Arkansas tenure put previously ignored Razorbacks basketball on the national map. His era produced some of its greatest teams and greatest players. He coached some great players at Kentucky, the dream job become his nightmare, and great teams at Oklahoma State from 1990-2006.
But Sutton never again experienced the joy he had his early Razorbacks years, transferring Arkansas and Barnhill Arena into a basketball bastion nationally renowned for its rabid fan base then ascended to new heights at Walton Arena by Hall of Fame Coach Nolan Richardson.
Musselman five years ago inherited Walton and tradition. But it had been three Razorbacks coaches since Richardson in 1996 last took Arkansas to the Sweet Sixteen after national championship and national runner-up 1994 and ’95 seasons, respectively.
Musselman excited the fan base going 20-12 in the covid shortened 2019-2020 season. He then coached Sutton- and Richardson-worthy seasons with two Elite Eights and a third consecutive Sweet Sixteen.
Muss so enthused with the success and energized fan base that he ignored job entreaties from prestigious Indiana among others.
Obviously things changed this season, unraveled 16-17 overall/6-12 in the SEC.
Rumors linking Musselman to other jobs were not dispelled, though he didn’t interview until Wednesday with USC.
Though growing up a nomad as a coach’s son then well traveled as a coach himself, Musselman calls California home. He graduated from the University of San Diego and his mother still lives in San Diego. He’s been a NBA head coach for the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings and a G-League team in Los Angeles, his new home.
Only Musselman knows if he would have been so attracted to California after the winning Arkansas seasons than after his lone losing one. Only Musselman and Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek, each complimenting the other after Musselman accepted the USC job Thursday, fully know if their relationship strained.
Regardless, there was no Arkansas pressure on Musselman after one anomaly.
Whatever his reasons, Musselman goes home to a school athletically not Arkansas structured. Since the Sutton era, Arkansas has dually embraced basketball and football.
USC is a football school in a pro sports city whose college basketball interest always has been dominated by UCLA. Now USC and UCLA must adjust to the coast-to-coast Big Ten since opting out of of the now extinct Pac-12.
Regardless the USC success Musselman may well achieve, he won’t experience the unbridled joy that Arkansas bestowed him for a grand four years.