Right-hand man
MUSSELMAN GIVES SUN DEVILS RARE LUXURY OF ASSISTANT WITH NBA COACHING EXPERIENCE
The Arizona State men’s basketball team’s top off-season acquisition can’t be found on the stat sheet. Instead, each game he sits on the bench, not far from coach Herb Sendek, writing thoughts and observations of what’s unfolding on the court. • The next morning assistant coach Eric Musselman places them on Sendek’s desk. They usually run four or five pages.
“He may point out on a possession that we set two ball screens,” Sendek said. “Or he may note that in the first half we went inside four times and scored three times on those possessions.”
For the first time in four years, Sendek’s staff changed last off-season. Within two days, assistants Scott Pera and Lamont Smith left for other jobs. Sendek hired Larry Greer, a former scout and assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers. He also brought in Musselman, giving the Sun Devils something few teams in the country have: a former NBA head coach.
From 2002-2004, Musselman coached the Golden State Warriors. Two years later he coached the Sacramento Kings. He also has worked as an NBA assistant at Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta and Orlando, and he coached several minor-league teams and the Venezue-
lan national team.
“It’s definitely a good resource to have just based on his experience,” senior wing Carrick Felix said. So what’s he doing in Tempe? Most of it had to do with timing. Over the summer, Musselman called Smith to congratulate him on joining Lorenzo Romar’s staff at Washington. During the conversation, Smith mentioned Sendek was looking to add assistants with NBA experience. At the time, Musselman was coaching the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Developmental League. In April, he had been named the league’s Coach of the Year.
Still, he was intrigued. Musselman, 48, had wanted to get into college coaching for a while. In fact, he had talked with search firms about it in the past. His father had followed a similar path. Bill Musselman had coached in college (head coach at Kent State, Minnesota and South Florida) and in the NBA (Cleveland and Minnesota). The two had spent time discussing the pros and cons of each.
Although he had no college experience, Musselman was prepared. After losing his job with the Kings in 2007, he visited programs across the country while doing TV and radio work. He spent six days at Kansas and nearly two weeks at Southern Mississippi. Living in the Bay Area, he also attended the gameday shootarounds for teams playing California and Saint Mary’s. Once, he stopped in and watched ASU prepare for the Golden Bears. Musselman was blown away by Sendek’s attention to detail.
“What stood out to me was that even when they did their stretching, they all put their right foot forward as a group,” he said. “Of all the shootarounds I attended, that one stood out.”
ASU hired Musselman and Greer on Sept. 3, giving them base salaries of $190,000. The first issue: recruiting. To recruit on the road, college coaches first have to pass a test, answering questions such as:
» Is it permissible for an institutional staff member to send corre- spondence to a prospective studentathlete during a dead period?
What can an institution provide a prospective student-athlete during an unofficial visit?
For Musselman, this was the only time he felt like he was “starting from scratch.” Some of the material was common sense, but most read like it was printed in a foreign language. He met with Justin Pollnow, an associate director in ASU’s compliance office, studying for two weeks. He scored 28 out of 30. “One of the proudest moments of my life,” Musselman said with a smile.
At practice, Sendek, usually positioned near midcourt, is the lead voice. His assistants — associate head coach Dedrique Taylor join Musselman and Greer — cut in, offering input on upcoming opponents or correcting mistakes. Musselman often approaches players as they rotate out of drills, instructing them in different areas.
“He throws in little jabs here and there,” freshman point guard Jahii Carson said. “There are times when he tells me I should give the ball up earlier, then come back and get it so I don’t have to go against a set defense. And just little tips about certain moves I could do when I’m going to the basket. How to take contact, how to finish on the backboard.”
The pace is slower here, the days longer. In the D-League, Musselman’s work day usually went like this: watch tape with staff, discuss the practice plan, go to lunch, maybe watch the Lakers practice, run practice, then head home.
Among the differences at ASU: It’s more of a family atmosphere (Musselman eats breakfast with team managers nearly every day); instruction requires greater explanation (a freshman usually has no clue how to stunt on defense). And instead of having three hours to scout an opponent, Musselman now has several days.
“I told somebody a couple weeks ago, my very first game at Golden State was against the Lakers during an exhibition game in Hawaii,” Musselman said. “And during the anthem, I looked down there, and there was Gary Payton, Kobe (Bryant), Shaq (O’Neal) and Karl Malone. As soon as the anthem was over, I looked at my assistant and said, ‘Whatever prep we’ve done, it’s not working.’ ’’
Overall, he’s happy. For as long as he can remember, basketball has been a passion. Growing up, game film was on when Musselman went to bed and was still on when he awoke in the morning. He thought every kid grew up the same way. He has no hobbies. No idea how to golf. This is what he does.
“I came to learn, and I just want to contribute,” Musselman said. “I don’t look at this as anything other than I’m working at great school, working for a great coach. I know it hasn’t been a long time, but the little I’ve done I’ve enjoyed. … The way all of it came together, it was really like a perfect storm.”