Arkansas' Eric Musselman Hired as USC HC Amid Bronny James Transfer Rumors
Five-year Arkansas men's basketball coach Eric Musselman is taking the head coaching job at USC, the team announced Thursday.
The news comes amid rumors that Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, is considering transferring from USC.
Musselman will replace Andy Enfield, who led USC for 11 seasons before leaving for SMU on April 1.
The Razorbacks made two trips to the Elite Eight and a Sweet Sixteen bid in five seasons under Musselman.
Musselman served as the head coach at Nevada from 2015 to 2019. He previously spent two seasons (2002-03 and 2003-04) as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors and held NBA assistant coaching jobs with the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies
The 2023-24 season marked a disappointing campaign for the Razorbacks, which finished with a 16-17 record.
Despite the 2024 NCAA Tournament miss, Arkansas Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek seemed to confirm Musselman's return after the season's end with a March 28 video on X.
That plan might have changed after Enfield's surprising departure for SMU.
His absence gave Musselman the opportunity to join USC as the school makes the transition to the Big Ten in 2024.
The Trojans followed up three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament with a 15-18 record last season, and it's unclear which USC players will be staying in Los Angeles next season to help Musselman engineer a turnaround.
All-American prospect Trent Perry decommitted from USC following Enfield's departure, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
Other questions surround James and Isaiah Collier, who are both eligible to enter the 2024 NBA draft.
Collier, previously ranked the No. 1 high school prospect in the country for 247Sports, averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 assists per game in 26 starts for USC before he was sidelined by a hand injury.
Although rumors of James' entrance to the transfer portal have not yet been confirmed, LeBron James said Tuesday that his son had "some tough decisions to make" regarding his future, according to The Athletic's Jovan Buha.
James' college debut was delayed after he suffered cardiac arrest during July offseason training. He ended his freshman USC season having averaged 4.8 points and fewer than 20 minutes per game.
