LOS ANGELES—The University of Southern California on Thursday named former Arkansas head man Eric Musselman its new men’s basketball coach, the first major hire by Jennifer Cohen, the school’s new athletic director.
He replaces Andy Enfield, who left Monday for the same job at Southern Methodist.
Mr. Musselman, 59, will be introduced Friday at a news conference at Galen Center.
The hire comes at a key time as the Trojans, along with crosstown rival UCLA, will be moving from the Pacific-12 Conference to the Big Ten next season.
Mr. Musselman spent the past five years at Arkansas, where he led the Razorbacks to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Elite Eight twice. He was 111–59 overall in Fayetteville.
“My family and I couldn’t be more excited for this incredible opportunity at USC,” Mr. Musselman said in a statement. “We will be committed to the development of our student-athletes and upholding the values that make the Trojan Family so special. We will hit the ground running and work tirelessly to make our great alumni, fans, and all of Los Angeles proud.”
Mr. Musselman was the head coach at Nevada from 2016–19, when the Wolf Pack won three Mountain West Conference regular-season titles and made three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Mr. Musselman was previously an assistant coach at Louisiana State and Arizona State, following stints as the head coach of the NBA G-League Los Angeles D-Fenders and Reno Bighorns, as well as the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. He also was an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
He played basketball for the University of San Diego.
Ms. Cohen said Mr. Musselman has a track record of building winning programs and has a commitment to creating a culture of excellence.
Mr. Musselman took the Razorbacks to three consecutive NCAA Sweet 16s before going 16–17 this season, his only losing record at Arkansas.
“Eric displays heart, boldness, resiliency, and everything that it means to be a Trojan,” Ms. Cohen said. “He inspires togetherness and will help build and grow the program’s connectivity within the Trojan community. As we move to the Big Ten and enter a new chapter for USC men’s basketball, there is no better fit than Eric Musselman to launch our program to new heights.”
Mr. Musselman takes over a program that went 15–18 overall and tied for ninth in the Pac-12 at 8–12. This season was the first in four years the Trojans did not make the NCAA Tournament and the first in five years they didn’t win 20 games.
The roster will get a major makeover. Leading scorer Boogie Ellis is out of eligibility, freshman star Isaiah Collier could declare for the NBA draft, and Kobe Johnson on Thursday announced his transfer to UCLA. Several other contributors are out of eligibility or in the transfer portal.
Bronny James, son of NBA great LeBron James, averaged 4.8 points in mostly a reserve role as a freshman and is considering entering the portal.
