Sources: USC hiring Eric Musselman to replace Andy Enfield

ByPETE THAMEL AND JEFF BORZELLO
April 4, 2024, 3:29 PM

USC is expected to hire Arkansas' Eric Musselman as its next head coach, sources told ESPN.

A deal is expected to be finalized in the near future, sources said.

Musselman will replace Andy Enfield who left USC after 11 seasons to become the head coach at SMU.

Musselman is coming off his worst season since arriving in Fayetteville in 2019, with the Razorbacks finishing 16-17 overall and 6-12 in SEC play, but he had led the program to back-to-back Elite Eights and a Sweet 16 appearance the previous three seasons. In 2020-21, Arkansas won 11 of its final 12 games to end the regular season and then advanced to the regional final before falling to eventual national champion Baylor.

Despite a revamped roster the following season, the Razorbacks won 14 of 16 to end the regular season and went all the way to the Elite Eight, where they lost to Duke. Last season, Arkansas struggled down the stretch of the season, but earned an 8-seed in the NCAA tournament. After beating Illinois in the first round, they beat top-seed Kansas in the second round to once again advance to the second weekend. Prior to Musselman's arrival, Arkansas hadn't advanced to the Sweet 16 since 1996.

In five seasons at Arkansas, Musselman's record was 111-59.

Prior to taking over at Arkansas, Musselman was the head coach at Nevada for four seasons, leading the Wolf Pack to three Mountain West regular-season titles and three NCAA tournament appearances -- including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2017-18. They won at least 24 games in each of Musselman's four seasons in Reno, going 110-34 during his time with the program.

Musselman, the son of former NBA head coach Bill Musselman, has coached at different levels of the sport since 1989. He was the head coach of the Golden State Warriors from 2002-04, finishing as runner-up for NBA Coach of the Year in his first year at the helm, and the Sacramento Kings for one season in 2006-07. He also spent time in the CBA, the USBL, the D-League and coached the Dominican Republic and Venezuela national teams.

USC is one of four Pac-12 schools joining the Big Ten this summer, along with UCLA, Washington and Oregon, to form an 18-team conference.