Candidate Thread: Eric Musselman (Arkansas)

[Feathery 4,005]

Just now, Treesh said:

Problem is here wants too much spotlight and would annoy the boosters. He’s 100x what Crean was in personality. 
 

Im sure he’s a very nice guy, the kids like him by the looks of it. But we’ll see what they do this week. 

I don’t think it’s him that wants the spotlight. He is just promoting his program. He is a big personality and honestly this job needs a personality big enough. 

[Unexpectedflash 1,068]

His personality would be a lot more annoying if he was losing but since he's winning it's looked as motivating or endearing. Some of his motivational tactics definitely make me roll my eyes. Obviously it's working though since he has had a lot of success in college. I honestly think he fits more in college than the NBA. NBA players would immediately tune him out. Here's just an example. 

https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3311544/noted-basketball-guy-eric-musselman-dressed-up-like-a-ups-driver-before-last-nights-game-to-show-his-team-it-was-time-to-deliver

[IUc2016 7,121]

I don’t think it’s him that wants the spotlight. He is just promoting his program. He is a big personality and honestly this job needs a personality big enough. 

There are different ways to promote your program.

After they won on Sunday he ran and jumped on the scorers table and was screaming into the crowd celebrating. He was alone, without his team.

I would argue, he wants the spotlight. Which is fine and needed for this job.


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[Feathery 4,005]

3 minutes ago, IUc2016 said:

There are different ways to promote your program.

After they won on Sunday he ran and jumped on the scorers table and was screaming into the crowd celebrating. He was alone, without his team.

I would argue, he wants the spotlight. Which is fine and needed for this job.


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Yeah, I think it’s needed. Celebrating with fans and his family from a distance is fine by me. Need a personality thats bigger than the fanbase so they don’t get crushed. Think that was part of Archie’s problem, the weight of the job was too much. 

[HoosierTrav 7,890]

23 minutes ago, IUc2016 said:

Maybe. But Arkansas basketball isn’t Indiana basketball.

He strikes be as the type of person who wants to be in the spotlight, Arkansas basketball doesn’t give him nearly the opportunity to do that like Indiana does.


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I used to say this but I’m slowly realizing that Indiana Basketball isn’t what we think it is. It’s not what it used to be. We’d have found a suitable coach by now. If this job was such a desirable one, we’d have suitors busting down Dolson’s door. The Zeller years are the outlier in my entire lifetime. 
 

** when I say we would have found a suitable coach by now, I mean since Knights dismissal 21 years ago. 

[IUc2016 7,121]

I used to say this but I’m slowly realizing that Indiana Basketball isn’t what we think it is. It’s not what it used to be. We’d have found a suitable coach by now. If this job was such a desirable one, we’d have suitors busting down Dolson’s door. The Zeller years are the outlier in my entire lifetime. 
 
** when I say we would have found a suitable coach by now, I mean since Knights dismissal 21 years ago. 

You are misunderstanding me. Indiana basketball, despite its recent history, still has one of the largest followings in all the country and still draws prime time to slots. This coaching search has drawn more attention than any other coaching search since, well, our last one four years ago.

Despite the last 21 years, Indiana basketball is still a national brand. That hasn’t changed. Just because some coaches don’t want to come here doesn’t mean that Indiana basketball isn’t what we think it is.


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[HoosierHoopster 6,992]

3 minutes ago, HoosierTrav said:

I used to say this but I’m slowly realizing that Indiana Basketball isn’t what we think it is. It’s not what it used to be. We’d have found a suitable coach by now. If this job was such a desirable one, we’d have suitors busting down Dolson’s door. The Zeller years are the outlier in my entire lifetime. 
 

** when I say we would have found a suitable coach by now, I mean since Knights dismissal 21 years ago. 

In all fairness there have been plenty of opportunities over the past 20 years to land great coaches but the problems started with the U settling for Mike Davis to appease the players (Fife was leading the charge to leave us Davis wasn’t hired after RMK’s dismissal). The U / AD / Pres then landed a genuinely great coach in Sampson but rolled the dice on his lack of ethics and blew it. But he was and is a great coach, can’t really disregard that.
 

Then the AD/committees got a guy in Crean who restored the U’s integrity and academics while bringing back B1G championships — was he the best IU could’ve landed then? No. Was he picked because that’s all IU could get? No. Was he the right guy at the time? Maybe maybe not. He did restore the U’s integrity, he did start playing a baseball player and Walkons courtesy of the u’s overreaction and caving to the NCAA’s pursuit of Sampson, but he obviously wasn’t the right guy long-term. 
Then we hired CAM. In retrospect that was a real failure. But it didn’t look like it at the time. I don’t think we’re where we are because big name coaches haven’t been interested and I’ve followed all of this for the full 20 years, fwiw. I do think we blew it with CAM and that this coach decision is the biggest one we’ve had since Knight was fired. I hope we don’t roll any more dice or settle. Get the guy we need now.

[Demo 20,031]

12 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

In all fairness there have been plenty of opportunities over the past 20 years to land great coaches but the problems started with the U settling for Mike Davis to appease the players (Fife was leading the charge to leave us Davis wasn’t hired after RMK’s dismissal). The U / AD / Pres then landed a genuinely great coach in Sampson but rolled the dice on his lack of ethics and blew it. But he was and is a great coach, can’t really disregard that.
 

Then the AD/committees got a guy in Crean who restored the U’s integrity and academics while bringing back B1G championships — was he the best IU could’ve landed then? No. Was he picked because that’s all IU could get? No. Was he the right guy at the time? Maybe maybe not. He did restore the U’s integrity, he did start playing a baseball player and Walkons courtesy of the u’s overreaction and caving to the NCAA’s pursuit of Sampson, but he obviously wasn’t the right guy long-term. 
Then we hired CAM. In retrospect that was a real failure. But it didn’t look like it at the time. I don’t think we’re where we are because big name coaches haven’t been interested and I’ve followed all of this for the full 20 years, fwiw. I do think we blew it with CAM and that this coach decision is the biggest one we’ve had since Knight was fired. I hope we don’t roll any more dice or settle. Get the guy we need now.

I think the other element is sort of an evolution in supply and demand. How many programs in the country now would really just have their choice? Duke, UNC, KU and UK, isn’t that pretty much the list? Maybe Nova. Basically, universal tv exposure combined with the shear breadth of available talent allows a really good coach to win pretty much anywhere that has it’s basics in place.  If Izzo retired today, could MSU, certainly a top 10 program now, just call anyone they wanted? Could they call and hook up Nate Oats? He has everything he needs to win at Bama. Beard doesn’t need to be at an IU, he went to a NC game at TTU. UCLA had to “settle” for Cronin. Michigan had a great program after Beilein and everyone thought they REALLY settled with Howard. U of L got Mack, but IU could have had Mack. It’s not that IU isn’t still a great job.  It objectively is. It’s just that the positives at most high profile programs don’t outrun the challenges and expectations by as much as they used to. There’s a right guy for this gig. I fully expect Dolson to find that guy. If he does, that guy’s gonna win. It’s just a more complcated environment now and we have to allow for the possibility that the right guy may not be someone that every casual fan knows. 

[IU Scott 2,375]

46 minutes ago, Demo said:

I think the other element is sort of an evolution in supply and demand. How many programs in the country now would really just have their choice? Duke, UNC, KU and UK, isn’t that pretty much the list? Maybe Nova. Basically, universal tv exposure combined with the shear breadth of available talent allows a really good coach to win pretty much anywhere that has it’s basics in place.  If Izzo retired today, could MSU, certainly a top 10 program now, just call anyone they wanted? Could they call and hook up Nate Oats? He has everything he needs to win at Bama. Beard doesn’t need to be at an IU, he went to a NC game at TTU. UCLA had to “settle” for Cronin. Michigan had a great program after Beilein and everyone thought they REALLY settled with Howard. U of L got Mack, but IU could have had Mack. It’s not that IU isn’t still a great job.  It objectively is. It’s just that the positives at most high profile programs don’t outrun the challenges and expectations by as much as they used to. There’s a right guy for this gig. I fully expect Dolson to find that guy. If he does, that guy’s gonna win. It’s just a more complcated environment now and we have to allow for the possibility that the right guy may not be someone that every casual fan knows. 

Finally someone gets it

[Brass Cannon 24,813]

Interesting things to note

His contract would allow him to bring Justin Smith back with him.  

[HoosierHoopster 6,992]

3 hours ago, Demo said:

I think the other element is sort of an evolution in supply and demand. How many programs in the country now would really just have their choice? Duke, UNC, KU and UK, isn’t that pretty much the list? Maybe Nova. Basically, universal tv exposure combined with the shear breadth of available talent allows a really good coach to win pretty much anywhere that has it’s basics in place.  If Izzo retired today, could MSU, certainly a top 10 program now, just call anyone they wanted? Could they call and hook up Nate Oats? He has everything he needs to win at Bama. Beard doesn’t need to be at an IU, he went to a NC game at TTU. UCLA had to “settle” for Cronin. Michigan had a great program after Beilein and everyone thought they REALLY settled with Howard. U of L got Mack, but IU could have had Mack. It’s not that IU isn’t still a great job.  It objectively is. It’s just that the positives at most high profile programs don’t outrun the challenges and expectations by as much as they used to. There’s a right guy for this gig. I fully expect Dolson to find that guy. If he does, that guy’s gonna win. It’s just a more complcated environment now and we have to allow for the possibility that the right guy may not be someone that every casual fan knows. 

Fully agree and would add a similar thought or expand on the breadth of talent comment — the really good players used to all gravitate to the biggest programs. Yes the Dukes etc still get the top talent generally but there’s now a much bigger talent pool than there was back in the day, with the explosion of AAU and early bball development and the overall explosion of the game the depth of really good players has grown along with the evolution in supply and demand that you’re talking about. So really good coaches can succeed at a greater number of programs for a number of reasons 

Edited March 24, 2021 by HoosierHoopster

[Southside 1,914]

https://www.bestofarkansassports.com/eric-musselman-danyelle-musselman-indiana-basketball-coach/

[HoosierHoopster 6,992]

57 minutes ago, Southside said:

https://www.bestofarkansassports.com/eric-musselman-danyelle-musselman-indiana-basketball-coach/

I’d hire him just for his wife!

[Alford Bailey 12,386]

Arkansas has a decent basketball following though they’ve not been great recently. Bud Walton arena holds over 19000 and used to sell out regularly. So. I would expect them to put up a good fight to keep Musselman.

[Southside 1,914]

5 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

I’d hire him just for his wife!

She's hot. She's been a reporter/show-host on both ESPN and FOX Sports.

 

 

[Uspshoosier 45,690]

 

[bigrod 2,871]

12 hours ago, Southside said:

She's hot. She's been a reporter/show-host on both ESPN and FOX Sports.

 

 

A friend texted me a picture of them together to show me how good of a recruiter he was :D

[Papacap 469]

I’d be jazzed for Musselman and I get the Crean comparison, but, and maybe I have rose colored glasses, but Musselman seems to know he’s being cheesy when he does these things. Like a way to break tension or get a point across by being silly.

Crean just seemed that way because that’s just the way he was. 

I know that make be a difference without a distinction. But it’s how I justify my support for Musselman.

[Southside 1,914]

5 hours ago, bigrod said:

A friend texted me a picture of them together to show me how good of a recruiter he was :D

After I posted that last night, I googled her to make sure I was correct about her being a host. She had some funny gaffes on both ESPN and Fox, and she was on comedy central, which I didn't know.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danyelle_Sargent

[hoosierpap 14,300]

Losing to Oral Roberts in the first half...cross him off the list- guy is a joke.

 

vbg...I do love Muss