No idea if he will win big or not, but has high ceiling, has been successful in the NBA (bad teams but runner up to Popovich as coach of the year) and in college (at a place with no resources or history of success).
If you say the segment on the “road to the final four” show yesterday about Nevada, clearly highly organized, detail oriented, charismatic, intense.
Like both Beard and Bennett (who will play for the whole thing tomorrow), will rely on strategic use of grad transfers which I think is how the non top 5 (UNC, Duke, KY, etc) programs can best compete head to head with the big boys.
We should keep it accurate 2004 2yrs coaching the Warriors and fired, 1 year with the Kings fired, 2010 coached development league ? Average mid-major conference. We’ll see if he deliver as you think…
As long as are keeping it accurate, let’s also add the fact that Golden State improved 17 wins to 21-51 to 38-44 in his first year at Golden State and he was runner-up as the NBA coach of the year.
Plus he is coming off a 110-34 mark at Nevada and has had two 29-win seasons in a row after taking over a team that won 9 games.
Again, the opinion of the people who believe he is going to be successful is as valid as those who don’t think he will.
Musselman was my choice from the beginning so I am pumped as well. He may not be the greatest tactician but he looks to be a very solid coach with diverse experience at all levels. How successful he will be at Arkansas will likely hinge on recruiting and think his personality and style of play will sit well with recruits but it is his NBA experience that I think will set him up to be a very good recruiter. Recruits want to play for a winning program where the fans support the program but they also want to play an up tempo game similar to the NBA and they want a coach who can help prepare them for the next level. Beard and Bennett are great coaches but if I am a kid with NBA aspirations I am not to thrilled about their style of play. Time will tell but I like this hire and I think he will be very successful.
Style of play is overrated from an NBA standpoint. Big Ten schools produce plenty of first round picks despite their grind-it-out style. The kid at TTech is about to be a lottery pick. That being said, kids enjoy an uptempo style.
He doesn’t “strategically” use transfers! That’s pretty much his roster. Will leave Nevada without having a single player begin and finish their career there. No recruits still on campus from either the 2016 or 2017 class. One gone from 2018 class already. With one exception, no signee/commit rated higher than a 3 star. Look, I hope he works here but this is very alarming to me!
He took a team that had won 9 games the year before he arrived and immediately won 24 and the CBI his first season and then went to the NCAA Tournament the next three seasons while winning 28, 29 and 29 games.
Here’s the roster he went to the Sweet 16 with after beating Texas, Cincy and losing to Final Four entrant Loyola-Chicago.
I just don’t know enough about him as a college coach. Did follow him in NBA. He was kind of up and down. I did not really keep up with him in college because he never raised my interest. Many on this board seem to be way ahead of me and know a lot about him. I need to catch up.
Do you know whether he has been pursued by P5 schools before? Just wonder why he has not been picked up by a P5 school. Cal for example hired Mark Fox.
If he is as good as some of the posters claim, we have much to look forward to. Fingers crossed.
Good to know that. That is a plus on his side and plus for Arkansas since looks like he feels Arkansas is at a much higher level than Cal, which it is.
His track record says he recruits below the level of our previous coach and has trouble getting them on campus or getting them to stay. Not an opinion but a fact.
I know that you have to get in good with the new hire. Can’t fault you for wanting to have access. It’s how you make your living. But, to say this isn’t concerning is being disingenuous at best. Again, I’m not against the hiring and am behind whomever is our coach. Just a major red flag.