Eric Musselman was hired at Arkansas with just one college head-coaching entry on his résumé, but that single data point is a doozy. Given a Nevada team that had gone 9-22 the year before he arrived, Musselman led the Wolf Pack to a 110-34 record and three NCAA tournament appearances over four seasons.
The stint in Reno came after an extensive coaching career in the professional ranks (both in the NBA and the G League), as well as stops as an assistant at Arizona State and LSU. Now the onetime head coach of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings has been handed the reins in Fayetteville; and after just four seasons at the helm in Division I, he already carries a reputation as a master of the transfer portal.
Will that reputation continue with the Razorbacks or will Musselman pursue success in the SEC through different means? Here's what we think we know at the dawn of the Musselman era at Arkansas. ...
Musselman has a knack for talent sequencing
The new coach's image as a transfer impresario is no accident. Last season, every player in the regular rotation for Nevada wore a non-Wolf Pack uniform as a freshman, with the single exception of frosh forward Jordan Brown.
Moreover, Musselman doesn't just sign transfers, he synchronizes them. His success at Nevada was built in part on his ability to assemble a nucleus of Jordan Caroline (from Southern Illinois) and Caleb and Cody Martin (by way of NC State) and put all three together on the floor as experienced veterans for two full seasons.
That said, the new Arkansas coach will have both opportunities and challenges on the talent-sequencing front.
On the one hand, resources are plentiful and facilities tend toward the posh side in the football-blessed SEC. Indeed, Musselman already has been quoted as appreciating the ready availability of charter flights in his new position.
On the other hand, scholarship limits are the same in the SEC as they were in the Mountain West. The Hogs already are returning their entire rotation from last season, with the exceptions of Daniel Gafford (who has declared for the draft) and Keyshawn Embery-Simpson (who transferred to Tulsa). The returnees include Isaiah Joe, Mason Jones, Jalen Harris, Adrio Bailey, Gabe Osabuohien and Desi Sills, all of whom, rather incredibly, started at least eight games for Arkansas in 2018-19. Of the returning players, only Harris and Bailey will be seniors this coming season.
Nevertheless, Musselman has gone out and signed a number of promising transfers in his first weeks on the job. Jimmy Whitt, Isaiah Moss and Jeantal Cylla (from SMU, Iowa and UNC Wilmington, respectively) will all be eligible as grad transfers for Arkansas in 2019-20. Connor Vanover (Cal) and JD Notae (Jacksonville) will be available starting in 2020-21.
It appears likely, in other words, that Arkansas will not only import transfers, but also might export one or two before all is said and done. Naturally, Musselman will welcome this "challenge," as long as the arrivals and potential departures net out to produce the rotation he wants.
If recent history is any guide, that rotation will play some defense.
A record of forcing missed shots and turnovers
Arkansas won a national title in 1994 with Nolan Richardson's "40 minutes of hell" approach, and onetime Richardson assistant Mike Anderson also brought an up-tempo pressing style to the Razorbacks program over the past eight seasons.
It's possible the Hogs will exhibit more or less that same look, at least initially, under Musselman. Certainly, that's the way Nevada played last season.
In the low-turnover and normal-pace Mountain West, Nevada's per-game defensive numbers didn't necessarily jump off the page. But make no mistake, relative to the conference averages, the Wolf Pack excelled at speeding up opponents, forcing missed shots and recording takeaways.
Better still, Nevada was able to combine its pressure defense with an unusual degree of success on the defensive boards. The only thing more impressive statistically than the Wolf Pack's 2-point defense in MWC play was the infrequency with which opponents attempted any kind of shot, period.
To be sure, all stylistic bets are off until we actually see Arkansas in action. Plus, Musselman rightly stresses that he'll play whatever style suits the personnel on hand. Still, it won't come as a shocking surprise if the Hogs again play at a fast pace and force more than their fair share of turnovers.
Arkansas needs more defensive rebounds and (way) fewer fouls
The good news for Musselman is the cupboard is far from bare in Fayetteville. The bad news is these same players were overmatched on the boards at both ends of the floor last season -- and even that, of course, transpired with the 6-foot-11 Gafford in the lineup.
Last year's Razorbacks were particularly ineffective at pulling down opponents' misses, and as a result, Arkansas recorded the worst defensive rebound percentage in SEC play by a wide margin. That plus the conference's highest foul rate severely limited the effectiveness of a defense that, per usual, was forcing a high number of turnovers.
Simply put, there are indeed significant performance challenges to be addressed with the Hogs. That comes with the territory in many coaching positions for which the previous occupant was let go.
Nevertheless, Musselman will at least have a roster blessed with unusual degrees of both depth and experience for year one in a new position. At Nevada, Musselman used his first season to right the ship, then he started a run of annual NCAA tournament appearances. Something similar could be in the works at Arkansas.