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SEC Basketball: Ranking new head coaches for 2019-20

By Joey Loose

TULSA, OKLAHOMA - MARCH 24: Head coach Nate Oats of the Buffalo Bulls yells to his team during the first half of the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at BOK Center on March 24, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - MARCH 24: Head coach Nate Oats of the Buffalo Bulls yells to his team during the first half of the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at BOK Center on March 24, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 21: Head coach Eric Musselman of the Nevada Wolf Pack instructs his team against the Florida Gators in the first half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 21: Head coach Eric Musselman of the Nevada Wolf Pack instructs his team against the Florida Gators in the first half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

3. Eric Musselman (Arkansas)

Few men in college basketball have the amount and range of experience that Musselman possesses. Long before he won 110 games in four years at Nevada, Musselman served brief stints as head coach of the Warriors and Kings of the NBA. He’s led teams in the Continental Basketball Association and the G League. He’s spent years as an assistant at both the college and NBA level. He’s even coached international teams.

Despite all of this, was Musselman the right hire for the Razorbacks? Musselman’s wife had family in the area and he did previously on staff at LSU. The Razorbacks grabbed one of the most successful mid-major coaches in all of basketball, unable to land someone like Kelvin Sampson. The move from Nevada to Arkansas won’t be as dire as it seems, but it does lead to some question marks.

Musselman built success at Nevada by landing experienced transfers, loading his rosters from top to bottom with exceptional talent. If he’s going to have success at Arkansas and in the SEC, he’s going to need to land more than just transfers, as bringing in talented four-year players will be necessary. He inherits a roster with a bevy of young talent, but building a talented team is not the challenge for this coach.

Even after winning 29 games this past season, there are many who believe that his Wolf Pack underachieved, especially coming off a Sweet Sixteen run in 2018. With Jordan Caroline, the Martin twins, and a lot of other talent on this roster, failing to win the Mountain West tournament (falling for the second straight year) or even an NCAA Tournament game is seen as a small failure. Don’t get me wrong, they had another outstanding season, but their failure to play cohesively is the result of a group of transfers being pasted together to put the best product on the court.

Recruiting in the SEC will be a new challenge for Musselman, even if he had that one year with the Tigers at LSU. There’s no reason to believe he can’t build successful teams, especially if he continues to milk the transfer market. Mike Anderson got this team into the Tournament three times in his last five years and it wasn’t enough. In a tough SEC, can Musselman pull things together and build consistency for the Razorbacks?

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