BASKETBALL

USC Sunday Buzz: The Best Coaching Job In America

You know what the best coaching job in America is?

USC men’s basketball coach.

You can make $5 million a year and just about have the least pressure to win of any Power 4 job with largely apathetic fan base outside of a small following that almost never calls for a coach to be fired.

This is not an indictment of Eric Musselman, by the way. It was the same when Andy Enfield was at USC too.

After yesterday’s loss to Oregon, I heard from an intense USC fan who attended the game. But people like that are few and far between.

It’s a challenge to get 1,000 students to the game unless you give away a jersey or T-shirt. It’s nowhere like many of the Big Ten, SEC or Big 12 schools.

Musselman has done just about everything to drum up interest, including wearing a football uniform. The flip side is only a few voices are critical of the coaching job he did yesterday. It’s a pretty nice job.

22 thoughts on “USC Sunday Buzz: The Best Coaching Job In America”

  1. You’re right, Scott. Posters here have said they don’t care about basketball.

    But real Trojans pull for our teams in badminton! Heck, even it’s our a cappella group, the So Cal VoCals, we’re cheering for them to be the best!

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      4. Of course not! They need to do anything they can to try and feel manly.

        Trojans are secure enough not to worry about that stuff. We’re masculine enough to wear pink occasionally and not GAF about what anyone says or thinks.

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      5. hey im with you brother! i used to wear a hot pink dress shirt to work to show the phony machos how it’s done!

        #MadeMeFeelAllTingly

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  2. wolfman, what if Muscle-Man loses to UCLA tues at Pauley?? it’ll knock trOXans outta the tourney AND cement the Bruins Golden Ticket to March Madness!! Not quite ’06 when Gutties upset #2 trOXans 13-9 to knock them outta the Natty game, but still the thought of it makes TINGLY all over!!

    #AndIDoMeanALLOver!!

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  3. Scott, I agree with you that the program needs to be built from the bottom up and not the top down. The top college coaches are already locked in to their current positions. Mid-tier coaches are hired for a win now mentality which means a lot of turnover and one and dones. To build a team, you need to start with a really good young coach with a proven record at a smaller school and give him or her time to develop a relationship with high school players. Let that person develop his or her program and demonstrate team basketball; then, give them the big money when they earn it. Don’t take away the incentive to be a great coach. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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  5. HI DAN. AS I REMEMBER IT WE LOST TO BRADLEY BY A COUPLE POINTS AFTER BEING UP 13 AND THEN BRADLEY LOST TO LA SALLE IN THE FINAL GAME. FOR THE TITLE. THAT TEAM GOT HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME. IRVIN PAUSIG CARR. DUNN. WELSH. PSALTIS. WE LOST IN THE THIRD PLACE CONSOLATION GAME TO SOMEBODY MAYBE PENN

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      1. HI MICHAEL. BACK IN 1954 I WAS REALLY INTO BASKETBALL AND THEN AGAIN WITH RUDOMETKIN RILEY WESTPHAL MO LAYTON ETC. WE HAD SOME REALLY GOOD TEAMS. EVEN BEFORE 1954 WE HAD SOME GOOD TEAMS WITH BILL SHARMAN. KEN FLOWERS. TEX WINTER A

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  7. Musselman has done everything to get people to attend basketball games except the most important thing win on a consistent basis. The reason fans don’t turn out is they expect teams to make the tournament, and the Sweet 16. I remember the greatest interest in USC Basketball was the Bibby led team with Scalabrine, Granville, Trepagnier, Bluementhal, and big Sam Clancy all recruited by Bibby, and they stayed together for more than 1 year.

    Musselman, does not know how to build a team. His teams play “star ball” with no fundamentals as of result of recruiting 6 year transfer, and usually a “one and done” high school kids. Teams need to play together for more than 1 year. Henry Bibby, knoew how to recruit a team not a bunch of transfer who are gone after 1 season.

    Just win baby…make it to the NCAA, and the Sweet 16 then the the fans will come out, and support the team.

    Simply put we are overpaying our Men’s basketball coaches. Musselman has done nothing in his career especially in the NCAA tournament so whoever offered him the high salary was out to lunch.

    Take a look at Randy Bennett at St. Mary’s. That guy wins every year, and he has built a very successful program from scratch. Does he make 5 million a year very unlikely but fan interest and attendance is high because he wins on a consistent basis.

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  8. Thanks for the 1954 correction. My bad. I did like the Paul Westphal, Mo Layton, John Rudometkin teams even if they didn’t win the championship. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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  10. Best USC basketball team starting 5- Paul Westphal guard, Dennis Mo Layton Guard, Joe Sharp Shooter Mackey F, Chris Schrobilgen Forward, and Ron “Spoon” Riley. Center.. Off the Bench- George Watson F, Leroy Kobb F, Dana Padgett G, Billy Taylor Center, Monroe Nash G/F. What a team- most came to USC as freshman except Layton, Watson, and Cobb who all came from Phoenix JC.

    No. 2 team– All recruited by Henry Bibby- Jeff Trepagnier -G, Brandon Granville G, Sam Spider Man Clancy C, Brian Scalabrine -F, and David Blumenthal -F.

    Two well coached, teams and fantasic blend of talent that could play tough defense, and inside and outside offensively.

    Both teams could have won the national title. If they played I would take the Westphal team, but Sam Clancy was a very underated player at USC much like Ron Riley.

    One thing for sure it is unlikely we will ever see teams like these two with Musselman as head coach. His teams play “star ball” with no real stars” just like the NBA D league where he belongs.

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