Eric Musselman
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Eric P. Musselman (born November 19, 1964 in Ashland, Ohio) is an American basketball coach and the former head coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. The son of the late Bill Musselman, Eric was a successful head coach in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) before becoming an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic (under Chuck Daly and Doc Rivers), and Atlanta Hawks (under Lon Kruger). Between head coaching stints in Golden State and Sacramento, Musselman served as an assistant for the Memphis Grizzlies and worked briefly as a basketball analyst for ESPN.
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[edit] Early life
[edit] High school
Musselman grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and San Diego, California, before moving to Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended high school in Brecksville, a suburb about 15 miles south of Cleveland. There, he played on the same high school basketball team as former NBA player Scott Roth and former NFL Pro Bowl punter/quarterback Tom Tupa.
[edit] College
Musselman graduated from the University of San Diego, where he played basketball for Jim Brovelli and Hank Egan, both of whom would later work as NBA assistants. While at USD, Musselman was a member of the 1986-87 team that compiled a 24–6 record, the best in school history. The Toreros lost to Auburn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 62–61.
Musselman was a fifth-round CBA draft choice of the Albany Patroons in 1987.
[edit] Coaching career
[edit] Minor leagues: CBA and USBL
In the CBA, Musselman posted a 270–122 record (.688), marking the second highest winning percentage in league history behind George Karl, who coached for five seasons in the CBA.
From 1990–1997, Musselman had 24 players called up to the NBA, the highest number in the league during that span. He holds the distinction of being the only person in CBA history to coach in five league All-Star Games (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997) and was the first coach in professional basketball history to win 100 games by the age of 28. When he was 23, Musselman became the youngest coach in CBA history.
Musselman also served as head coach of the Florida Sharks of the United States Basketball League (USBL). In the summers of 1995 and 1996, he coached the Sharks to a combined 53–3 record (.946, including playoffs) and back-to-back USBL Championships. He holds the highest winning percentage in league history.
Musselman began his CBA career in 1988 as the general manager of the Rapid City (S.D.) Thrillers, a franchise his father Bill had coached to three consecutive CBA titles during the 1980s. His first week on the job, he hired Flip Saunders as the team's head coach. Saunders, who was recruited by Bill Musselman when Bill was the head coach at the University of Minnesota during the early 1970s, would go on to be one of the winningest coaches in CBA history before moving to the NBA as coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Saunders currently serves as head coach of the NBA's Detroit Pistons.
Prior to joining the Thrillers, Musselman worked for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers as an assistant to General Manager Elgin Baylor and Barry Hecker, the team's director of scouting.
[edit] Golden State Warriors
In 2002, Musselman was named the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, a position he held for two years. He finished as runner-up to San Antonio's Gregg Popovich in NBA Coach of the Year voting in 2002-2003 with 231 points, including 26 first-place votes.[1] That season, under Musselman's guidance, the Warriors, for the first time in nearly a decade, reached the .500 mark late in the season, holding a record of 30–30 on March 4, 2003. In Musselman's rookie season, his club finished 38–44, the most wins in more than 10 years.
Despite numerous injuries and the loss of the team's top two players in Gilbert Arenas (signed with Washington) and Antawn Jamison (traded to Dallas), the team still finished 37–45 under his direction during the 2003-2004 season. In two seasons as head coach in Golden State, Musselman compiled a 75–89 record.
[edit] Sacramento Kings
On June 2, 2006, Musselman was named head coach of the Sacramento Kings, replacing Rick Adelman. Four months into the job, on October 21, 2006, Musselman was cited for DUI in Sacramento.[2]
In the first month of the season (November 2006) with Musselman at the helm, the Kings went 8–5. But the team slumped in December and January, posting a 10–21 record before going 7–6 in February 2007. The Kings finished 33–49 on the season.
Musselman was fired by Sacramento President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie on April 20, 2007, less than 48 hours after the team's final regular season game.[3]
[edit] Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Season Record | Playoff Record | Key Players | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-90 | Rapid City Thrillers (CBA) | 42–14 | 8–8 | Keith Smart, Jarvis Basnight, Jim Thomas, Pat Durham, Michael Williams, Conner Henry, Michael Higgins | |
| 1990-91 | Rapid City Thrillers (CBA) | 37–19 | 9–7 | Fennis Dembo, Joe Ward, Stephen Thompson, Fred Cofield, Carlton McKinney, Craig Neal, Nikita Wilson, Pat Cummings, Leon Wood | |
| 1992-93 | Rapid City Thrillers (CBA) | 44–12 | 5–3 | Shelton Jones, Cliff Robinson, Stanley Brundy, Craig Neal, Larry Robinson | |
| 1993-94 | Rapid City Thrillers (CBA) | 37–19 | 5–5 | Byron Dinkins, Gerald Paddio, John Morton, Wes Matthews, Tom Garrick, George Ackles | |
| 1994-95 | Rapid City Thrillers (CBA) | 31–25 | 0–2 | Wayne Tinkle, Corey Crowder, Greg Grant, Billy Thompson, Duane Washington, Ben Coleman, Lester Conner | |
| 1995 | Florida/Bradenton Sharks (USBL) | 24-2 | 1–0 | Nate Johnston, Charles E. Smith, Dexter Boney, Darvin Ham, Mark Hughes, Sylvester Gray, Kevin Salvadori | |
| 1995-96 | Florida/West Palm Beachdogs (CBA) | 41–15 | 5–3 | Manute Bol, Stanley Jackson, Herb Jones, Rodney Monroe, Keith Smart, Charles E. Smith | |
| 1996 | Florida/Bradenton Sharks (USBL) | 25–1 | 3–0 | Mark Boyd, Jarvin Lang, Larry Lewis, Dwayne Morton, Dexter Boney | |
| 1996-97 | Florida/West Palm Beachdogs (CBA) | 38–18 | 7–6 | Terrence Rencher, Rodney Monroe, Anthony Tucker, Anthony Miller, Ernest Hall, Mark Macon | |
| 2002-03 | Golden State Warriors (NBA) | 38–44 | None | Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Bob Sura, Troy Murphy, Earl Boykins, Eric Dampier, Jason Richardson | |
| 2003-04 | Golden State Warriors (NBA) | 37–45 | None | Avery Johnson, Speedy Claxton, Cliff Robinson, Brian Cardinal, Calbert Cheaney, Nick Van Exel | |
| 2006-07 | Sacramento Kings (NBA) | 33–49 | None | Kevin Martin, Mike Bibby, Ron Artest, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Kenny Thomas, John Salmons, Brad Miller, Francisco Garcia |
[edit] Possible move to the college ranks
According to Andy Katz, senior college basketball writer for ESPN.com, "Musselman wants to coach in college and is starting the process of getting his name out among search committees so that he's a viable candidate in March."[4] In late December 2007, FOX Sports reported that Musselman is a likely candidate to replace 71-year-old Eddie Sutton at the University of San Francisco after this season.[5] In January 2008, his name surfaced in press reports surrounding the head coaching position at Oregon State. [6] In March 2008, Musselman's name surfaced in published reports about the California and Loyola Marymount head coaching positions.[7]
[edit] Notes
- ^ NBA.com Popovich Named Coach of the Year
- ^ ESPN - Kings coach Musselman arrested on DUI charges - NBA
- ^ ESPN - Kings fire Musselman after one season - NBA
- ^ ESPN.com - Blogs - Andy Katz Blog
- ^ FOX Sports on MSN - COLLEGE BASKETBALL - Dons take a chance by turning to Sutton
- ^ GIVING KANSAS THE EDGE • College Hoop Blog: Good 'N Plenty - FOX Sports Blogs
- ^ [1][dead link]
[edit] External links
- Press Conference Where Eric Musselman Apologized For DUI
- BasketballReference.com: Eric Musselman
- NBA.com coaches file: Eric Musselman (out of date)
- Sacramento Magazine article
- Article from the University of San Diego's Alumni magazine
- Q&A interview with Musselman from Hoops Hype website
- ESPN article about Musselman
- San Diego Union-Tribune article
| Preceded by Brian Winters |
Golden State Warriors Head Coach 2002–2004 |
Succeeded by Mike Montgomery |
| Preceded by Rick Adelman |
Sacramento Kings Head Coach 2006–2007 |
Succeeded by Reggie Theus |
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