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Sunday, November 3, 2019 5 Northwest Arkansas Basketball "All of the other ball boys wanted the home locker room. I wanted the oppos- ing locker room, because I wanted some- thing new and different every game and to be exposed to different things." Fans in Arkansas may recall Bill Musselman coaching at South Alabama, where his teams faced the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as members of the Sun Belt Conference. He led the Jag- uars to the 1997 NCAA Tournament be- fore returning to the NBA as an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers. Bill Musselman was still on Portland's staff when he died on May 5, 2000, at age 59 after suffering a stroke. "He was my best friend and my idol," Eric Musselman told Sports Illustrated last year. "Not a day went by, our entire adult lives, when I didn't talk to him on the phone. Every. Single. Day." COACHING WITH DAD The Musselmans coached together in the NBA with the Minnesota Timber- wolves during the 1990-91 season when Bill was the head coach and Eric was an assistant. They are the first father and son to both be NBA head coaches. Washington Wizards coach Scott Brooks played for the Timberwolves when the Musselmans were together on the bench. "The only real difference between Bill and Eric is their names," Brooks, who was Eric Musselman's assistant coach with Sacramento, told Sports Illustrated last year. Eric Musselman was asked at SEC media days about Brooks' comment. "I think the similarities are competi- tiveness, schemes and trying to fit your personnel, and our love of the game," Musselman said. "My dad had some teams that were known for having great execution and playing a little bit more physical than the teams I've had. "I remember sitting on the bench when he was coaching the Timber- wolves, and the scores were like 79 to 75. I told my dad one night after a game, 'If I ever become a head coach, I'm never going to play this style because it's really boring to watch.' "So my mom all the time says my dad's up there looking down saying, 'What are you doing? Your team takes 30 bad shots a game.'" ON HIS OWN Earl Boykins, who played 13 seasons in the NBA despite being 5-foot-5, was with Golden State during the 2002-03 season when Musselman coached the Warriors. "I think the thing that separates Eric from other coaches is his confidence in his ability to coach," said Boykins, an undrafted free agent who played in the CBA before making an NBA roster. "I felt the problems I was having at the time getting into the NBA was finding a coach that was confident enough in himself to allow me to go out and play. "Eric is that type of coach. If you go out there and perform, he'll allow you to shine. "When you're 5-5, it's easy for peo- ple to tell you, 'No.' It takes a confident person to allow a player of my status to not only play, but when I was with him at Golden State, I was closing games for Eric." Boykins first met Musselman in 1999 when he got a chance to play for Orlando and Musselman was a Magic assistant coach. v Continued from preceding page Arkansas Democrat-Gazette File Photo/STATON BREIDENTHAL Arkansas men's basketball coach Eric Musselman performs a demonstration Sept. 17 during the Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association Basketball Clinic at Hendrix College in Conway as he and his staff demonstrate some of the drills he uses in practices. See COACH, Page 6 Our Team Proudly Supports The Arkansas Razorbacks! Having Problems Wearing Your CPAP? Our office provides a dental appliance that opens your airway at night and treats sleep apnea without a CPAP. This treatment is covered by most medical insurance companies and Medicare. Call us today to find out how to improve your sleep. It could be as simple as wearing a dental appliance. Dr. Berley is the only dentist in Northwest Arkansas that is Board Certified in Dental Sleep Medicine. Diplomate of American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine Ken Berley, DDS 5417 Pinnacle Point Drive Suite 200 | Rogers, AR 479-254-0200 www.DrKenBerley.com