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6 Northwest Arkansas Basketball Sunday, November 3, 2019 "You could tell then that Eric loved the game of basketball and was very de- tail-oriented," Boykins said. "He was on players about playing the game the right way, doing the little things. "Pretty much the same as he is now, except he didn't speak as much because back then he was an assistant. Now he's the head coach." Musselman was 37 when he was hired by the Warriors for the 2002-03 season and led Golden State to a 38-44 record after the team had gone 21-61 the previ- ous season. He finished second to San Antonio's Gregg Popovich in voting for NBA Coach of the Year. But when the Warriors were 37-45 the next season, Musselman was fired with Chris Mullin set to replace Garry St. Jean as Golden State's general manager. "Mullin wanted to hire his own coach," Musselman said. "So I was out. He was the new GM, and that was his right. That's how pro ball works. "Growing up with my dad and watch- ing him have jobs in the ABA and then the NBA, I knew the deal. It's a business." Musselman led Sacramento to a 33-49 record as head coach during the 2006-07 season. "I look back and say, 'I got an oppor- tunity to be a head coach for two NBA franchises,'" Musselman said. "Not too many people get two cracks at it. I did it at a young age. "Right now I feel like I'm the best coach I've ever been in my life, because of the experiences I've had and who I've worked for." OTHER INFLUENCES Musselman said coaching mentors along with his father include Chuck Daly, Doc Rivers, Mike Fratello and Lon Kruger. "I think anybody that you've touched in the past, hopefully, has a huge impact on you becoming better at whatever it is you do," he said. "I've learned lessons from everyone." When Musselman was fired by the Kings with three years left on his con- tract, he decided to take a break from coaching so he could spend more time with his sons — who lived in Danville, Calif., 25 miles east of San Francisco — after he and his first wife divorced. Musselman met his second wife, Danyelle Sargent, while he was doing television and radio work. Sargent, who worked for ESPN, Fox Sports and NFL Network, married Musselman in 2009. Their daughter, Mariah, was born a year later. During the 2007-08 season, Mussel- man had a chance to become interim coach at the University of San Francis- co. He met with USF Athletic Director Debra Gore-Mann at a coffee shop in San Francisco and was offered the job. "I said, 'That's great, but what about when the year ends? What's the con- tract?'" Musselman said. "She said, 'Well, I've talked to enough people about you, and you love basketball. Let's just do it through the year and see how it goes. I said, 'No, that isn't going to work.'" Gore-Mann ended up hiring Eddie Sutton, the former Razorbacks coach who along with Nolan Richardson — Sutton's successor at Arkansas — was back in Barnhill Arena on Oct. 5 as an honorary coach for Musselman's throw- back Red-White game. Musselman returned to coaching in 2010 as head coach of the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Developmental League. He got another NBA D-League job the next season with the Los Angeles Defenders, then became an assistant coach at Arizo- na State for Herb Sendek in 2012. "I've had people throughout my whole career say, 'You'd be a great col- lege coach. You should try college,'" Musselman said. "So I decided to give it a shot." Musselman believes he's the only person who ever was a head coach in the NBA who then became a college as- sistant coach. "It was very humbling," Musselman said. "I don't think there's anybody that's been a head coach of an NBA team and thinks, 'Well, my next move is going to be a college assistant.' It just doesn't happen. "But it was a unique experience for me, and I knew I needed to be a college assistant to learn what I didn't know. I needed to learn how to recruit; I needed to learn all the different NCAA rules." After two years at Arizona State, Musselman was close to returning to the NBA as an assistant with the Tim- berwolves, but Danyelle convinced her husband to consider an offer to join LSU coach Johnny Jones' staff. "I didn't know Johnny, had never met him," Musselman said. "But he called and said, 'Hey, I want to hire you. Will you get on a plane and check out Baton Rouge?' "My wife said, 'Let's stick with this college thing; go meet Johnny.' I met him and really liked him. I just felt like, 'Let's go to Baton Rouge and see what happens.' " Musselman helped the Tigers go 22-11 during the 2014-15 season — including an 81-78 victory over Arkansas in Walton Arena — and make the NCAA Tourna- ment. Then Musselman took the Nevada job and quickly built the Wolf Pack into a national power, which drew the attention of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek when he decided to fire Mike Anderson after eight seasons as the Ra- zorbacks' coach. NEW HEAD HOG Arkansas hired Musselman, and he agreed to a five-year contract worth $2.5 million annually. The contract, final- ized earlier this fall, includes a $5 million buyout if Musselman were to leave after either of the first two seasons. "To me, loyalty works both ways," Musselman said. "Arkansas has given me a great opportunity, and I'm completely appreciative. "I think sometimes coaches take their job for granted. I don't, because I've been fired. I've been out of work. I've coached in gyms in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela where there's no air-condi- tioning and there are cockroaches run- ning around on the floor. "When I walk into [Arkansas' practice facility] every day and see our logo, I'm more than appreciative. When my agent [Jordan Vazant] talked about the buyout thing, I said, 'I don't really care what it is. I'm here until they tell me differently.'" Arkansas' players said it was tough when Anderson was fired after last sea- son, but they're excited to play for Mus- selman and the new staff. "Coach Muss has the most energy in the gym," sophomore guard Isaiah Joe said. "He's all over the place. He's the smallest guy on the court [at 5-7], but he'll beat you anywhere. "You'll be like, 'Where's coach Mus- selman?' And the next thing you know, he's on the other side of the court. He's just real active." Sophomore guard Desi Sills said Mus- selman always brings a lot of enthusiasm to practice. "He wants the best of you at all times," Sills said. "He has us doing a lot of NBA stuff, so that's very different from Coach A. "It means a lot that he has a lot of NBA experience and he's got a lot of connections. After we get done playing at Arkansas, he's got connections to help us at the next level." Musselman said he was glad to see Anderson, now the coach at St. John's, return to Walton Arena for the unveiling of Nolan Richardson Court. Anderson, who played for Richard- son at Tulsa and was his assistant coach at Arkansas for 17 seasons, was among about 40 former players, coaches and staff members who joined Richardson on the court for a pregame ceremony. The coach whom Anderson replaced at St. John's? That was Chris Mullin, who as the Warriors' new general manager in 2004 wanted Musselman fired. It's crazy, as Musselman said, just how small the basketball world is at times. Coach v Continued from Page 5 NWA Democrat-Gazette File Photo/ANDY SHUPE Arkansas coach Eric Musselman directs his players Sept. 26 during practice in the Eddie Sutton Gymnasium inside the Basketball Performance Center in Fayetteville.