Hog Fans Shouldn't Worry Because Nobody in SEC Hired a Musselman

Five of six openings in league trying (unsuccessfully) to duplicate success of Eric Musselman with Razorbacks

Author:
Andy Hodges
Updated:
Mar 26, 2022 8:20 AM EDT
Original:
Mar 22, 2022

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It took less than a week to figure out other SEC athletics directors were trying to copy Hunter Yurachek.

The Arkansas athletics director inherited a football coach he fired in less than two years and fired the basketball coach when that wasn't working out like he wanted.

What Yurachek wants is competing for a championship. If you can't do that you probably won't hang around Fayetteville long.

Hunter Yurachek-Spring Practice — Andy Hodges / allHOGS Images

His long ball hit hiring Eric Musselman in 2019 has caused everybody else in the SEC to start scrambling. If you're wondering why I didn't say a home run it's because he hasn't won a national title ... yet.

With six openings across the league on the latest firing cycle, five of them have been replaced with mid-major coaches that had some limited success.

The other coaches have the mid-major experience, but they also haven't been an NBA at a couple of stops. They may know a lot, but they don't have the depth of Musselman's experience.

Missouri Gives Things Another Try

Dennis Gates-Missouri — Katie Stratman / USA TODAY Sports

Dennis Gates gets the nod for the Tigers, who have a revolving door in everything. He turned around a downtrodden Horizon League program and spent a few years on the staff of Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton.

He has been around quite a few more blocks than George Mason coach Kim English (left out of the carousel on this cycle so far). That experience combined with his upward career trajectory made him attractive.

Bulldogs Try Arkansas Route This Time

After firing the more experienced (and successful) Ben Howland, the Bulldogs gets New Mexico State's Chris Jans. He took the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament three times, getting eliminated the night before he was hired in Starkville by the Hogs.

He also had his own Urban Myer Touchable Moment when coaching at Bowling Green, which ultimately got him fired there.

Did Matt McMahon Really Want SEC Job THIS Bad?

Matt McMahon-LSU — Trevor Ruszkowski / USA TODAY Sports

Will Wade sailed out the door in Baton Rouge, the NCAA issues stayed for the next guy, who apparently wanted to advance from Murray State enough he's willing to deal with what's going to be a mess.

McMahon took over the Racers, a perennial mid-major power, and posted a 154-67 mark in five seasons. They won four regular season Ohio Valley Conference championships and three OVC Tournament crown.

South Carolina Replaces Experience with Hope

Lamont Paris-South Carolina — Charles LeClaire / USA TODAY Sports

After giving Frank Martin the boot, the Gamecocks are trying to duplicate the success other mid-major coaches have had by grabbing Lamont Paris, who has coached Chattanooga.

He's 87-50 in five seasons with the Moccasins. He was an assistant at Wisconsin for seven seasons.

The guess is South Carolina had a different target but couldn't pull it off for whatever reason.

Gators Grab San Francisco's Golden to Get Over Hump

Todd Golden-Florida — James Snook / USA TODAY Sports

A former Auburn assistant coach who posted a 57-36 record in three seasons at San Francisco and reached the NCAA tournament this season before losing to Murray State.

“That is an absolutely grand slam hire by Florida,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Todd Golden is in that next generation of brilliant young coaches.”

Now if you believe a coach in the same conference is truly that happy for a former assistant to be at a bigger place with more resources then the obvious question is it won't work out for the Gators.

Pearl may have taught Golden a lot but it's a dead-solid lock he didn't teach him everything Pearl knows.

Bulldogs Take the Recycling Route

After trying a more experience recycle route in hiring Tom Crean, Georgia grabs Florida's Mike White to try and become relevant again in basketball.

They really don't care about hoops in Athens, but at least this lets them tell their fans they do in grabbing someone with SEC experience who has had some success.

You read anything in there that suggests any of these mid-major hires can compete with Musselman?

Don't be surprised to see the SEC return to two teams (Arkansas and Kentucky), then everybody else.

That's assuming John Calipari can get things straightened out with the Wildcats and hasn't gotten lazy.

Pearl will continue having Auburn be a reflection of itself with a weak preseason schedule that fades over the months into an early exit if they get to the tournament.

Buzz Williams will continue to generate some buzz around Texas A&M basketball because he's just good enough a few Aggies will get excited. But it's A&M and they will figure out a way to screw it up.

The Hogs have a shot to return to the level they were last at nearly 30 years ago.

How long they stay there may depend on how long Musselman stays out of the NBA.

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