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Is Cal going for that Jim Mora/Pete Carroll dynamic in hoops?
Our newest face in the coaching search: Eric Musselman, who just stepped down as associate coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils. Musselman stepped down to search for new coaching opportunities. Garry Parrish of CBS Sports has the report.
Musselman's candidacy makes sense for a variety of reasons.
The 49-year-old was once the head coach of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, point being that he's obviously familiar with the region. The 2012 NBDL Coach of the Year also has strong AAU ties throughout the state of California, and he's spent the past two years in the Pac-12 as the associate head coach at Arizona State, where the Sun Devils won 21 games both seasons before making the NCAA Tournament last month.
I have separate confirmation from good source that Eric Musselman has interviewed twice with Cal.
— Jeff Faraudo (@JeffFaraudo) April 12, 2014
Many of you are most familiar with Musselman's work with the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings. Although his NBA record isn't that good, it's hard to say if he got a fair shake in either spot. His Warriors finished 38-44 in his first season in 2002-03, earning him NBA Coach of the Year runner-up status (they only won 21 games the previous year). His team held steady the next season despite losing both Gilbert Arenas and Antwan Jamison, going 37-45. Musselman then had to replace Rick Adelman on a declining Sacramento team that went 33-49 in his one season there.
Musselman hasn't had head coaching experience in college, but has spent two years as an assistant at Arizona State and helped the Sun Devils work their way back to the NCAA Tournament. It remains to be seen if he'd excel in a head coaching position, but it seems like the Cal athletic department is willing to take that chance.
PS: Xavier head coach Chris Mack appears to be out of the running.
Chris Mack will remain at Xavier, sources told ESPN -- http://t.co/RkZJdAaKE4
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 12, 2014
I've confirmed that Chris Mack is indeed staying at #Xavier following overtures by Cal.
— Shannon Russell (@slrussell) April 12, 2014
What do you think of Musselman? Sound off in the comments!