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Compared to last season, Eric Musselman will have an abundance of talent at his disposal for Year 2 at Arkansas.
If Isaiah Joe decides to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return for his junior season, the Razorbacks will have 13 eligible scholarship players in 2020-21 after having just nine this year.
The additional depth - which comes from three sit-out transfers becoming eligible and filling an open scholarship spot - creates a welcome challenge for Musselman.
When asked about the lack of depth last season, the Razorbacks’ first-year coach revealed his philosophy is to use only seven or eight players in a game and have about four scholarships either unused or on sit-out transfers.
That has left fans wondering how playing time will be distributed next season with so many more options, but it sounds like that’s not a concern for Musselman because he’ll tweak his strategy.
“Every coach should adapt to the roster that they have,” Musselman said. “I think every year your team takes on a new identity.”
Although playing with a deep bench will be new for him as a collegiate head coach, it isn’t a completely foreign concept to Musselman.
Before breaking into the college ranks, he spent several years coaching in various minor leagues and Musselman said he regularly played 10 guys in the G-League, CBA and USBL because he felt they were all pretty equal in talent.