Advertisement
Premium content
PREMIUM CONTENT
Published Apr 22, 2020
Does more depth mean a bigger rotation for Eric Musselman in Year 2?
circle avatar
Andrew Hutchinson  •  HawgBeat
Managing Editor
Twitter
@NWAHutch

Sign up for an annual HawgBeat subscription and get $50 for Arkansas gear on the Rivals Fan Shop ––> details

College Students, get a year of HawgBeat coverage for just $11.95. Request details via email from your school account (.edu) to nchavanelle@yahoo.com.

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.

Subscribe to read more.
Unlock Premium news from the largest network of experts.
Say your piece in exclusive fan communities.
Dominate with stats, athlete data, Rivals250 rankings, and more.
Go Big. Get Premium.Log In