Musselman, Razorbacks receiving support from former Hogs
It's no secret that the Arkansas Razorbacks (9-5, 0-1 SEC) have gotten off to a slow start this season, and even former coaches and players have reached out to head coach Eric Musselman to offer their support.
Coming off the Razorbacks' worst performance of the year — an 83-51 loss to the Auburn Tigers inside Bud Walton Arena on Saturday — encouraging messages started flowing into Musselman's phone.
"Our staff was in here all day yesterday starting at about 6:30 in the morning many of us — on a Sunday, an off-day," Musselman said Monday. "We’re going to keep going. Some of the text messages have been really cool from former assistant coaches on times we’ve struggled.
"(Former Arkansas associate head coach) David Patrick sent a long text and (former Arkansas assistant coach) Gus Argenal’s been sending text messages. We’re not going to just do the same thing over and over. We’re not going to stop tinkering and try to get better."
A long-time head coach in the NBA and the college ranks, Musselman has made connections with multiple players and coaches that are still prevalent today – even those that never played for Musselman.
"We’ve got guys playing NBA games and then texting after a game," Musselman said. "People are following the scores overseas. Guys are in the G league and they are texting. I didn’t just get one or two text messages. There were a lot of former players that I never coached that played here that are texting former things."
Arkansas is no stranger to slow starts under Musselman. Last season, the Razorbacks began conference play with a 1-5 overall record. In 2021-22, the Hogs started 0-3 in the SEC. Even in 2020-21, Arkansas was 2-4 in the SEC before kicking things into gear.
"I mean, there’s a lot of former players that have been texting in the last 24-48 hours that have said ‘Hey coach, been there. Figure it out’, so that’s what we’re trying to do," Musselman said. "It means a lot to me and I hope it means at least a little something to the guys on the roster to know that their former teammates built something and take pride in what they built."
Up next, Arkansas will take on the Georgia Bulldogs (11-3, 1-0 SEC) in Athens, Georgia, on Wednesday. The game is set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. CT and will broadcast on ESPNU.