Razorbacks appreciate Musselman's challenges and consistency
The Arkansas Razorbacks are 3-0 to start the 2019 season and on top of winning ball games, new head hog Eric Musselman has won his players over in a very short timespan.
Hired in April, Musselman came into a good situation at Arkansas with a team that's consistently above .500, yet the Hogs have been lacking that extra oomph that gets teams into the NCAA tournament. Through three games, it looks like Musselman and his staff have been able to coach that oomph into them.
After leading Arkansas in scoring for the third consecutive game, junior Mason Jones had high, high praise for the job Musselman's done so far and how he's gotten the best out of him.
"I wasn’t one of the people that liked defense at first," Jones said. "But I knew I had to come in and get ready to play defense this year, and Coach Musselman just challenged me."
After a bad in-bounds play, Musselman got in Jones' business but the Texas native appreciated the push.
"He just went ballistic," Jones said. "I’m not going to say what he said, but just know that he went crazy. I’ve been getting it a lot at practice. But just seeing him do it in game, he’s just pushing me hard. It’s amazing, just knowing that he’s got a lot of confidence in me and he sees a lot in me, and he just wants me to be one of the best players in the country."
It’s amazing to see the same thing he does in practice, he does in front of a lot of people (at the game). It’s not like he’s being two-faced or he’s changing. He does the same thing when people don’t see it and he does the same thing when people see it. For him to be consistent is amazing. I’m glad he got on me, because I needed it.
As a team, the Hogs have held their first three opponents to 50 points or fewer which is a stat they haven't repeated since the 40s. Musselman has talked about the team setting smaller goals (like holding Montana's top scorer Sayeed Pridgett to 13 or fewer points) and preparing as much as possible for each opponent.
The moment the Hogs enter their locker room after the game, there's already a roster and scouting report up on the team board for the next foe. This past week, the team found a siren to blast whenever Pridgett (Reggie Chaney on scout team) held the ball to encourage the defense to crash down on him.
"It’s crazy that we see different methods to guard people," Jones said. "Last year, we really didn’t do scout. This year, he probably takes scout harder than anything I’ve ever seen in my basketball career. Coach Musselman is putting us in the right position, knowing each player, knowing each play that they run. It’s incredible."
"Preparation is key," Adrio Bailey added after his double-double night. "The way we prep for games, it would be hard to beat us."
Jones finished the press conference after the Montana win with some of the highest praise for Musselman perhaps any player has ever given a coach at this level, and it's impressive given it's been less than a year of the Musselman era.
"We can’t really cherish how excited we are to have Coach Musselman here, and we are really excited to see how we do this year knowing that every day he pushes us harder and harder," Jones said. "Every day, he doesn’t give anybody leniency, he pushes everybody the same way. From walk-ons to Isaiah Joe, from Ethan Henderson to Dro, his consistency is amazing.
"Seeing that makes us want to come in and practice harder. Like I said, as long as we stay ready, as long as we accept criticism, accept Coach Musselman and how he’s going to run us and prepare us, then we are going to be alright."
"And he’s a fun guy," Bailey said. "He has a personality."