Arkansas basketball assistant Gus Argenal leaves for Cal State San Bernandino head coaching job

The Arkansas basketball team will have an offseason void to fill, following news that assistant coach Gus Argenal is headed to the West coast for another job.

Cal State San Bernadino announced Wednesday that it has hired Argenal as its new head coach.

“Gus embodies what I’m looking for to lead our men’s basketball program,” CSUSB athletics director Shareef Amer said in a press release. “He has a proven track record of supporting student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, on the court, in the community, and as people. His experience graduating student-athletes while coaching at a national level will position him well to build a strong championship culture in our men’s basketball program. I am excited to welcome the Argenal family to our campus and can’t wait to see our team under Gus’s leadership.”

Argenal spent two seasons in Arkansas, hired by head coach Eric Musselman back in 2021.

The two had a connection dating back to Musselman’s days at Nevada, where Argenal worked as an assistant coach. During Argenal’s final two years at Nevada, the Wolfpack went to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments and won the Mountain West Championship in both seasons.

Arkansas had similar success with Gus Argenal on the bench.

The Razorbacks went to the Elite Eight while winning 28 games during his first season reunited with Musselman, then went to the Sweet 16 this year while winning 22 games.

Argenal will now get the chance to be a head coach again.

“I want to thank athletic director Shareef Amer, President Morales, and the rest of the dedicated hiring committee for this incredible opportunity,” Gus Argenal said in a press release.

“I could not be more excited to be a part of a campus community that gives its student-athletes an elite collegiate experience. Coyote basketball has a storied tradition of winning in the CCAA and on the national stage; my goal is to build an incredible culture of winning, in and out of the classroom through hard work, brotherhood, and passion. My team will be aggressive and attack on both sides of the ball utilizing a position-less style that takes advantage of mismatches and plays with great pace for 40 minutes. Go Yotes!”

Arkansas will now have a late offseason opening to fill on Musselman’s coaching staff prior to the start of summer workouts.