Eric Musselman discusses former Arkansas stars while watching NBA Summer League games

Arkansas head basketball coach Eric Musselman was lucky enough to have one of the most loaded rosters in all of college basketball last season. The “Muss Bus” landed a historically good recruiting class in the 2022 cycle. As a matter of fact, it ranked No. 2 in the nation, according to the On3 Team Recruiting Rankings. The class included three McDonald’s All-Americans and it was the best in Razorback basketball history.

All three of those players, Jordan Walsh, Anthony Black, and Nick Smith, Jr. have since moved onto the NBA, where they’re getting their feet wet in the NBA Summer League. Musselman was on hand the past few days to watch several of his former players in person. On Sunday, he sat down to speak with Seth Greenberg of ESPN during the Los Angeles Lakers-Charlotte Hornets game.

Musselman discussed several topics on Sunday

First, he talked about what makes Anthony Black such a special player.

“I think really coach, when you look at Anthony Black, it’s the size and the IQ,” Musselman began. “To be able to play point guard in the SEC, he led the SEC in minutes played. And he played that many minutes because he was really good. He was hard to get off the floor. Great court vision. And probably his greatest characteristic is he makes others around him a better player.”

Seth Greenberg then discussed how the best players usually end up being the ones that put in the most work.

“Funny how that works right?!” Musselman laughed. “Usually those are the best players are the guys that put in and invest the time in their own player development and certainly Anthony has great work ethic as does Nick Smith.”

What’s the Summer League experience been like for Razorbacks’ head man?

“I mean it’s so cool. I’ve been on the other side of it. I’ve been a summer league coach at one time and I’m sitting here in the stands as a head coach. But there’s nothing like coming to a summer league game. It feels like our whole day is games. We have so many guys playing in the Summer League that played at Arkansas. We have a big dinner tonight with the families and the guys that are playing. But it’s a really, really cool experience to be able to watch them and to see players like Jordan Walsh already have shown improvement from where they were a couple of months ago.”

He took some time to talk about how far the NBA Summer League has come over the years, from the time that he was coaching in it, to what it’s become today.

“Well we’re pulling in in the line to get in today for this first game. I remember the Summer League when Larry Creger first started it and it was at LMU. And so, that’s a small venue. And then, Long Beach State had it for a while,” Musselman continued.

“Boston had the Shaw Summer League. But what this thing has turned into for those of us that are over probably 50 years old, we understand the growth. And this is kind of a basketball mecca in the summer. It’s a who’s who everywhere you go. Incredible what both Warren and Albert have done,” the Arkansas head coach said.

The Hogs head coach took some time to speak about what kind of a player and person the Charlotte Hornets are getting in Nick Smith, Jr.

“Well I think they know what they’re getting. They’re getting a player who’s got tremendous amount of upside. It’s really unfair to evaluate anything Nick did with us at Arkansas last year, just because you know, it started when you have an injury….And so just really, I think he’s gonna learn so much,” Musselman continued. “He’s playing for a great coach, a disciplined coach. A coach who knows how to develop players in Steve Clifford. And obviously, Mitch [Kupchak] and I had a lot of conversations leading up to the draft. And I think the fans in Charlotte are going to love him.”

Musselman has done an excellent job not only landing big-time high school talent, but he’s also done a great job finding pieces that fit his roster in the transfer portal. How has his extensive coaching background in different leagues helped him find the proper pieces to fit in the Hogs’ basketball program?

“I think a lot, especially the way the game has changed in the last couple of years on the collegiate level. Certainly, when you coach in the G-League, you might have your two best players called up and you’ve got to figure out what to do with a completely new roster. So, when people say, well there’s nine new guys or ten new guys, I kinda laugh at them, we’ve got months before we play a freakin’ game or whatever. So, we’ve got plenty of time to get them ready. It’s a lot harder in the G-League, when they send people down and you’ve gotta go play a game that night,” Musselman laughed.

The Razorbacks reloaded this offseason with the nation’s No. 11 recruiting class, according to the On3 Team Recruiting Rankings for the 2023 cycle. Musselman also went to work in the transfer portal, landing the likes of a number of uber-talented players like El Ellis of Louisville and Tramon Mark of Houston, among others.