FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Following the first appearance of the NCAA Elite Eight tournament in the last 25 years, the University of Arkansas has signed men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman to a new work agreement that could extend Musselman’s term in Fayetteville at least in the 2028 season.
The new five–The annual agreement will run from May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2026, and includes the potential for a pair of one-year automatic extensions (2027, 2028) based on receiving offers from Arkansas for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament within the agreement.
“As I mentioned during the memorable men’s basketball season, the best way for any head coach to advocate for themselves and their program is to win games,” said Vice Chancellor and Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek. “Coach Musselman won this opportunity based on the immense progress he and his coaching staff have made in the last two seasons, culminating in the most exciting season in the recent history of Razorback basketball. Based on our ongoing dialogue, it is clear to me, Coach Musselman, and I share the desire to work together to ensure that he remains the head coach of men’s basketball at the University of Arkansas for the foreseeable future. I am excited about the future of Razorback basketball and look forward to seeing our program continue to progress under coach Musselman. ”
Under the terms of the new agreement, Coach Musselman will receive $ 4.0 million in annual compensation, with additional compensation and incentive payments available based on success in the SEC and NCAA tournaments, as well as longevity in office.
“Arkansas is one of the first programs in the country and my family and I are ecstatic to be here,” Musselman said. “I am grateful for the University’s commitment to me, my family and the future of our basketball program. I am extremely proud to be Razorback and it is an honor to represent the state of Arkansas. Our staff stays focused on winning basketball games and building our list for the future. We look forward to continuing to build on the foundation we established in our first two seasons, in an effort to achieve even greater success for our program, our fans at the University and Razorback everywhere. ”
Musselman recently finished his second season with the Razorbacks and brought the show back to heights he hadn’t seen since the mid-1990s, when the Hogs played back-to-back national title games. He became the first Arkansas coach to win at least 20 games in each of his first two seasons, won up to 45 games in his first two seasons and took Razorbacks to Elite Eight in his first two seasons.
Musselman is 45-19 in two years in Arkansas and 155-53 in six years as a college head coach. His total .745 winning percentage ranks seventh among NCAA active coaches with a minimum of five years as a Division I program. As a collegiate head coach, Musselman has won at least 20 games each year, winning three conference titles and reached four of the last five NCAA tournaments played.
Last season, Arkansas advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 1995 and won 25 games overall, which tied for the eighth best total in the NCAA and was the 13th time of the program. to reach the mark in 98 years of basketball. The Razorbacks won 13 SEC games to finish second in the conference. The total conference win was tied for the second highest in school history, despite playing only 17 games, and the highest since going 13-5 in 2014-15. After a 2-4 start in the SEC game, Musselman recovered the bus in the right direction by winning 12 consecutive games against SEC opponents and 15 in the overall 18 finals.
Arkansas finished sixth in the U.S. TODAY coaches’ final poll (voted after the NCAA tournament) and No. 10 in the Associated Press poll (which did not include the NCAA tournament). It was the first time since 1995 that Arkansas finished the season in the top 10 of the nation.
For his efforts, Musselman was a finalist for National Coach of the Year Jim Phalen, a semifinalist for Male Naismith Coach of the Year and Basketball Times Midlands District Coach of the Year.
Along with the team’s success, Musselman’s players have excelled nationally for the past two years.
Last season, Moses Moody was the first Razorback freshman to win All-American honors and the first Razorback debutant to be a consensual selection for the first All-SEC team. The first year of the SEC said the NBA project would become the first “one-and-done” in Razorback’s history. Also last year, JD Notae was named the nation’s sixth man of the year by the Bleacher Report and the SEC’s sixth man of the year by coaches.
In the 2019-20 season, Mason Jones was named co-player of the year by the SEC by the media and earned honorable mention All-America honors. Jones decided to give up the final year and continued to sign as a free agent with the Houston Rockets. He now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers alongside Razorback’s teammate Isaiah Joe, who entered the NBA Draft after his sophomore year and was selected in the second round by Philadelphia.
Despite losing the two players to the NBA from a 20-win team after his first year, Musselman proved why he is one of the best recruiters in the country as he reshaped the list for 2020-21 due to three of the nation’s top 15 graduate transfers, two of the nation’s top 45 transfers and the country’s fifth-largest recruiting class. This spring, Musselman continues to be the standard-bearer when it comes to navigating the new landscape of college basketball.
The new season tickets for men’s basketball are on sale now. Fans who are currently buying will be contacted in May to be offered the best seats available. Current season ticket holders will be able to renew their season tickets in the coming months. After the end of the subscription renewal process, all subscription holders (renewed and new) will then be included in the priority site selection process in July. This gives fans access to upgrade to better places, which may not have been renewed and therefore become available. For more information, contact the Razorback ticket center. Click here for the website – phone: 800-9824647 (HOGS) or 479-575-5151. E-mail: [email protected].
For more information on Arkansas men’s basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.