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4 NCAA basketball coaches most likely to jump to the NBA

By Brian Kinel

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 30: Head coach Juwan Howard of the Michigan Wolverines reacts during the second half against the UCLA Bruins in the Elite Eight round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 30, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 30: Head coach Juwan Howard of the Michigan Wolverines reacts during the second half against the UCLA Bruins in the Elite Eight round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 30, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Eric Musselman – Arkansas

Eric Musselman grew up in the NBA, tagging along when his dad Bill coached both Cleveland and Minnesota. Eric was an assistant on his dad’s staff in Minnesota and also was an assistant in Orlando, Atlanta and Memphis. He then got his shot as a head coach with Golden State for two years and then a season with Sacramento.

He also had a lot of successful minor league head coaching experience with a record of 400-155 (.721). His CBA coaching record of 278-122 (.688) is the second-highest winning percentage in league history behind long-time NBA coach George Karl.  Between 1990-1997 he had 24 players called up to the NBA, the most in the league. Musselman won two championships in the USBL and was D League coach of the year in 2012.

His first college head coaching job was at Nevada where he took over a team that had been 9-22. He turned that around to 24-14 in his first year by building with transfers, just like NBA free agents. While Nevada won 36 games in the three years before his arrival, Musselman won 81 games in his first three seasons.

Musselman is attractive to NBA teams because he can turn things around quickly. NBA teams who have coaching openings tend not to have had recent winning seasons.

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