FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Coming out of the first appearance of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight program in more than 25 years, the University of Arkansas has signed men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman to a new labor agreement that could extend Musselman’s term in Fayetteville at least for the 2028 season.
The five new ones–The one-year agreement will run from May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2026 and includes the potential for a couple of one-year (2027, 2028) automatic extensions based on Arkansas receive offers at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament within the term of the agreement.
“As I mentioned during what was a memorable men’s basketball season, the best way for any head coach to stand up for themselves and their program is to win games,” said Vice President and Athletics Director Hunter Yurachek. “Coach Musselman won this opportunity based on the tremendous 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. in our ongoing dialogue, I am clear to myself, Coach Musselman and I share the desire to work together to ensure that you continue to be the University of Arkansas men’s men’s basketball head coach for the foreseeable future. future of Razorback Basketball and I hope our program continues to move forward under the leadership of 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 the success of the SEC and NCAA tournament, as well as the longevity of the place.
“Arkansas is one of the most important programs in the country and my family and I are thrilled to be here,” Musselman said. “I am grateful for the commitment that the University is making with me, my family and the future of our basketball program. I have a huge pride in being a razor and it is an honor to represent the state of Arkansas. Our staff remains focused on winning basketball games and building our roster for the future. We look forward to continuing to build on the foundations we have established in our first two seasons in an effort to achieve even greater success for our program, our University and Razorback fans everywhere. ”
Musselman recently completed his second season with the Razorbacks and returned the show to peaks he hadn’t seen since the mid-1990s, when the Hogs played games against consecutive national titles. 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 led the Razorbacks to the Elite Eight within the his first two seasons.
Musselman is 45-19 in two years in Arkansas and 155-53 in six years as head coach. His total .745 winning percentage ranks seventh among active NCAA coaches with a minimum of five years as a Division I program. As a college head coach, Musselman has won at least 20 games each year. , has won three conference titles and won four of the last five NCAA tournaments played.
Last season, Arkansas moved to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 1995 and won 25 overall games, which tied for the eighth best total in the NCAA and was the 13th time the program reached the mark in 98 years of basketball. The Razorbacks won 13 SEC games to finish second in the conference. The conference’s total wins were tied for the second most in school history, despite playing just 17 games, and it was the highest since it went from 13 to 5 in 2014-15. After a 2-4 start in the SEC play, Musselman bounced back on the bus in the right direction winning 12 straight games against SEC opponents and 15 of the 18 overall 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 didn’t count toward the NCAA tournament). It was the first time since 1995 that Arkansas finished the season in the top ten of the country.
For his effort, Musselman was Jim Phalen’s national coach of the year finalist, Naismith men’s men’s coach of the year semifinalist and Basketball Times ’Midlands District coach of the year.
Along with the team’s success, Musselman’s players have stood out nationally for the past two years.
Last season, Moses Moody was the first Razorback first-year student to earn American All honors and the first Razorback debutant to be a consensus selection of the All-SEC first team. The SEC’s first year has stated that the NBA draft will become the first “done and done” in Razorback’s history. Also, this past year, JD Notae was named the sixth national man of the year by Bleacher Report and the SEC’s sixth man of the year by coaches.
In the 2019-20 season, Mason Jones was named SEC Co-Player of the Year by the media and earned an honorable mention throughout the United States. Jones decided to leave his senior year and signed as a free agent with the Houston Rockets. He now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers with Razorback teammate Isaiah Joe, who entered the NBA draft after his second campaign and was selected in the second round by Philadelphia.
Despite losing both players to the NBA from a 20-win team after the first year, Musselman proved why he is one of the best recruiters in the nation as he reformed the roster for 2020-21 thanks to three of the nation’s top 15 graduate transfers, two of the nation’s top 45 transfers and the country’s fifth-best recruiting class. This spring, Musselman continues to be the standard-bearer when it comes to navigating the new landscape of college basketball recruitment.
New top-tier men’s basketball passes are now on sale. Fans who buy right now will contact them in May to get the best sites available. Current subscribers will be able to renew their subscriptions in the coming months. After completing the season ticket renewal process, all season ticket holders (renewed and new) will move on to the prioritized seat selection process in July. This provides fans access to upgrade to better seats that may not have been refurbished and are therefore already available. Contact the Razorback Ticket Center for more information. Click here for the website: phone: 800-9824647 (HOGS) or 479-575-5151. Email: [email protected].
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