Eric

Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where the new year has gotten off to somewhat of a rocky start at USC. The defensive coordinator search drags on. The Trojans’ five-star quarterback is in the transfer portal. The women’s basketball team lost consecutive games for the first time in two years. The men’s team got pummeled on its trip through Michigan.

I talked to Eric Musselman two days after the Trojans lost to Michigan State by 29. The team was already in Minneapolis, the third leg of a brutal, three-game road swing. It was a stop I knew would mean a lot to Musselman. Minnesota, after all, was where his father, Bill Musselman, got his big break as a basketball coach. He coached in Minneapolis for four seasons and, in 1972, brought the Golden Gophers their first Big Ten title in 53 years.

“The building was sold out,” Musselman recalled proudly last week. “And then the hockey arena was sold out because of the extra people that wanted to come to games. They’d have to watch it on closed-circuit TV.”

Musselman saw it all up close at a young age — the highs, the lows of being a college coach. I think he’d agree that that time spent watching those Golden Gopher teams would ultimately serve as the foundation for his own career coaching basketball. Today, 25 years after his father died, it still feels that way to Musselman, whose career has followed an eerily similar path to his late father.

“I don’t think he did a very good job teaching me anything other than [basketball],” Musselman joked.

Every day, he finds himself asking what his dad would have done. He thinks of him most when adversity strikes, like it did last week. His Trojans, after an impressive 12-1 start, were in a tenuous spot after its first two games of the new year, reeling from two blowout losses and stuck on the road for 10 days. Musselman wondered, as they practiced that morning in Minneapolis, what his father might say to help them snap the team out of its slump.

“I felt his presence this morning, before we went to practice, telling me what he would do in this situation,” Musselman told me.

Whatever it was, it worked. USC ended its losing streak by escaping Minneapolis with a win.

His dad never saw him reach the dream they’d both been striving for. His father died less than two years before he was named the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. His absence was crushing to Musselman, who considered him his “best friend.”

In his new office, just before he was introduced as coach, Musselman broke down in tears.

“I felt like my dad had been mentoring me to do this as a baby,” Musselman told Dan Le Batard in 2025. “It was his thought that this could happen. The fact that he wasn’t going to be there for it, it hurt.”

When I heard Musselman tell that story last year, it hit me particularly hard. I lost my own dad about a year and a half ago. He died suddenly of a heart attack, and his absence has felt like a gaping hole in those mile-marker moments — such as when my son took his first steps or went to his first football game. That’s when it becomes painfully clear how long he’s been gone.

Musselman has spent his coaching career surrounded by those reminders of his father. I told him I couldn’t imagine being constantly reminded of my dad’s absence whenever I went to work.

“I would say it’s harder that way,” Musselman told me. “But also, I feel closer to him. Even though he’s not here. I wouldn’t feel like that if he’d been a dentist.”

I still find myself struggling to find that silver lining. But talking to Musselman, I found it reassuring to hear how often he still feels his father’s presence. That’s not something I ever would’ve understood before losing my dad.

On Friday, in Minneapolis, Musselman was back in the building that meant so much to him and his dad. Everywhere there were reminders of their past life, happy reminders of how much his father had meant to him — and to. so many others.

Transfer portal notes, Week 2

Husan Longstreet

(Luke Hales / Getty Images)

—Five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet is in the transfer portal. USC made its case to keep Longstreet. But he wanted to start somewhere as a redshirt freshman, ideally at a contender, and USC couldn’t give him that. There’s a small chance Longstreet could look around and decide there’s no better opportunity than the one he has in L.A. But Longstreet already visited Louisiana State. USC plans to forge on with incoming freshman Jonas Williams as its future under center.

—USC found its punter for 2026, and he’s an Aussie. Lachlan Carrigan spent last season at Memphis, averaging 43.2 yards per punt as a freshman. For what it’s worth, that’s better than USC’s punter last season, Sam Johnson, who averaged 42.1 yards per punt.

—Don’t be surprised if USC doesn’t make many more waves in the transfer window. The Trojans have added six players so far, five of which are joining the defense. New wideout Terrell Anderson is going to play a big part on offense. I like defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren as an experienced option on the interior, and cornerback Jontez Williams seems like a clear upgrade. But this portal class isn’t going to blow anyone away. The plan had always been to deemphasize transfers this season.

Chad Baker-Mazara slams two points home against Minnesota.

(David Berding / Getty Images)

—USC intends to keep its defensive staff intact. Could that affect a coordinator hire? My understanding is that USC is currently expecting to retain its defensive staff. Defensive line coach Shaun Nua was at one point brought up as a coordinator candidate at Brigham Young, his alma mater. But a hire was made. Eric Henderson was floated as a possibility at Georgia Tech, his alma mater. They chose a different coordinator Saturday. As USC searches for its own coordinator, the hope has been to find someone who would fit in alongside its current staff. Could that limit the pool of coaches considering the job? Potentially, yeah. But Lincoln Riley has made it clear ever since he came to USC that he values continuity and loyalty. That’s also been reflected in his assistants’ contracts, which would cost USC a pretty penny to buy out, if it came to that. Plans are always subject to change, depending on the candidate that comes along or how the carousel works out. But the goal right now is to keep the gang together.

—As anxious as it might make you, it’s better that USC takes its time in finding a defensive coordinator. Before USC announced the hire of Chad Bowden as general manager, fans were losing their minds at how long it was taking to bring someone in. But those same fans would probably argue now that the wait ended up being worth it. There’s no reason to think the same couldn’t be true at defensive coordinator. It’s been two weeks since Lynn left for Penn State, and there have been ongoing conversations with candidates. Don’t be surprised if the search continues on without conclusion through the next week as well.

—Star freshman Alijah Arenas’ debut will wait at least another week. The hope has always been to have the five-star freshman back by mid-January, but it’s looking more like that timeline could be pushed back a bit. Having seen him practice, it’s clear his explosiveness is intact after such a long layoff. The big question, as is often the case with knee injuries, is whether Arenas will be able to move as well on the defensive end. He should start off playing a healthy amount of minutes right away … assuming the plan stays the same.

—Chad Baker-Mazara bounced back in a big way Friday. Can he keep it up? After a brutal stretch in the state of Michigan in which the Trojans’ leading scorer shot just five of 17, Baker-Mazara scored 29 points, with eight assists. Without him, USC wouldn’t have been able to hang on in overtime against Minnesota. But relying on Baker-Mazara to be the top option could continue to produce roller-coaster results this season. Arenas could help take the pressure off, especially as the stakes are raised in the coming weeks.

—Blue chip Aussie freshman Sitaya Fagan could technically play this season for the USC women. But no matter how much the Trojans may need the 6-foot-4 standout’s size and athleticism in the paint, I’m told USC will stick to its plan to have Fagan sit and learn the rest of this season, in order to hit the ground running for the 2026-27 slate. Fagan is still just 17, and the intent of her coming stateside now was to give her time to acclimate. That long-game approach is ultimately a good thing, even if USC is struggling in the frontcourt right now and could use a new face.

Olympic sports spotlight

A few days before the men’s volleyball season kicked off Saturday, USC announced a contract extension for coach Jeff Nygaard through 2028. This season marks Nygaard’s 11th as coach, and while his career record of 123-136 might not seem all that impressive on paper, competing in indoor men’s volleyball is actually more difficult than you might think at USC.

Nygaard previously only had 4 ½ scholarships to split among his team, and with the cost of attendance at USC higher than most anywhere else in college volleyball, it made for a smaller pool of players available in an otherwise talent-rich region. But the advent of revenue sharing and roster limits removed the cap on those scholarships, meaning USC can pay more of the way for men’s volleyball players if it chooses.

Of course, men’s volleyball isn’t the only Olympic sports program asking for that investment. But while USC has other major sports programs it must pour money into, other small schools are now finding themselves in a unique position of power. For a program such as Long Beach State, one that doesn’t have to support football, why not pour money into building a men’s volleyball powerhouse?

It’s more of an uphill climb in that sense for USC and Nygaard, which is part of the reason why the school offered him an extension. There’s been an effort to maintain continuity with the programs that face those similar challenges.

“It validates a number of different things we’re trying to do and how we’re doing our business,” Nygaard told me. “The continuity piece is huge for just the bedrock of the program, just to trust that they get, day after day, they don’t have to deal with massive change.”

USC was 21-7 last season and finished second in the MPSF. That was a breakthrough that Nygaard is hoping to build on. It started Saturday with a sweep of St. Thomas Aquinas.

“We’re working towards taking our good to great,” Nygaard said.

In case you missed it

Kara Dunn’s late scoring surge can’t save No. 21 USC in loss to Minnesota

Chad Baker-Mazara scores 29 points, leading USC to overtime win over Minnesota

USC quarterback Husan Longstreet announces he’s entering transfer portal

‘We were too casual.’ USC women lose big lead and fall to Oregon

What I’m watching this week

The team from “The Traitors” after winning at last year’s Emmy Awards.

(Richard Shotwell / Richard Shotwell/invision/ap)

One of the best competition reality shows on television is back on Peacock. “The Traitors” has never failed me in any season, and the first three episodes of this one have already delivered. You can always count on this show to reinvent itself, and this season adds an interesting twist to the traitor dynamic.

If you haven’t already tried “The Traitors” before, now is the time to get on board.

Until next time …

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Dave Roberts tossed T-shirts to fans. The students were back out in bunches. UCLA traded in its recent first-half troubles for a big lead.

It was sort of fun to be a Bruin again Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.

On an evening the team honored Roberts, the Dodgers manager and former Bruins outfielder who triumphantly hoisted the World Series trophy over his head during a timeout as fans roared, it was possible to forget about UCLA’s troubles for a few hours.

The Bruins’ 67-55 victory over Maryland was a needed reprieve for a team aching over its defense, not to mention a two-game losing streak that was comfortably snapped despite the Terrapins grabbing one offensive rebound after another.

Maryland (7-9, 0-5) finished with an absurd 20 offensive rebounds, leading to 24 second-chance points, and it still wasn’t enough to make the final minutes a worry for UCLA (11-5, 3-2) after a 6-0 push put the game away.

Forward Eric Dailey Jr. ensured that things didn’t go awry for the Bruins, nearly logging a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. Trent Perry (16 points, six rebounds) hit a clutch corner three-pointer with a little less than six minutes left after Maryland had closed to within five points.

Maryland’s inability to make baskets — the Terrapins shot 30.3% overall and 18.2% from three-point range — was forced in part by some active defense, notably from UCLA’s Steven Jamerson II. The backup center had perhaps his best across-the-board showing as a Bruin, finishing with eight points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 22 minutes.

UCLA guard Trent Perry, left, collides with Maryland guard Andre Mills while battling for a defensive rebound in the first half Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

His top highlight came on an offensive rebound he snagged while falling out of bounds and saved by flinging a pass to Perry for a three-pointer. UCLA would have won with even greater ease had it not made just 18 of 27 free throws (67%).

There were moments it was easy to forget the Bruins were playing without guard Skyy Clark (hamstring) and forward Brandon Williams (lower-leg injury). Both players are considered day to day, meaning they could return soon.

Maryland could relate to being shorthanded. The Terrapins were missing star center Pharrel Payne, who remained sidelined because of a knee injury. Forward Elijah Sanders led Maryland with 17 points.

It wasn’t nearly enough given the Bruins looked a bit more like the team they need to be.

NEW YORK — Four years ago, New York City Mayor Eric Adams swept into office with swaggering confidence, pledging to lead a government unlike any other in history and declaring himself the “future of the Democratic Party.”

On the first promise, the mayor more than delivered. But as his tumultuous term comes to an end, Adams, 65, finds himself in the political wilderness, his onetime aspirations as a party leader now a distant memory.

Instead, he has spent his final weeks in power wandering the globe, publicly mulling his next private sector job and lashing out at the “haters” and “naysayers” whom he accuses of overlooking his accomplishments.

For many of his supporters, the Adams era will be looked back on as a missed opportunity. Only the second Black mayor in city history, he helped steer New York out of the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, often linking the city’s comeback to his own rise from humble roots in working-class Queens.

At a moment when many Democrats were struggling to address voter concerns about public safety, he drew national attention for a “radically practical” agenda focused on slashing crime and reactivating the economy.

But while most categories of crime returned to pre-pandemic levels, Adams will probably be remembered for another superlative: He is the only New York City mayor of the modern era to be indicted while in office.

“That’s a disappointment for voters, especially for Black voters, who had high expectations and aspirations,” said Basil Smikle, a political strategist who served as executive director of the state’s Democratic Party. “He entered with a lot of political capital, and that was squandered, in part because of his own hubris.”

Equally memorable, perhaps, were the strange subplots along the way: his hatred of rats and fear of ghosts; the mysteries about his home, his diet, his childhood; and his endless supply of catchphrases, gestures and head-scratching stories that could instantly transform a mundane bureaucratic event into a widely shared meme.

“So many mayors want to be filtered, they want to pretend who they are and act like they are perfect,” Adams said during a recent speech at City Hall, a freewheeling affair that ended with the mayor burying a time capsule of his achievements beneath a Manhattan sidewalk. “I am not.”

Swagger versus seriousness

Adams took over from Mayor Bill de Blasio in January 2022, amid a COVID-19 spike that was killing hundreds of New Yorkers every day, along with a worrisome uptick in both violent crime and unemployment.

Adams, a former police captain, Brooklyn borough president and state senator, increased patrols on streets and subways, brought back a controversial anti-crime unit and appointed the department’s first female police commissioner. He also raised eyebrows for installing many of his former Police Department allies, including some ex-officials with histories of alleged misconduct.

As he encouraged New Yorkers to return to their pre-pandemic lives, Adams made an effort to lead by example, frequenting private clubs and upscale restaurants in order to “test the product” and “bring swagger back” to the city, he said.

But if New Yorkers initially tolerated Adams’ passion for late-night partying, there seemed to be a growing sense that the mayor was distracted, or even slacking off, according to Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime Democratic consultant and supporter of Adams.

“There was a tension between swagger and seriousness,” Sheinkopf said. “New Yorkers wanted to see more seriousness. They didn’t want to see him out partying at some club they couldn’t afford to go into.”

It didn’t help that Adams often declined to say who was footing the bills for his meals, his entry into private clubs or his flights out of the city. When reporters staked out his nighttime activities, they found that Adams, who long professed to be a vegan, regularly ordered the branzino.

Asked about his diet, the mayor acknowledged that he ate fish and occasionally “nibbled” on chicken, describing himself, as he often would in the coming years, as “perfectly imperfect.”

City Hall in crisis

The corruption investigation into Adams’ campaign, launched quietly in the early stages of his mayoralty, first spilled into public view in the fall of 2023, as federal agents seized the mayor’s phones as he was leaving an event. It loomed for nearly a year, as Adams faced new struggles, including a surge of migrants arriving in the city by bus.

Then, on Sept. 26, 2024, federal prosecutors brought fraud and bribery charges against Adams, accusing him of allowing Turkish officials and other businesspeople to buy his influence with illegal campaign contributions and steep discounts on overseas trips.

Investigators also seized phones from the mayor’s police commissioner, schools chancellor and multiple deputy mayors. Each denied wrongdoing, but a mass exodus of leadership followed, along with questions about the mayor’s ability to govern.

Adams insisted, without evidence, that he had been politically targeted by the Biden administration for his criticism of its immigration policy. But his frequently invoked mantra — “stay focused, no distractions, and grind” — seemed to lose potency with each new scandal.

Among them: a chief adviser indicted by state prosecutors in a separate alleged bribery scheme involving a bike lane and minor TV role; another longtime adviser forced to resign after handing a chip bag filled with cash to a reporter; and a string of abuse and corruption allegations within the Police Department, many of them linked to longtime friends Adams had installed in high-ranking positions.

Looking back at what went wrong, both supporters and critics of the mayor tend to agree on at least one point: Adams could be loyal to a fault, refusing to distance himself from long-serving allies even after they appeared to cross ethical lines.

“There was one City Hall made up of dedicated and competent leaders focused on executing his priorities,” said Sheena Wright, Adams’ former first deputy mayor. “There was another City Hall made up of people who knew the mayor for a long time, and who were allowed to operate outside the norms of government.”

‘A nuclear bomb’

Facing a plummeting approval rating and the prospect of years in prison, Adams began aligning himself with President Trump, going to great lengths to avoid criticizing the Republican and even leaving open the possibility of switching parties.

That seemed to work: Weeks after Trump took office, the Justice Department dismissed the corruption case, writing in a two-page memo that it had interfered with Adams’ ability to help with the president’s immigration agenda.

But in the view of Evan Thies, one of Adams’ closest advisers at the time, that was the moment that sealed Adams’ fate as a one-term mayor.

“The memo hit like a nuclear bomb,” Thies said.

The damage worsened a few days later, when Adams appeared on “Fox & Friends” alongside Trump’s border director Tom Homan, who threatened to “be up his butt” if the mayor didn’t comply with Trump’s agenda.

“It seemed to confirm the belief that he had traded his duty to New Yorkers for his personal freedom,” Thies recalled. “It wasn’t true, but that was perception.”

Adams adamantly denied striking a deal with the Trump administration. He has continued to suggest a broad conspiracy against him, at times blaming bureaucrats in the “deep state.”

Even with his case behind him, Adams struggled to build a reelection campaign. Earlier this year, his approval rating sank to a record low. In September, he abandoned his efforts, throwing his support behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a onetime rival he’d recently referred to as a “snake and a liar.”

As of late December, Adams’ plans for life after he leaves office remain uncertain.

“I did what I had to do, I left everything I had on the ice, and I’m looking forward to the next step of my journey,” he said during a farewell speech at City Hall.

Then, for the third time in as many months, Adams took off on an international trip. This time, the destination was Mexico.

Offenhartz writes for the Associated Press.