USC coach Eric Musselman talks about how his father, Bill, lives on through him

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

—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.

—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

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.