Eric Musselman Was Dealt A Bad Hand At Usc This Season. But How Long Will Excuses Suffice?

Welcome backmost to nan Times of Troy newsletter, wherever location is nary shortage of large things happening astatine USC. Spring shot is disconnected and running, The shot programme is successful nan midst of a historical start. The men’s hoops squad is spiraling into adjacent week’s Big Ten tournament, while nan USC women were already eliminated successful theirs. Now we await connection connected not conscionable their NCAA seeding but besides their prima freshman’s status.

All 4 of those teams person faced obstacles successful their way of rebuilding. But for Eric Musselman, this men’s hoops play has been a peculiarly sadistic rung connected nan climb backmost to relevance.

It each culminated Saturday night, pinch a seventh consecutive loss, arsenic USC erstwhile again folded successful nan 2nd half. The nonaccomplishment locks successful nan longest losing streak astatine USC successful complete a decade, arsenic good arsenic nan longest losing streak of Musselman’s tenure arsenic a assemblage coach. The truth that it came successful nan last days of nan regular season, connected nan heels of USC dismissing its starring scorer, Chad Baker-Mazara, made nan infinitesimal consciousness particularly bleak.

“It’s not easy,” Musselman said, resigned, Saturday night, “but I’ve done this a agelong time.”

And arsenic personification who has done this a agelong time, Musselman understands that nan work for nan team’s disastrous agelong tally yet falls squarely connected his shoulders. He’s nan 1 who constructed nan Trojans’ roster. It’s up to him arsenic nan coach to guarantee his squad develops complete nan people of a play and to support that squad from quitting erstwhile adversity strikes.

Musselman has blamed injuries for derailing his team’s champion hopes this season, and successful galore respects, he’s not wrong. It’s really reliable for immoderate squad to enactment afloat without 3 of its champion — and highest-paid — players (Baker-Mazara, Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas) for ample swaths of nan season. When those apical players bid respective cardinal per twelvemonth successful NIL and gross sharing dollars, there’s only truthful overmuch to spell astir for nan remainder of nan roster.

“It’s not an excuse,” Musselman said Saturday. “It’s a fact.”

It’s surely existent nan Trojans were dealt a bad hand. Their five-star freshman sewage into a freak car accident, past injured his knee, then, a fewer days aft yet coming back, he sewage sick. Their rising prima defender suffered a season-ending wounded successful November. And nan nonaccomplishment of Amarion Dickerson, who would’ve been a cardinal rotation piece, ended up being a awesome rustle for a squad that was counting connected everyone astatine nan apical of nan rotation to deliver.

None of those things are Musselman’s fault. But nary matter really existent it is that nan Trojans person suffered misfortunes this play dissimilar astir different teams successful assemblage basketball, if you perceive that capable times, it’s bound to yet sound for illustration an excuse.

That Rubicon was crossed astatine immoderate constituent complete nan past fewer weeks astatine USC. The nonaccomplishment to UCLA near a batch of fans fuming astir wherever nan programme stands aft 2 seasons — and immoderate wondering if Musselman is really nan correct man for nan job.

I don’t deliberation now is nan correct clip for that conversation. Not aft conscionable 2 injury-riddled, hard-luck seasons. I still judge that Musselman is simply a bully coach and a bully fresh for USC, moreover if Saturday did small to reaffirm my faith.

But aft 2 years of getting a pass, nary excuse is going to suffice if Musselman misses nan tourney adjacent season.

A historical heater for USC baseball

USC shot coach Andy Stankiewicz.

(USC Athletics)

Last May, I sat pinch Andy Stankiewicz successful nan unfinished dugout of caller Dedeaux Stadium, arsenic he harkened backmost to a clip erstwhile nan Trojans were nan astir ascendant squad assemblage shot had ever seen. Those were nan teams he grew up watching from nan bleachers astatine aged Dedeaux.

“Those teams were powerful,” Stankiewicz said. “They were strong. They were, astatine times, beautiful intimidating. That was SC. We person to thief reconstruct that respect backmost here.”

At that point, his squad had conscionable started practicing successful a half-built stadium. USC still hadn’t been to nan NCAA tourney successful a decade. But you could spot past nan instauration of thing typical being built.

Fast guardant little than a twelvemonth later, and nan Trojans person won 15 successful a statement to commencement nan shot season, matching their champion commencement successful programme history. The pitching staff, nan early of which felt uncertain erstwhile I sat pinch Stankiewicz, is now arguably nan champion successful assemblage baseball, pinch a microscopic 1.47 ERA that leads nan nation. Mason Edwards, USC’s Friday starter, has yet to springiness up a tally done 24 innings sounded this season. Grant Govel, nan Saturday starter, has fixed up 1 tally done 19 innings. Their improvement has been thing short of extraordinary.

With a triumph Tuesday against Long Beach State, this USC squad will cement its spot successful nan grounds books. But a awesome commencement to a play doesn’t mean overmuch if a squad can’t finish.

That 1988 USC squad is simply a cleanable cautionary tale. Those Trojans started 15-0, but went 21-26 nan remainder of nan way.

This USC squad has yet to beryllium tested by nan champion its schedule has to offer. But nan Trojans person nan arms, and they person nan coach, to climb backmost into existent contention this season.

—USC men’s hoops averaged 500 much fans per crippled this season. Eric Musselman said that his programme would undertake a full-scale effort to raise attendance astatine Galen Center successful his 2nd season. But nan Trojans played successful beforehand of astir nan aforesaid crowds arsenic they did past season, galore of which were still overrun by opposing fans. USC fans guarantee that they’ll spell to games if nan squad is simply a winner, but USC was 14-3 successful mid-January, and fans still weren’t precisely packing Galen. “It’s been ace challenging,” Musselman said Saturday. “I look backmost astatine each league, whether it’s nan USBL successful Sarasota, Florida, and we led that convention successful attendance. Whether it was Rapid City and we had sellouts and opinionated room only successful nan insignificant leagues, which cipher thought was possible. Whether it was Arkansas pinch 20,000 fans aliases Nevada being sold retired each crippled our past 3 years, it’s been a situation here. Our location tribunal has not been overmuch of a home-court advantage.”

—USC women’s hoops averaged 1,300 fewer fans per game. That’s to beryllium expected without JuJu Watkins suiting up this season. The Women of Troy still had an mean attendance of 4,750 fans complete 16 location games. I’d expect we spot that number spell done nan tile adjacent season, erstwhile Watkins returns and five-star prospects Saniyah Hall and Sitaya Fagan subordinate her.

—President Trump wants assemblage sports to “go backmost to nan aged system”. Good luck pinch that. The president hosted a group of politicians and assemblage sports leaders astatine nan White House for a roundtable chat Friday nighttime and, successful nan process, announced plans for a vague executive bid that would, we think, reimplement pre-NIL policies crossed assemblage sports. In reality, nan bid will get unopen down instantly successful court, and we’ll beryllium backmost wherever we started, waiting connected assemblage sports’ leaders to recognize they person to hole this problem themselves.

—Lincoln Riley said to expect much position battles successful nan fall. “That’s what happens erstwhile your roster gets much heavy and you bring successful much group and you clasp much people,” Riley said past week. It’s a bully sign, if that’s so nan case. In summation to spots we expected freshmen to contribute, specified arsenic astatine receiver aliases nan protect line, don’t beryllium shocked if we spot freshmen push for clip astatine different positions, excessively — specified arsenic violative statement and linebacker. Freshmen linemen Keenyi Pepe and Breck Kolojay, some of IMG Academy, person looked nan portion up front, while linebacker Talanoa Ili has generated a batch of buzz astatine nan commencement of campy and plays astatine a position of dire need.

Olympic sports spotlight

After early slip-ups to No. 1 UCLA and No. 6 Texas, USC formation volleyball has been connected a tear of late. The Trojans person won 10 successful a statement aft ousting No. 13 Louisiana State and No. 16 Grand Canyon astatine location complete nan weekend.

USC has nan look of a existent nationalist contender erstwhile again. Especially if it tin get continued maturation retired of freshman Sarah Wood. Wood was a coveted imaginable and is wide seen arsenic a rising prima successful nan formation volleyball world. So far, that’s looked for illustration nan lawsuit arsenic her and partner Zoey Henson person been moved into nan No. 1 brace spot since USC’s brace of early losses.

What I’m Watching This Week

Wagner Moura successful nan movie “The Secret Agent.”

(Festival de Cannes)

The Academy Awards are adjacent Sunday, and truthful past weekend, my woman and I checked disconnected our last container successful nan Best Picture category: “The Secret Agent.”

Starring Wagner Moura — who you whitethorn retrieve for playing Pablo Escobar successful nan celebrated Netflix show, “Narcos” — nan movie transports america to 1970s Brazil, which, astatine nan time, was nether authoritarian rule. Moura is tremendous arsenic Marcelo, a interrogator who’s connected nan lam for reasons we study later.

The movie is astatine its champion building hostility and showing america conscionable really anxious life is nether dictatorial rule. Not only did I find myself amazed by this movie — successful a bully way! — it besides did wonders for reaffirming my feelings connected democracy. The replacement seems ... not very fun!

In lawsuit you missed it

Eric Musselman moving retired of excuses aft USC’s latest blowout nonaccomplishment to UCLA

Jazzy Davidson to get MRI aft USC Big Ten tourney nonaccomplishment to Washington

Struggling USC men suffer to Washington, Trojans’ sixth nonaccomplishment successful a row

USC kicks disconnected outpouring shot believe pinch optimism astir influx of young talent

Former USC hoops subordinate Destiny Littleton sends dispatches from wherever she’s stuck successful Israel

Until adjacent clip ...

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you person immoderate feedback, ideas for betterment aliases things you’d for illustration to see, email maine astatine ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and travel maine connected X astatine @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter successful your inbox, click here.