"Arkansas lost a gem in [Eric] Musselman" "Bunch of low major guys": College hoops fans have mixed reactions to new USC HC's signing spree 

Newly hired USC men`s basketball coach Eric Musselman, formerly of Arkansas, has hit the ground running in terms of retooling the Trojans` roster for the upcoming season. This follows a disappointing season for the team, especially when compared to what the women`s squad was able to accomplish in the most recent March Madness.

Musselman`s signing spree already saw him land six players from the portal, alongside one top 50 HS recruit. College Basketball Report shared on X/Twitter a list of all the new guys that will be joining USC next season:

The players are as follows:

• Saint Thomas (19.7 PPG UNCO)
• Bryce Pope (18.3 PPG @ UCSD)
• Clark Slajchert (18.0 PPG @ Penn)
• Josh Cohen (15.9 PPG @ UMass)
• Rashaun Agee (13.3 PPG @ BGSU)
• Matt Knowling (11.6 PPG @ Yale)
• Isaiah Elohim (Top-50 HS)

These players are coming into SoCal during a rebuilding phase for the Trojans. They`re coming into next season without top players like Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis (both declared for the 2024 NBA draft) and with Bronny James entering the transfer portal, among other players already on their way out.

Sure enough, fans immediately flocked to the post on X to share their thoughts. Some of them were supportive, while others weren`t as impressed with Eric Musselman`s recruiting chops:

More fans chimed in on the new USC recruits, in equal parts hopeful and skeptical as well:

"True or False every player they added is better than Bronny?" one fan said.

"Not bad," simply said another.

"Those additions are not going to get it done in the BIG conference," said another critic.

"He knows they are playing in the Big 10 right?" added another fan.

Eric Musselman`s new coaching job at a glance

Musselman became the new head coach for USC after former tactician Andy Enfield was let go following 11 seasons at the helm. His contract at SoCal is still not revealed, but for the sake of context, Arkansas paid him $4.2 million a year, and he also had four more years remaining through the 2027-28 season when he took the Trojans coaching job (via Arkansas Online).

The six additions from the portal are notably all double-digit scorers for their previous teams, which could indicate that Eric Musselman wants to ensure USC can score the ball when they need to. However, the clear outlier is the lone incoming freshman Isaiah Elohim, who is a four-star recruit (via 247Sports).

Elohim hails from Sierra Canyon and notably was a former Arkansas commit (via ArkansasRazorbacks.com) before going back and following Musselman to SoCal.