State of the Hogs: ESPN's Dykes likes what he sees from Musselman

Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman reacts, Wednesday, March 11, 2020 during a basketball game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Jimmy Dykes has time to write a book these days.

Wait, ESPN’s basketball analyst already did that.

I’ll read his book “The Film Doesn’t Lie” in a few days and get back to you on the goodies discovered. There will be many.

The purpose of the phone visit with my friend this week was to discuss Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman.

First, we compared notes on what we are doing to kill time while quarantined.

“We take rides in the golf cart,” said Dykes, who lives adjacent to Springdale Country Club.

“Then, one day a week, we go through the drive through at Chick-fil-A. That’s one risk per week for my family.”

So there is plenty of time to talk about Musselman, 20-12 after his first season at Arkansas. Dykes said it was a highly impressive performance from his seat as a TV analyst.

“I only had Arkansas for one game, at LSU,” Dykes said of the Razorbacks’ 79-77 loss on Jan. 8.

But it was enough to become highly impressed with what Musselman put together at Arkansas.

“What I do in preparation is watch two tapes of previous games,” Dykes said. “I watch them through the eyes of a coach. Then, I talked to Eric on the phone. Then, I talk to coaches from two teams they have played right before doing the game.

“Since he was new to the (SEC), I studied him hard. I wanted to have a good base line before I did the LSU game.”

Everything added up right, especially when Dykes saw the shoot-around practice the day before the LSU game.

“The game day prep was really impressive,” Dykes said. “It was so much teaching. There were posters on the floor at each position for the players to read, just reminders of things they’d already been told on the scouting report.

“There was a lot of information. I wondered how much of that they could retain in the game, but then I saw it being reinforced during the game and everything being implemented. They did retain what he was giving them.

“He was throwing an awful lot at them and I saw in that shoot around that they could answer his questions. It was impressive to see them absorb so much and play the way they played.”

Dykes reminds that it isn’t easy for a first-year coach to get his system running smoothly. He went through that as Arkansas' women’s coach just a few years ago.

“It’s difficult,” Dykes said. “He checked a lot of boxes with me on what he did and how he did it.

“There were four first-year head coaches in the SEC and he got as much done as any of them. You watch his team play, you come away saying: This is who we are. This is how we play. That’s not easy to accomplish. I went through it.”

If you want to judge harshly, there was a 7-11 SEC record for Musselman.

“You would want more conference wins, yes,” Dykes said. “But they hung in there with injuries (to Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe) at different points of the season and had limitations as far as roster depth and size.

“I could argue that he should have been SEC coach of the year. It was a tremendous hire with what he did on the court. Then, when you add in his recruiting class, easily top 10 in the nation, and add in the really good transfers he’s got sitting out, it’s all impressive.”

Dykes isn’t the only one feeling the good vibes. If you polled the Arkansas fan base, you hear no negative talk.

“That’s what is most important,” Dykes said. “He has the confidence of the fans.

“I think the Arkansas fans think something special is coming. I don’t know that I’ve seen anyone do that so quickly.

“It took Eddie Sutton time for everyone to believe in him. It took Nolan Richardson time, too. Musselman did it in one year. If you ask 100 Arkansas fans how he’s doing, 95 will say they like him before you finish the question.”

Dykes liked Musselman before doing the deep dive ahead of the LSU game.

“I knew it wasn’t going to take him three or four years to flip things,” Dykes said. “He had a history of taking transfers at Nevada. He was very aggressive in that area. His reputation is that he was a good recruiter.”

As more information has surfaced, Dykes said it’s only gotten better.

“He uses his NBA background so well,” Dykes said. “His tie to the NBA speaks to the kids, and he shows them the drill work that hones their skills.

“And, he understands social media so well. That is a skill no one should under rate. It’s so important in recruiting.

“Kids want to know how they are going to get to the league. He shows them.

“I don’t think anyone is doing that part better than Eric Musselman right now. He’s creative and presents his personality in a clever way.”

It adds up to a winning formula.

“I think it does,” Dykes said. “He touches every area. I even like the cool look he has on game day with the polos. It’s getting a great reaction from kids. As they say, he is trending up.”

Arkansas will show up in the polls to start next year.

“I think they will be in every top 20 poll,” Dykes said. “Tennessee is going to be preseason pick in the SEC, in my opinion, but Arkansas will be right there, too.

“I think it will be probably Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and Florida all in the top 25. That’s a big start for Eric after one year.

“I thought it was a great hire then and I like it more now. Arkansas needed new and different. That’s no knock on Mike Anderson. He was what was needed at that time.”

The way Musselman coaches is perfect for today’s athletes, but not easy.

“His system is based on giving players offensive freedom,” Dykes said. “They like that, but you also see that he does have restrictions and is coaching them on situations.

“It’s a lot of teaching to get it done right. There is a lot of stuff to know to play the way his teams play.

“Then, you see his defensive fundamentals and know that it’s a lot of drill work to get a team to look that way.”

The defensive look is a throw back to the Sutton days. Dykes played and coached for Sutton.

“I do see that,” Dykes said. “As I’ve said, I saw a lot of teaching when I watched his practice. It’s all there.”

It’s something good to think about as you make that trip for take-out food. There may be risk involved, but apparently there was no risk involved in the hiring of Musselman.