It’s been a troubling few weeks for Eric Musselman.
Last month, the USC men’s basketball coach was accused of going on a racist rant in a lawsuit by a former player who had been kicked off the team. Two days later, a video surfaced showing Musselman in a nasty confrontation with a beachgoer.
In his first public comments since issuing a brief apology for the confrontation, Musselman on Thursday acknowledged that he was striving for personal growth.
“I mean, I gotta get better, you know?” Musselman said during his team’s pro day before more than a dozen NBA scouts at the Galen Center practice facility. “Obviously apologized about the beach incident, wanna get better and wanna improve, wanna be a lifelong learner, you know?
“So for us, it’s about moving forward and trying to get better in every aspect we can.”
Asked about the lawsuit filed by former Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara that accuses him of having “lost his mind” during a locker-room tirade, Musselman declined to comment.
Musselman’s response about self-reflection came after he did not directly address a question regarding his level of concern over the lawsuit and beach video impacting the perception of himself and the USC program, particularly in recruiting.
“Yeah, the recruiting right now has been, you know, great,” Musselman said. “You know, we’re trying to decide with name, image and likeness where our freshmen — the ‘27 class – where we land. But yeah, we feel like the recruiting’s going really well. This group has been totally focused on the upcoming season and from a chemistry standpoint, this group’s probably been as close as any group that I’ve had and probably been the funnest group that I’ve coached as well.”
Baker-Mazara’s lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, accused Musselman of being volatile after Baker-Mazara departed a game against Nebraska in late February with an injury.
In the locker room afterward, the lawsuit contended, Musselman began shouting at the team, and when Baker-Mazara “attempted to address his teammates by saying ‘Hey guys!,’ Coach Musselman erupted at Baker-Mazara, screaming: ‘You shut the f—k up! You are one of the worst teammates anyone can ever have!’ ”
“Wow Coach, do you need me to leave,” Baker-Mazara allegedly responded, “because I don’t understand this animosity.”
Baker-Mazara’s lawsuit alleged that Musselman then told him, “Yes, leave! Go back to the f—king Dominican Republic! Nobody wants you here!! F—k you!”
The day after the game, Baker-Mazara – a native of the Dominican Republic – was dismissed from the team. His lawsuit accused USC and its representatives of impugning his character to at least one media outlet following his departure.
The lawsuit seeks damages for reputational harm to his NBA aspirations as well as USC having terminated his NIL contract by claiming he had violated a “morals clause.” Among other things, Baker-Mazara is suing for breach of contract, conversion and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.
In his mid-September beach confrontation, Musselman challenged a treasure hunter wielding a metal detector who had walked into the back of a team photo shoot at the Manhattan Beach Pier.
After the treasure hunter alleged in an interview with the California Post that someone from Musselman’s staff initially asked him to get out of the way and he refused, Musselman approached him and escalated the situation.
Musselman appeared to tell the treasure hunter in the video to “shut the f—k up,” before he called him a “f—king d—khead.”
When the treasure hunter responded, “No,” Musselman asked, “What do you mean, no?”
“I mean, no,” the treasure hunter said, according to the video footage. “There’s a camera right there.”
Musselman then got near the treasure hunter and said, “Somebody should f—king drop your ass is what should happen.” The coach then walked away.
In a statement to the Post after the release of the video, Musselman said he was sorry for his actions, writing, “I know the responsibilities that come with my role, and while I was trying to step in and support my coach, I definitely should have handled this situation better and will learn from this for the future.”
Musselman is heading into his third season at USC with what appears to be his best team, the Trojans’ roster featuring five former McDonald’s All-Americans. The Trojans are seeking their first NCAA tournament appearance under Musselman.
