Eric Musselman's latest addition of Keith Smart to the coaching staff at Arkansas isn't the typical move made by most programs, and while nothing he does is really status quo this hire certainly looks to be a home run. As Smart makes the transition from a former NBA head coach to a college assistant, he has the luxury of learning from someone who has been on the exact same journey.
The parallel paths between Smart and Musselman are hard to ignore. After a long career coaching in the professional ranks, Musselman took his first college position as an assistant at Arizona State in 2012-13. As Smart begins a new chapter of his own with a similar move to Arkansas, there's no better person to learn from than Musselman, a man who he also played for and coached with in the past.
"I’m actually going to be dealing with, living with and working with the blue print to all that," said Smart. "Eric Musselman, who has gone through the entire process, from coaching in the NBA and then going and being an assistant coach and eventually getting his head coaching opportunity, and now being here at Arkansas, I get to see that every day, what the process is, spoon-feeding me, ‘Hey Keith, basketball we got that.' We’re going to get all those things. It’s the other little intangible things that you’ll have to develop.
"It couldn’t be a better situation for me to fall into because when you have some of the other veteran coaches who have coached in college, that have communicated with the young high school kids in recruiting on those trails that can kind of spoon-feed me those things. To give you a parameter to work in and you develop and work your skill set in the new environment. I can’t tell you how important it was to fall into a place that I can see someone who has already gone that route and someone that I know personally."
It wasn't long ago Smart was in the running for the head coach opening at Indiana, his alma mater and a place where his name is cemented in history for making the game-winning shot in the 1987 National Championship. While he was going through that process, Smart leaned on Musselman frequently for advice and feedback. Interestingly enough, it became the dialogue that eventually led to him joining the staff at Arkansas.
"When I was going through the process with Indiana University, he (Musselman) obviously knew I was thinking about college, and I went through it with a couple other schools," said Smart. "I asked questions to him about college. While he was in the (NCAA) Tournament I had some questions, I had some questions for him, and he would answer those questions I had. And so the process started there. But never a point where he was saying, ’Hey come on over here.’ Because there was no availability with this staff.
"Then obviously when there was some availability for the staff, he reached out to me. He said, ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’ I didn’t hesitate when he asked that question. I said, ‘If I’m going to look at college, what better place and better person to be around to grow into it?’ Take my ego away. All the years of coaching in the NBA and doing what I was able to do. Just come back and be a student under Coach Musselman and his staff and then learn and grow."
Although the game is the same, with a few philosophical differences, much is different behind the scenes when it comes to coaching in the NBA versus the NCAA. Different rules and regulations, new guidelines and different types of relationships and responsibilities.
Musselman brought his wealth of basketball knowledge with him and learned the rest of the ropes as an assistant in college before taking over the reins at Nevada. Smart, who has aspirations of getting a college head job himself, will now do the same at Arkansas.
"What I do know from my coaching standpoint, I know the game of basketball and all those things you need to do in relationship building," said Smart. "And then what I don’t know, I’m in a great environment to learn from him and grow from his staff as well.
"I knew I needed to know more about the process, what else you need to go into. Coach Musselman and I talked about this. He shared with me he though that the fact he did become an assistant coach first in college really helped him in his next stops as a head coach. So I think that was the starting point of being there, involved in that process, and being able to talk to a few other schools really opened my eyes to it."
One thing Musselman has mentioned in the past is having to humble himself during the transition from the basketball mecca that is being an NBA head coach to taking a different seat and working under someone on a college staff. Smart is embracing it with a healthy approach.
He wants to learn and improve as a coach. Everyone has room for growth. Smart has gained bountiful wisdom from Musselman at different stops and throughout their relationship that has spanned three decades, and he's anxious for the opportunity to soak up more at Arkansas. In exchange, he hopes to bring a new dynamic to the staff and help take the Razorbacks to another level.
"When I talked to Coach about this about coming there. He knows me, so I wasn't selling myself to him," said Smart. "I have no ego about this. I want to grow. I think as a coach, as a person, one thing you want to do in life is keep evolving and keep growing. I felt that I had to take out where I've been and what I've been able to do, which was easy for me. I can learn from someone who's been through there, been through the process.
"So the ego, if you have any ego, you're going to have a problem with it because you're going to try to think that you know more. But I come in with an open canvas of growth. The knowledge that I've already obtained, I can share that. I'm in the process of just growing now and learning, trying to become I good assistant coach. I told him, 'Coach, I'm going to try to become the best recruiter. I'm going to try to become one of your best coaches that you can rely on.'"
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Keith Smart embracing journey from NBA head coach to college assistant - 247Sports
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