HawgBeat - Musselman aims to join Richardson, Sutton with Year 5 jump
Year 5 has proved to be a pivotal one for Arkansas basketball coaches in the past.
arkansas.rivals.com
We are just weeks away from the official beginning of year five of the Eric Musselman era in Fayetteville and expectations are as high as ever during his tenure.
After another lauded transfer class, two more highly-ranked freshmen and returning five contributors from a Sweet Sixteen team, the Arkansas fanbase is itching for basketball season again.
Musselman has experienced early success in Fayetteville, complete with three consecutive second-weekend appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including two Elite Eights. Is there reason to believe year five could even surpass Musselman's early success? History seems to indicate yes.
There have been six head coaches dating back to when Eddie Sutton took the head job in 1974, and only one of them has not been given a fifth year. Arkansas fired John Pelphrey in 2011 after a third consecutive losing conference record and only one NCAA Tournament birth in his first year.
Year five has been a major turning point, for better or worse, for the direction of each coach's tenure. While Musselman has had the most early success thus far of any of the other coaches, there is still room to improve, and certainly room to fall. Will the trend continue?
CONTINUE READING HERE
