The SEC was supposed to be a powerhouse in basketball this year. Auburn went into the tournament with a #2 seed. Alabama had created an arms race with them over the past few years. LSU went dancing. Kentucky was scheduled to make their triumphant return to the Final Four.
And yet, there was only one team that survived into the Elite Eight - and it was not one of the traditional powerhouses.
It was the Arkansas Razorbacks, the squad run by Eric Musselman, a coach who has been more well known for shirtless celebrations in the student section than for an outstanding coaching pedigree.
So how did he outlast the rest?
Simple. Eric Musselman learned that to succeed in college basketball in the 2020's, you have to play a brand new game - and that game is NOT about convincing kids that they want to play for your school.
It's about convincing kids they want to play for your COACH, and themselves. And it really is that simple.
A number of years ago, college sports recruiting shifted. In the days of old, kids wanted to play for schools because they grew up fans, because those schools represented their region of the country, represented where they grew up.
But since then, the game has changed. Recruiting isn't a regional game anymore. And in basketball, it's not even a national recruiting stage.
College basketball is international - at least, if you want to be successful.
Don't believe me? Well, let's take a look at a Junior College team, and I can prove it. We're not talking blue bloods. We're not talking tournament teams. We're not even talking D1 ball.
This year, the Northwest Florida State College Raiders, based in Niceville, Florida, won the National Junior College Athletic Association's National Championship game, outlasting Salt Lake Community College 83-67.
Looking down the roster, you won't see a bunch of kids from Niceville. You won't see kids primarily from Florida. You won't see kids from just the southeastern United States.
Instead, you'll see Shammah Scott, from Cleveland, Ohio. You'll see Brennan Rigsby from De Beque, Colorado. You'll see Jaylon McDaniel, from Kansas City, Missouri.
And you'll see Bretner Mutombo, from the Democratic Republic of Congo. And you'll see Fallou Diagne, from Senegal. And you'll see Adam Scherbakov from Migdal HaEmek, Israel.
You want to win? You don't recruit kids who grew up loving your school.
So if you don't recruit kids based on the school, how do you recruit them?
You do it the way Coach K did it for years: you convince the kids the school can do the most for them, and the coach can do the most for them, and their futures. You convince them that what they bring to the table, what the coach can add to their game, and what their future will be when they leave, will create a formula that leads to success in the future.
It's just that simple.
Eric Musselman realized that at Arkansas. He realized that his excitement, his energy, his willingness to go topless into the student section despite a busted arm will get a certain type of kid fired up to play for him. And he realized those things lead to three five star recruits in his next class.
And it doesn't have to be over the top energy that attracts kids. It can be professionalism. It can be a pipeline to the league. It can any factor at all that most attracts each individual player.
Lamont Paris has the opportunity at South Carolina. Six transfers out open up the roster. And open roster spots mean Lamont Paris can bring in guys who want to play FOR Lamont Paris. Forget playing for the Gamecocks. Forget representing South Carolina.
Convince them that they can succeed. Convince them that their coach can elevate them to the next level.
And let the Gamecocks benefit from that.
