LOS ANGELES — From the moment Eric Musselman took the introductory stage at USC’s Galen Center in early April, it was clear that his hiring was athletic director Jen Cohen’s primary vision.
“Jen, who is fantastic, recognized Eric right away,” then-USC President Carol Folt said in her opening remarks announcing Musselman as USC men’s basketball head coach.
And Cohen’s influence only became more apparent over the next month and a half, as USC brought in trusted coaches from its long years in Washington to round out the armada of Musselman’s assistants.
On Thursday, former Washington assistant Quincy Pondexter announced he had been hired at USC as part of Musselman’s staff. A seven-year NBA veteran, Pondexter returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach under former head coach Mike Hopkins in 2021, who was hired by Cohen in 2017 when she was Washington athletic director. Pondexter also played four years for the Huskies, from 2006 to 2010, while Cohen worked in the development offices in Washington.
This is Musselman and Cohen’s second hire in Washington, as they also removed longtime assistant Will Conroy from Hopkins’ staff after his two seasons as associate head coach of the Huskies. Conroy, like Pondexter, played in Washington in the 2000s while Cohen was a department employee, and Pondexter cited Conroy as a mentor in his previous Washington biography.
It will likely bring in significant recruits to Musselman’s staff as the program attempts to put the finishing touches on a transfer portal based on veteran talent. In addition to Pondexter and Conroy, Musselman brought with him to USC longtime Arkansas staff members Anthony Ruta, Todd Lee and his son Michael Musselman.
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