Eric Musselman is not on the hot seat. However, the head college basketball coach at USC is currently dealing with a negative media storm after missing out on March Madness during each of his first two seasons.
A new video from Manhattan Beach does not help with the optics of an ongoing lawsuit.
This is one of those things where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The college basketball coach is choosing to move on.
Chad Baker-Mazara is suing USC for monetary damages.
If we are to be honest, Chad Baker-Mazara of the most disliked players in recent college basketball history. The talented small forward constantly found himself at the center of controversy, oftentimes because of his own actions.
Baker-Mazara began his career with one season at Duquesne, spent one season at San Diego State, one season on the junior college level at Northwest Florida State, two seasons at Auburn and a portion of 2025-26 season at USC. The Aztecs kicked him off of the team in 2022 for academic reasons. His behavior was an issue at Auburn. The brief tenure in Los Angeles was a disaster.
Despite all of this, Baker-Mazara was a crucial piece to the Tigers’ run to the Final Four in 2025. He was also the second-leading scorer for the Trojans last season. He can hoop! It was his inability to stay out of trouble that… got him in trouble.
In the end, Baker-Mazara’s career came to an abrupt end in early March. USC removed him from the roster after it had been eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention. He decried his dismissal and didn’t know why he was let go during the season, but Ryan Kartje reported multiple in-season incidents that led to the eventual breakup.
Now, six months later, Baker-Mazara is actively suing the university and Eric Musselman for an undisclosed amount of money. The 26-year-old claims the head coach “launched into a profanity-laced, racially-charged post-game locker room tirade” after a loss to Nebraska. He allegedly called him a one of the worst teammates anyone can ever have.” Based on his past behavior at Auburn and San Diego State, I don’t think anyone would be surprised if that characterization is actually true.
Musselman, who is married to (and has a child with) a woman of color, has not addressed the lawsuit. Nor has the university.
Eric Musselman apologized for his expletive-laced Manhattan Beach tirade.
With two disappointing college basketball seasons now in the past, USC is turning its attention to 2026-27. The Trojans need to make March Madness if Eric Musselman is going to be secure in his role as head coach. He knows that.
Unfortunately, the new season began with an unfortunate interaction.
Musselman brought his players down to the South Bay to take photos at the iconic Manhattan Beach pier. A man with a metal detector walked into the background. He refused to leave when asked to do so by an assistant coach. The head coach stepped in.
Technically speaking, the “treasure hunter” had every right to be there. It is a public beach. If we’re being real, he was the bad guy. The “treasure hunter” was needlessly confrontational and refused to get out of the frame out of sheer defiance.
Musselman released a statement of apology to the New York Post:
“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.”
The timing of this video is not ideal, given the Baker-Mazara lawsuit. The optics are not great for a coach who has not won more than 20 games in either of his first two seasons at USC. He knows that. He apologized.
However, the man with the metal detector also could’ve moved. Allow the Trojans to take their photos, come back later.