The final seconds were ticking away before tip-off, counting down to the start of a new era of USC hoops, when Eric Musselman first emerged from the Galen Center tunnel. Exactly seven months had passed since he took the reins as the Trojans’ coach, and in that time, he’d rebuilt the roster from scratch, doing what he could to stamp a stagnant program with his trademark intensity.
There was still plenty of work left to do, though, evidenced by the large swaths of empty seats throughout the arena. That part of Musselman’s plans will take much longer than a few months — and more compelling proof of concept than a couple of exhibition wins — to take hold.