when the job opened, Musselman did affirm, it was “of great interest.” And Cohen, Folt said Friday, immediately zeroed in on the former Arkansas coach in her search, her first hire since being appointed in August.

“We really want to create more excitement and energy, just like we’ve seen for women’s basketball,” Cohen said to reporters. “This is a destination job. You’ve got to love this place. You’ve got to want to be here. There was nobody that was more committed to USC than Eric Musselman.”

Musselman and family arrived by jet Thursday night from Arkansas, where he’d built a national contender across five seasons, reaching three straight Sweet 16s before slumping to 16-17 this season. And the work began the minute he stepped on campus, USC undergoing a full-on factory reset as the Big Ten beckons.

It was a concern, Musselman affirmed with a chuckle, that many of the top players in the transfer portal had already committed upon his minting at USC. At the moment, the program’s roster is as big a floating question mark as the item boxes in MarioKart; with Bronny James’ announced departure Friday morning and center Vincent Iwuchukwu reportedly entering the transfer portal, Musselman has little talent at his immediate disposal. The only sure-thing returner is junior Harrison Hornery; freshmen Brandon Gardner and Arrinten Page could exit in the wake of Enfield’s departure.

Musselman, though, did draw one immediate commit Thursday, with UMass 6-foot-10 transfer Josh Cohen flipping from Arkansas to USC. And the coach already hit the ground in recruiting — in a way — on Friday, hamming it up after his press conference with USC freshman point guard Isaiah Collier, the only player who attended. And Collier’s presence was notable, a freshman widely expected to enter the NBA sraft but who hasn’t made an official decision on his future; his return would be a major lift for Musselman.

In any case, however, Musselman established Friday he was far from intimidated from the challenge of entering the Big Ten. Beyond experience building programs at Nevada and Arkansas, Musselman brings years of background coaching in the NBA. He was once an account executive with the Clippers, cracking he started his career trying to sell Clippers tickets in 1987 — a feat perhaps more difficult, the implication lay, than most in his career.

“Looking down the sidelines at guys like Tom Izzo, and guys that are legends, it’s not going to affect me,” Musselman said Friday. “Because I’ve looked down the sidelines, seen Phil Jackson and Pat Riley.”

And thus, the Musselman era begins at USC, with a simple walk.