Current Arizona State Associate Head Coach Eric Musselman Passed On NBA Opportunities To Stay In College Ranks

Former NBA D-League Coach of the Year Eric Musselman passed on a coaching opportunity with the Golden State Warriors according to an NBA source which told RidiculousUpside.com. The current associate head coach at Arizona State University also had several discussions pertaining to the Memphis head coaching job, however, the experienced coach seems to be dedicated to coaching in the college ranks for now.

This offseason, there have been a few NBA D-League head coaches from a season ago who have moved on, and earned their own version of a "Call-Up", by taking jobs in the NBA. The most recent being Taylor Jenkins, formerly of the Austin Toros and now an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks. Nick Nurse, Alex Jensen, and Duane Ticknor also took up offers to coach in the NBA.

Musselman, a former NBADL head coach for both the Reno Bighorns and Los Angeles D-Fenders was elevated to Associate Head Coach after his first season with Arizona State. Musselman played a role in the development of Jahii Carson and also Carrick Felix who was drafted near the top of the second round in this year's NBA Draft. Now the coach is making end roads in the recruitment process as well.

Musselman has made it clear that he is dedicated to learning the ways of coaching in the collegiate ranks. As it stands, Musselman is the only former NBA head coach that is a college assistant in Division I basketball. As he embarks on his second season with the Sun Devils, it appears that he is focused on everything related to the college game.

Every coach's path takes them in different directions depending on their ultimate goal, but Musselman along with the aforementioned group of head coaches from this past season in the NBADL, have successfully used their time in the NBA D-League to advance their careers. It is a trend that will likely continue as the NBADL continues to grow, and teams establish stronger connections with their affiliates.

For now, Musselman remains committed to the college game, and looks to expand upon a coaching career that has spanned from the CBA to the NBA.

Fine tuning his player development ability in the D-League proved to be beneficial for Musselman, as he will surely is use some of that knowledge with players in the Arizona State program.