Welcome to Glass Slipper! Think about how old you’ll be for the 2028 Olympics. Don’t forget to appreciate what you’re watching this summer; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

Shortly after I made the decision to attend UCLA, it was announced that Mick Cronin would also be embarking on a journey from Ohio to Westwood. I was flabbergasted, to say the least. At the time, Bruins players appeared to be more interested in looking cool and going viral than providing true effort. Meanwhile, Cronin had developed a reputation at Cincinnati as perhaps the most fiery, intense coach in the sport. It seemed like both parties would become irritated beyond belief within minutes of meeting each other.

I went to my first game that fall, expecting to witness an absolute mess. Instead, I watched a young UCLA squad compete for 40 minutes; the guys were communicating, and they looked genuinely engaged the whole time. I ran into Mick himself as he was walking towards the parking garage an hour later. His wife, young daughter, and some other family members were alongside him, and everyone was sporting a big smile. Suddenly, it all made sense to me. Instead of clashing, the two sides with wildly different basketball identities had blended together and found a happy medium. The players understood what it took to win games, and Cronin was more mellow and relaxed. The Bruins found themselves in the Final Four the next season, as a direct result of this perfect compromise.

Unfortunately for UCLA, the successful pairing inadvertently laid the blueprint for its crosstown rival to follow. USC has long been an obvious sleeping giant in college basketball; it’s a Los Angeles school with a wealth of resources, after all. So the Trojans went and got their own dynamo Ohio native to wake up the program.

It’s tough for me to admit, but this is an absolutely brilliant hire. Musselman should take USC’s recruiting up a level, and he’ll also bring his significant postseason success to a place that almost never has it. The 59-year-old led Arkansas to the Elite Eight in both 2021 and 2022; the Trojans have made it there once in the past 23 years.

Above all else, it’s Musselman’s energy that is going to work. He’s not necessarily the type to seek a fight with the opposing bench like Cronin infamously did in 2017, but his love for the sport is every bit as strong. USC fans will gain an instant appreciation for how much he cares about his job, just like us Bruins did with Cronin. The Galen Center is going to be rocking when Musselman rips that shirt off for the first time.

It would pain me to see the Trojans blossom into a national power, but I think it’s about to happen. Musselman has had several short coaching stints in California, but this feels like the job that will finally keep him there long-term. Consider me frightened for what he might accomplish at USC; when a great leader finds the right place, anything is possible.

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