Arkansas Basketball Assistant Coach Salaries Under Musselman vs. Anderson

Arkansas assistant basketball coaches

Arkansas spent $3,358,411 on its basketball coaches in 2018-19.

By firing Mike Anderson, though, it may save some cash in 2019-20. The university will pay its Razorback basketball coaches $3,310,000 (before bonuses) — $48,411 less than their predecessors. That 1.4% drop takes into account Eric Musselman’s salary of $2.5 million before bonuses. Mike Anderson’s base pay was $2.55 million in his final year at Arkansas*. By taking Arkansas into the second round of the NIT, though, he wasn’t exactly tapping into a rich vein of potential bonuses.

Arkansas’ new assistant basketball coaches, meanwhile, will make a pre-bonus total of $810,000. That’s more than the $808,411 the university paid to Anderson’s Arkansas basketball assistants — Melvin Watkins**, T.J. Cleveland and Scotty Thurman — last season.

Here’s the salary breakdown, per Razorback assistant coach, according to public documents obtained by WholeHogSports:

Chris Crutchfield (associate head coach)

  • Will be paid $360,000 per year
  • Signed two-year contract through April 30, 2021
  • A non-compete clause forbidding the acceptance of other assistant coaching positions (but not head coach positions) from other SEC teams during the span of his Razorback contract

Corey Williams

  • Will be paid $250,000 annually
  • On a 12-month renewable contract (just like all three Hogs assistant coaches in 2018-19)
  • No non-compete clause

Clay Moser

  • Will be paid $200,000 annually
  • On a 12-month renewable contract
  • No non-compete clause

Each coach will also get a $6,000 annual car allowance, along with complimentary season tickets to all Razorback sports events and a choice of either a golf or athletic club membership.

Chris Crutchfield would get the following bonuses for helping shower the Razorback basketball program in postseason glory:

  • $30,000 for an SEC championship or NCAA Tournament berth
  • $45,000 for a Sweet 16 appearance
  • $60,000 for a Final Four appearance
  • $90,000 for a NCAA Championship

Performance bonuses for Moser and Williams aren’t yet known. They have yet to sign full contracts, only binding employing agreements. Crutchfield is the only assistant who’s so far signed a full contract.

How well does Arkansas pay its assistant basketball coaches compared to other SEC teams?

Those seeking comparisons between salaries of college basketball head coaches at public universities have a go-to resource: the USA Today NCAA salaries database. It’s updated annually.

No such resource exists for their assistants, however. Still, below are a few numbers to help provide context. These two programs have in recent years moved into the realm of perennial Sweet 16 contenders:

Auburn

In 2018-19, Auburn assistants assistants Ira Bowman and Wesley Flanagan (a Little Rock and former head coach of UALR) were paid $250,000 and $235,000 respectively, according to The Birmingham News.

In May 2019, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said that such pay was “near the bottom” of SEC assistant basketball coaches. Pearl had gotten significant pay raise for leading Auburn to a 2019 Final Four appearance.

He’ll make $3.8 million in 2019-2020, up $1.2 million from last year. His escalating salary goes up to $4.3 million in 2023-2024, the final year of the contract. It’s safe to presume his assistants will also get pay raises, but that information isn’t yet known.

Tennessee

In 2018-19, Tennessee assistants Rob Lanier, Desmond Oliver and Michael Schwartz made between $275,000 and $425,000 each. In total, the Tennessee assistants were paid $975,000.

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes got all three of them salary increases for 2019-20, according to the Nashville Post. How much, again, isn’t know. But for context consider Barnes himself will go from $3.25 million last season to more than $4 million in 2019-2020.

***

*After being fired at Arkansas, Mike Anderson quickly got a new job as the head coach of St. John’s. Details about his contract at the private Catholic university haven’t been publicized. His St. John’s predecessor, Chris Mullin, made over $2 million a year to begin his tenure in 2015, according to a Tweet by Zach Schonbrun of the New York Times in that year.

More on how he landed at St. John’s here:

http://www.bestofarkansassports.com/mike-anderson-can-thank-coach-k-and-jeff-capel-for-his-st-johns-job/

**Watkins was also paid a $35,000 annual stipend by the Razorback Foundation, according to WholeHogSports. That’s technically a private entity, so these weren’t public university funds.

However, as the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette outlet reported, “none of Musselman’s assistant coaches have a personal services contract with the Razorback Foundation, which compensates a coach for various services, mostly speaking engagements at Razorback Club events.”

So who are these Arkansas basketball assistants anyway?

Here’s the Razorbacks Communications breakdown on each:

Chris Crutchfield

Personal
Hometown: Hopkinsville, Ky.
Alma Mater: Omaha ‘92
Wife: Jodi
Sons: Derrick, Jalen, Josh

Coaching History
1995-96: Nebraska-Omaha (Assistant Coach)
1996-97: Texas-San Antonio (Assistant Coach)
1997-99: Tyler Junior College (Assistant Coach)
1999-01: Tyler Junior College (Head Coach)
2001-05: New Mexico State (Assistant Coach)
2005-06: TCU (Director of Basketball Operations)
2006-07: TCU (Assistant Coach)
2007-11: Oral Roberts (Assistant Coach)
2011-16: Oklahoma (Assistant Coach)
2016-19: Oklahoma (Associate Head Coach)
2019-pres: Arkansas (Associate Head Coach)

Chris Crutchfield, who spent the past eight seasons as associate head coach at Oklahoma, has been hired in the same position at the University of Arkansas, Razorback head coach Eric Musselman announced today.

“We’re excited to have Coach Crutchfield on staff,” Musselman said. “He’s one of the best recruiters and coaches in the country as proven by the Sooners being a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament. He has worked for an all-time great coach in Lon Kruger. Coach Crutchfield and Coach (Corey) Williams will make a great team at the University of Arkansas.”

Crutchfield has over 20 years of experience in the profession including two years as a head coach at Tyler (Texas) Junior College. This past November, TheAthletic.com named him to its list of 30 up-and-coming coaches to keep an eye on.

At Oklahoma, Crutchfield helped the Sooners compile a 160-105 (.604) overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in six of the past seven seasons, including a Final Four berth in 2016. That year, the Sooners racked up 29 victories, which tied for sixth-most in program history.

On the recruiting trail at Oklahoma, Crutchfield was instrumental in the signing and subsequent mentoring of Buddy Hield and Trae Young. In his four years at Oklahoma, Hield was twice named the Big 12 Player of the Year (2015, 2016) and was crowned the 2016 national Player of the Year by four entities (John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith Award, Sporting News Player of the Year and the Oscar Robertson Trophy). Hield would go on to be the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Young, the first five-star player to join the Sooners during the Kruger tenure, was a consensus All-American, Wooden Award finalist and 2018 Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year.

Prior to Oklahoma, Crutchfield helped Oral Roberts to an average of 20 wins over his last four years at the school and to postseason appearances in 2008 (NCAA Tournament) and 2011 (CollegeInsider.com Tournament). The Golden Eagles finished the top three in the Summit League each year, including first in 2008, second in both 2009 and ‘11 and third in 2010.

Prior to his stint at ORU, Crutchfield served on TCU’s staff for two seasons. He was the Horned Frogs’ director of basketball operations for the 2005-06 season before being named assistant coach for the 2006-07 campaign. He was also an assistant for four seasons at New Mexico State (2001-05) under NMSU all-time wins leader Lou Henson, helping the Aggies to two 20-win campaigns as well as a Sun Belt Conference title in 2002.

Crutchfield also has head coaching experience. He served two seasons (1999-2001) at Tyler (Texas) Junior College as head coach after spending the previous two years as an Apaches’ assistant coach. As head coach, he led Tyler to a 35-28 record and saw his players graduate at a 91 percent rate.

Before his stop at Tyler, Crutchfield spent the 1996-97 season an assistant coach at Texas-San Antonio. He began his full-time coaching career during the 1995-96 season at his alma mater, Nebraska-Omaha, after serving the previous two seasons there as a graduate assistant.

Crutchfield, originally from Hopkinsville, Ky., graduated from Nebraska-Omaha in 1992 with a degree in criminal justice and earned his master’s in health, physical education and administration four years later from the same school.

Clay Moser

As coach:
1987–1989North Carolina State (assistant)
2002–2003Golden State Warriors (scout)
2003–2004Great Lakes Storm (CBA)
2004–2005Jilin Northeast Tigers (China)
2006–2007Sacramento Kings (scout)
2007–2008Orlando Magic (scout)
2008–2009Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League)
2014–2019Los Angeles Lakers (assistant)
2019–PresentArkansas Razorbacks (assistant)

Clay Moser, who has three decades of experience in professional basketball, has been named University of Arkansas assistant coach, Eric Musselman announced.

During several of his stops in the NBA and D-League, Moser and Musselman have been on the same staffs.

“Clay and I have worked together in the NBA, with the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, and in the NBA Development League with the Reno Bighorns and Los Angeles Defenders’ Musselman said. “We also worked together with the Dominican National Team. Clay is an incredible ‘X and O’ coach and he has been at the forefront of basketball analytics. He loves player development and brings the NBA experience that our players look for and will soak up.”

Moser comes to Arkansas after spending seven-and-a-half years with the Los Angeles Lakers. First, he was hired as a head advance NBA scout and ended his tenure as assistant coach/director of basketball strategy. While there, his last position was created for him and worked directly with the coaching and analytics staffs to integrate ideas and information between the departments.

“I can’t wait to get to Fayetteville and get started with Coach Muss and the great staff he has assembled,” Moser said. “This will be the sixth place Coach Muss and I have worked together. His worth ethic is infectious, and his personality makes it fun to come to work. With that, positive results typically follow.”

Moser’s affiliation with the Lakers began as associate head coach under Musselman with the D-Fenders, the NBA Developmental League franchise in Los Angeles.

He formerly served on USA Basketball’s Board of Directors and has been an advance scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-10), Orlando Magic (2007-08), Sacramento Kings (2006-07) and Golden State Warriors (2002-03). His other NBA experience includes time as vice president of business development for the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005-06), as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs 2005 Summer League Team and as a business consultant for the NBA (2005).

In 2010-11, Moser assisted on Musselman’s staff as associate head coach with the Reno Bighorns, helping lead the team to a Western Conference-best 34-16 record. Prior to his time with the Bighorns, Moser was tabbed by the Houston Rockets to be head coach of their D-League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, going 21-29 with the Vipers during the 2008-09 campaign. In addition to his Reno and Rio Grande Valley D-League experience, Moser has also worked for CBA teams that later would join the D-League; serving as an assistant coach, vice president and general manager with the Sioux Falls Skyforce (1989-94) and as CEO and general manager of the Idaho Stampede (1997-2001).

Moser, a 1987 graduate from Wisconsin-La Crosse, began his coaching career as an assistant at North Carolina State (1987-89).

Corey Williams

Personal
Date of Birth: April 24, 1970
Hometown: Macon, Ga.
Wife: Nicole Williams
Children: Jourdan, C.J.

Coaching Experience
1993-94: Student Assistant, Oklahoma State
2000-07: Assistant Coach, Oral Roberts
2007-13: Assistant Coach, Florida State
2013-19: Head Coach, Stetson (58-133, 6 seasons)
2019-pres.: Assistant Coach, Arkansas

Playing Experience
1989-92: Oklahoma State
1992-93: Chicago Bulls
1993-94: Oklahoma City Cavalry
1994: Minnesota Timberwolves
1994-95: Grand Rapids Mackers
1995-98: DaCin Tigers

Corey Williams, former head coach at Stetson and member of the 1993 NBA Champion Chicago Bulls, enters his first season as an assistant coach at Arkansas. Williams has learned from some of the finest minds in the game, including Phil Jackson, Eddie Sutton, Bill Self and Leonard Hamilton during his career as a player and assistant coach.

Williams spent the past six seasons as head coach at Stetson. During his tenure, several players broke long-standing records as Divine Myles became the program’s all-time leading scorer, Angel Rivera set the record for career assists and Luke Doyle established the mark for career three-pointers made.

Under William’s guidance, Derick Newton earned All-Atlantic Sun honors in 2017 and Brian Pegg was voted as the 2017 ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men’s basketball. The previous year, Stetson reached the ASUN Tournament Championship, marking the program’s first tournament finals appearance since 1994.

In 2014-15, Pegg led the ASUN in rebounding and Newton rewrote Stetson’s freshman record book on his way to earning Freshman All-America and ASUN Freshman of the Year honors. In Williams’ second year at Stetson, Myles and Grant Lozoya earned spots on the ASUN’s All-Freshmen team, while Rivera set the program’s record for assists by a freshman with 120. He and Myles also became the first teammates, regardless of class, to each record 100 assists in the same season.

Prior to taking the reins at Stetson, Williams spent six seasons (2007-13) as an assistant at Florida State. His career with the Seminoles coincided with the team’s resurgence on the national scene. Through Williams’ recruiting efforts, the Seminoles developed into one of the best programs in the ACC. During his time in Tallahassee, Florida State won its first ACC Championship (2012), enjoyed a run of four straight NCAA Tournament appearances – including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2011, four consecutive years of double-digit wins in ACC play, produced five NBA Draft picks, recorded 16 wins over nationally ranked teams and appeared in the national rankings in four straight seasons.

Before joining the Florida State staff, Williams was an assistant coach for seven seasons (2000-07) at Oral Roberts where he aided the Golden Eagles in achieving an average of 18 wins per season, including 20 or more wins in each of his last three seasons in Tulsa. ORU captured the Mid-Continent Conference regular season and tournament titles in 2006 and 2007, advancing to play in the NCAA Tournament each season.

A native of Macon, Ga., Williams played point guard at Oklahoma State (1988-92) and had a lengthy career as a professional player before starting his coaching career.

Williams finished his time at Oklahoma State ranked eighth on the school’s career scoring charts with 1,320 points. He led the Cowboys to consecutive NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances under Coach Eddie Sutton in 1991 and 1992. The Cowboys were ranked 14th in the final Associated Press poll of the 1991 season and 10th in the final coaches’ poll following the 1992 season.

Williams was a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bulls and, despite having not played football since junior high, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Williams in the 12th round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He was the only OSU Cowboy drafted by the NFL that year.

As a rookie in the NBA, Williams was a member of the Michael Jordan-led Bulls as the franchise captured its third straight NBA title. Following his one season in Chicago, Williams played parts of the next season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, while also playing for the Oklahoma City Cavalry of the CBA. He returned to Oklahoma State as a student assistant in 1994, serving as a member of the Cowboys’ staff during their 1994 Final Four campaign. Williams then played professionally in Taiwan, from 1995-98.

Williams earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Oklahoma State in 2002.

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