Coaches have to come up with creative ways to motivate their players and make their talking points stick. Sometimes those methods can look really odd to outsiders.
Take Arkansas coach Eric Musselman. His Razorbacks were a No. 3 seed, matched up with 14th-seeded Colgate. The Patriot League champions are beloved by the analytics and known for their fast-paced style, so he was well aware that Arkansas was facing a tough test. He was also well aware that Colgate shares its name with the toothpaste brand.
So what better way for Musselman to get the message to his players to put pressure on Colgate than to bring a visual aid, as he did during the week when addressing his team?
Man, coaches are so weird. pic.twitter.com/L77TPUYlf2
— Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) March 20, 2021
Maybe the line actually landed with the players. Who knows. The Razorbacks did fall behind by 14 points late in the first half, so maybe it went over poorly and Musselman had to do damage control at halftime. Regardless, it makes for a great awkward video clip, and Arkansas did end up winning the game by a comfortable 85-68 margin.
Musselman is a little bit different compared to most other coaches. His players probably love that energy, even if — or maybe because — it results in lines like this.
