There is no shortage of Patriot League players who have not only succeeded in college but also taken their talents to the next level: Kermit Washington (American) was an NBA All-Star in 1980, CJ McCollum (Lehigh) has averaged 20+ PPG for most of the past decade, and Bob Cousy (Holy Cross)/David Robinson (Navy) made it all the way to the Hall of Fame. Mike Muscala did a little of everything ay Bucknell (Academic All-American/2-time All-American), then spent 11 years in the NBA before becoming an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns this year. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Mike about playing in the NCAA tourney and his favorite NBA memory.
You were born/raised in Minnesota: what made you choose Bucknell? 1 of their assistant coaches (Dane Fischer) is from Minnesota, just like I am. He called me and I knew about the program from when they upset Kansas in the 2005 NCAA tourney (www.youtube.com/watch?v=woYjcnqIxSk). I got along with Coach Dave Paulsen and wanted to go to a good school that also had a good basketball program. I visited the campus with my parents and fell in love with it.
In January of 2011 you scored 17 PTS including a turnaround jumper at the buzzer in a 1-PT win at Richmond (scroll 55 seconds into the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbLTRG2FhnU): did you think your shot was going in, and what was the reaction like after you made it? I did think it was going in after a hell of a pass from Joe Willman, and my reaction was excitement!
In the 2011 NCAA tourney you scored 14 PTS in a loss to eventual national champ UConn: what was it like to face Jim Calhoun/Kemba Walker in the postseason? They had a hell of a team that year and were riding hot. After they beat us I felt they were good enough to win it all…and sure enough they did.
You led the conference in BLK/defensive REB for 4 straight years and were named conference DPOY in 2013: what is the key to being a great defender? Being 6’11” and a decent jumper helped, as well as having good coaches.
You were a 2-time All-American as well as an Academic All-American in 2013: how were you able to balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? It goes back to my coaches/professors: I wanted to be held accountable. I remember preparing for the draft during my senior year and there were no shortcuts. Coach Paulsen preached the mantra of “22 & 2”: you can be a student and have a life outside basketball for 22 hours/day…but for those other 2 hours we focused only on basketball.
You graduated as the all-time leading scorer in school history and in 2020 the school retired your #31 jersey: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is up there and I am honored by it. I had several teammates come back to support me. I am sure that I will reflect on it more in the future, but looking back on it now, it was about the people I was fortunate to play with/for, and I hope I can pay that forward now that I am an assistant coach. If everyone else around me had not cared as much as they did, my career never would have happened. It is nice to see my jersey up in the rafters, but I wish that we could have won some more games in the NCAA tourney, as that was always our goal.
In the spring of 2013 you were drafted 44th overall by Dallas and then traded to Atlanta: what did it mean to you to get drafted, and what did it mean to you to get traded? I worked out for Atlanta twice: they were my very last workout the day before the draft. I never felt that I got drafted by the Mavericks because they traded me right away. The main thing I felt that night was exhaustion because I had gone through 16-17 workouts over the course of the previous month while trying to be seen by as many teams as possible. I am grateful to both my agent and the Hawks for giving me the opportunity.
You were swept by Cleveland in the 2015 and 2016 playoffs: what was it like to keep running into LeBron James in his prime? I was just thinking about that because I am walking around beautiful Cleveland today, and even staying in the same hotel a decade later! They beat us pretty handily but it was a great experience as a young player to learn from the veterans. I have great memories here but LeBron was amazing: he also had great players around him like Kevin Love/Channing Frye.
You retired in 2024 after an 11-year career with 7 different teams: do you have a favorite memory from your playing career? I recall my time in Boston fondly. I did not handle being traded well early in my career, but joining the Celtics allowed me to embrace the journey and I felt at peace with that. I also recall my time in OKC because they let me go through some tough times to find myself again as a player.
Last August you were hired by the Phoenix Suns as an assistant to Jordan Ott: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? I have been wanting to coach for several years now. My mother got sick so I had something to fight for, and it was tough for our entire family after she passed. I eventually got my masters’ in sports administration and was offered a chance to go back to Bucknell, but DeMarre Carroll called me out of nowhere and said he was helping Jordan fill out his staff in Phoenix. I wanted to go somewhere that I could be of assistance so I met up with some of the Suns staff during the Vegas Summer League and signed a contract a few days later. Every day I wake up super-grateful for the chance to stay around the game and learn from the other coaches and their expertise.
