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OAKLAND – Eric Musselman has youth, boundless energy and a willingness to be patient. 

He’ll need all three qualities to turn around the Golden State Warriors, who made him the NBA’s youngest head coach on Friday. 

The 37-year-old son of former NBA coach Bill Musselman was an assistant with Atlanta the past two seasons. He’ll lead a team that hasn’t made the playoffs or posted a winning record since 1994 – but the daunting challenge only excites a coach who began breaking down game film of his new team even before he got the job. 

“From the moment my mother gave birth to me, I’ve understood what the coaching world is all about,” Musselman said. “I understand the pressure of coaching in the best league in the world, and I’m ready for it.” 

Musselman, the Warriors’ eighth coach since 1994, agreed to a three-year contract worth about $4.5 million. Assistant coaches Phil Hubbard and Mark Osowski will be retained, and another veteran NBA assistant will be added. 

Though his previous NBA experience is limited to assistant positions with the Hawks, Orlando and Minnesota, Musselman was considered one of the league’s most promising coaching prospects. His hiring is a calculated risk by the Warriors, whose last five coaches had previous NBA coaching experience. 

“We talked to some terrific people, but there are times when you leave an interview and that bell rings — it just clicks,” Warriors general manager Garry St. Jean said. “He’s prepared, he’s organized, and he’s motivated to succeed. We’re going to go through this thing together.” 

Musselman has extensive head coaching experience from the CBA, where the 5-foot-8 former San Diego guard won 270 games over seven seasons and first became known as a fiery motivator and a hard worker. He built that reputation as an assistant to Chuck Daly and Doc Rivers in Orlando and Lon Kruger in Atlanta. 

“He seems like he’ll give us a good direction for the team,” Warriors center Adonal Foyle said. “I like the way he spoke about improving our defense.” 

Musselman, who turns 38 on Nov. 19, is 108 days younger than Seattle’s Nate McMillan. He becomes the NBA’s seventh coach younger than 43, continuing a league-wide trend of hiring coaches closer in age to their increasingly young rosters. 

“I wanted this job very badly,” Musselman said. “I think it’s a good fit for a young coach. I’ll grow along with the players.” 

Musselman’s greatest task might be learning how to lose constructively. He was extremely successful at every stop in the CBA and USBL, but just like his father, Musselman is known for an extreme drive to succeed that could take a pounding during another losing campaign for the Warriors. 

“As these people got close to hiring me, that’s something that came up,” Musselman said. “If you’re not a competitor, that drives me even more crazy than losing. As long as we’re competitive and hard-working, I’ll be happy.” 

St. Jean, also one of Golden State’s five coaches in the past 32 months, chose Musselman over interim coach Brian Winters to lead a team that’s expected to have at least six players younger than 23 on its roster this fall. 

After taking over for the fired Dave Cowens last December, Winters led Golden State through the final 59 games of Golden State’s third straight season with at least 60 losses. The Warriors went 21-61, missing the playoffs for a league-worst eighth consecutive season since owner Chris Cohan gained control of the team. 

The Warriors have a dismal recent history, but Musselman was attracted to their impressive stockpile of young talent. Golden State has drafted six players in the first 30 picks of the past two drafts, including budding star Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy, the third overall pick last month. 

Bill Musselman died of cancer two years ago while serving as an assistant to Dunleavy’s father, Mike, with the Portland Trail Blazers. 

Musselman’s resume is covered with stops along the backroads and minor leagues of professional basketball. He’s the latest CBA coach to move from the former top developmental league to a top NBA job, following the lead of former CBA coaches Phil Jackson, George Karl and Flip Saunders. 

Musselman coached the CBA’s Florida Beach Dogs from 1990-97, going 270-122 and sending 24 players to the NBA after becoming the youngest head coach in league history at 24. He also coached in the USBL for two seasons, going 54-3 with the Florida Sharks from 1995-96.