how long before he gets fired? Talk about a hot name a few years back who simply hasn’t got the job done at Texas. Thoughts?
Shaka Smart
- Thread starter GoNtheDistance
- Start date
Just posted about him in the EJ thread, reposting here:
Speaking of big men, Texas just lost to Baylor... at home. It took them two overtime periods just to get to 70 points. They're 5-8 in conference and probably projected to miss the tournament for the second year in a row. Meanwhile Shaka has had a different 5-star center on the roster the last three years, and none of them have shown much of any offensive game development in Austin.
Hey Will Baker, Chapel Hill is a pretty nice place to play basketball.
Speaking of big men, Texas just lost to Baylor... at home. It took them two overtime periods just to get to 70 points. They're 5-8 in conference and probably projected to miss the tournament for the second year in a row. Meanwhile Shaka has had a different 5-star center on the roster the last three years, and none of them have shown much of any offensive game development in Austin.
Hey Will Baker, Chapel Hill is a pretty nice place to play basketball.
I never understood all the drooling over Smart in the first place. He has grossly underachieved at UT. His overall record is 209-101, 46-45 at UT, and 20-28 in the Big 12. He was 11-22 last year and is 15-10 this year. He caught lightning in a bottle in a bottle and made the FF in 2011 but hasn't made it out of the first weekend since and has lost the first game of the NCAAT 3 of the 6 years his teams have appeared.
And many here had him at the top of their list to replace Roy when Roy retires.
And many here had him at the top of their list to replace Roy when Roy retires.
I was in the boat that said he has to prove himself in a power 5 league and he has failed miserably. 46-45 at Texas in 3 years and likely only 1 tournament appearance in 3 years.
I completely agree and have been vocal about it here and everywhere else. Smart is style over substance and I never imagined him as a serious candidate for Roy's job one day. He has the ability to lure big time recruits though. I think he'd be great on a bench. Just not the head guy.
Yes. Andrew Jones, who is a good player.
I have never been a huge fan of Shaka either. I know many disagreed with that in the past (and some agreed as well). He isn't a bad coach or anything. I just don't think he was quite the commodity some thought.
I'm still a Shaka Smart fan, but he has cooled down I must admit.
With Andrew Jones starting, yeah the kid they lost that has Leukemia, they were 6-2. The 2 loses were against Duke and Gonzaga both games they had a chance to win. He was averaging 13.5 points and shooting 52.8% from the field and 47.5% from 3. Losing him was a big blow to that team and they’re still currently in the NCAA tournament.
Y’all ought to stop bashing Shaka. He’s building. Not everyone can come in and after 3 years be playing for the National Title or go to a new school and win the National Title in only his 2nd year there.
Y’all ought to stop bashing Shaka. He’s building. Not everyone can come in and after 3 years be playing for the National Title or go to a new school and win the National Title in only his 2nd year there.
Yep. I liked him, too. But he needed to prove himself on a bigger stage and, so far, has had trouble doing that.
He proved at VCU that he had a good eye for lower-ranked talent. We have one guy who illustrates that in Kenny. And his record there showed he could coach that kind of talent pretty well against middling competition.
He can attract bigger names at Texas, but is he getting the kind of talent that he works best with?
I'd expect them to give him through next year. He'll have mostly players he recruited and the 2 injured guys will presumably be back. Then we'll see.
The drooling was for turning VCU into a power. Not for what he did after.
I remember many saying he would have Texas among the basketball elite now that he was at a university where he could recruit at the highest level. IIRC, you were/are a big fan of his. Were you one of the ones touting him as Roy's replacement?
Hindsight is 20/20 on this one.
I think if you asked the board in 2015, will Shaka succeed at Texas, the answer would have been heavily in favor of yes.
Bamba isn't a good fit on that team. They look like they have to force it to him to get him his shots, they don't come in the flow of the offense.
I think if you asked the board in 2015, will Shaka succeed at Texas, the answer would have been heavily in favor of yes.
Bamba isn't a good fit on that team. They look like they have to force it to him to get him his shots, they don't come in the flow of the offense.
Also, Rick Barnes didn't have that program in great shape. Shaka also runs an entirely different system that requires specific types of players. Bamba isn't really a good fit for his system, but who would say no to a talent like that?
I think he'll be fine. He probably shouldn't recruit 1-and-done guys because that's a complicated system where he'll be more successful with older players.
Even with the classes coming in over next couple of years, not sure the talent is there to be among the top programs consistently as many thought when they brought him in. In another year or 2 with similar results, then what?
Interesting that the jettisoned party has turned his new program around faster
I'm still a fan of any coach that teaches aggressive D and sharing the ball on O. I think he is doing fine building a program from the ground up. Changing a culture is difficult and no coach should lose his job before he can complete the change over in personnel.
I was one of those that said I would like him as coach after Roy if he had some seasoning at a major program, BUT only a moron would say fire Roy for any living coach!
I would love to see him get a shot along with, Hubert, Buzz, and Brad Stevens (hail mary). There are caveats for all, but they all seem to run clean, and hard working programs! (anticipating Hubs will get a head coach opportunity soon) I would also like to see Sheed, and Stack on the bench as assistants soon too!
I was one of those that said I would like him as coach after Roy if he had some seasoning at a major program, BUT only a moron would say fire Roy for any living coach!
I would love to see him get a shot along with, Hubert, Buzz, and Brad Stevens (hail mary). There are caveats for all, but they all seem to run clean, and hard working programs! (anticipating Hubs will get a head coach opportunity soon) I would also like to see Sheed, and Stack on the bench as assistants soon too!
He had a strong relationship with Shaka from USA, and actually I think its great he went there. UT is a good school and he resisted the temptations to go with the usual suspects, so good on him.
I still think Shaka's a good coach. I never thought he was a good fit for Texas and didn't think it would last long. I don't think he comes back next season if they miss the tourney this year. Ga Tech may lose there coach over a scandal. Could he be a good fit in Atlanta?
I'm not gonna bang on Shaka because I think he's a solid coach. He may well get UT to where he wants them.
That being said it made my f***ing head hurt reading thread after thread where someone was touting him for a future UNC coach. Then again, I distinctly remember some wanting guys like Pitino after Doh bombed out. Good Lord.
Some don't like to hear this, but this beautiful thing we know as Carolina Basketball ain't what it is because of the name on the front of the jerseys --- it's about the system and a certain way of doing things, invented by Dean E. Smith.
We as Carolina fans are sooo lucky... and, yes, many are spoiled, not really appreciating where our status as a "blue-blood" has come from and why. I can only hope that when the time comes (not too soon, hopefully), the folks making the hiring decision actually do appreciate that.
No, I can't believe that. Because I don't think that was ever true.
Plenty of us had Shaka on our list. But that's a far cry from saying we wanted to fire Roy - or that Shaka was our first choice.
Oh, there have been some anti-Roy posts --- mostly back in the NIT year.
All I can say is, let's hit Texas hard in the 2019/2020 classes. Recruits aren't dumb, if they know that a coach is on the hot seat they will stay away.
Some potential recruits:
Will Baker '19, #16, PF/C
Greg Brown '20, #5, PF (was tweeting pro-UNC stuff)
Jalen Wilson '19, #28, SF (rising quickly)
I particularly like Wilson. I think he's in the Goldilocks zone for really good college players. Someone to go after if Moore keeps playing hard to get.
Some potential recruits:
Will Baker '19, #16, PF/C
Greg Brown '20, #5, PF (was tweeting pro-UNC stuff)
Jalen Wilson '19, #28, SF (rising quickly)
I particularly like Wilson. I think he's in the Goldilocks zone for really good college players. Someone to go after if Moore keeps playing hard to get.
No worse than those who were touting Sean Miller.
Yeah..... that's one of the reasons I avoid them. Keyboards and in-game passions are often a bad mix. Stat sheets and pencils, on the other hand, are expendable
No doubt. I believe my response to one of those was along the lines of "not just NO, but HELL NO!"
I know one guy who is making a great case for when Roy steps down...Wes Miller.
UNC Greensboro has gotten better every year under Wes and they are primed to make an NCAA tournament run after getting to the NIT last year.
I'd like to see him get a high mid-major job soon to hone his chops then get his name in the convo for Roy successors hopefully in like 2023.
UNC Greensboro has gotten better every year under Wes and they are primed to make an NCAA tournament run after getting to the NIT last year.
I'd like to see him get a high mid-major job soon to hone his chops then get his name in the convo for Roy successors hopefully in like 2023.
I adore Shaka Smart. He left VCU - we got Kenny Williams.
From a head coaching standpoint not much of a difference in him and guys like Jeff Capel or Steve Robinson. Decent head coaches but not ideal for flagship state programs. Great top assistant type guys though.
I hope he moves up soon and does well at a higher profile school. He would definitely need to prove himself at the next level. But hopefully he’ll have time, as I’d like to think Roy will still be coaching at least another 5 years.
Except Paul Hewitt couldn't coach himself out of a wet paper bag!
Shaka could very well grow a great deal and work himself up the list for potential UNC head coaches. But anybody that said, "Fire Roy", is a moron that shouldn't even be allowed to watch basketball!
I forgot about Wes Miller. Hopefully, he will continue to grow and get a chance at a higher profile school. I echo the feeling/hope that Roy will give us plenty of time for one of these "potentials" to rise above the rest!
Shaka could very well grow a great deal and work himself up the list for potential UNC head coaches. But anybody that said, "Fire Roy", is a moron that shouldn't even be allowed to watch basketball!
I forgot about Wes Miller. Hopefully, he will continue to grow and get a chance at a higher profile school. I echo the feeling/hope that Roy will give us plenty of time for one of these "potentials" to rise above the rest!
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