What Happened to Shaka Smart?

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Somewhat off topic, but I just noticed that Texas sucks this year. 10-17 going into tonight's game. What happened? Some of us have Shaka on our list of coaches to consider when Roy retires. Is he having trouble at a big university in a real conference, or is this just a fluke?

 

[yrusonvus]

Currently he has a personnel problem that's causing players to play out of position and tbt it's been a learning experience for everyone. However, Shaka has help on the way in Matt Coleman, a pass first pg and most analyst think he will be the cure all. Time will tell and we shall see.

 

[smooth as butter]

Not having a true PG has hurt them.

 

[Archer2]

He is grossly overrated. And those who have him at the top of the coaching list to replace Roy are cray cray.

 

[ClarktonHeel]

He is grossly overrated. And those who have him at the top of the coaching list to replace Roy are cray cray.

I am with Archer, I never thought of him as a replacement for Roy.

 

[DSouthr]

Heck of a difference between coaching at VCU to the kansas owned conference. He was not real high on my list of potential replacements either, good coach but how good yet to be seen. I do think he wil recruit pretty well as texas, he will have to...

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I really like the style of play and the intensity with which his players play, especially on D. He needs some seasoning and time will tell about whether he can hold his own in a major conference. I do not for a second think he is overrated, but I do believe he is not ready for UNC....yet. I would like to see him with the PG he recruited and to see if he can continue to recruit top talent to TX. Once he gets his peeps together, then we will see if he has the chops!

 

[Mike Lowery]

Going to give him a few years to get his players in place. He can recruit really well. Needs a point guard badly.

 

[Tom79]

Seems to be a good coach, good recruiter but in an off year in that conference. They may be "Big" but they won't have many of their conference at the dance. Typically dominated by KU but we'll see, if after 5 years Tejas is still mired....goodbye Shaka.

 

[RoseHeel]

FFS, He's been at Texas for 2 years, people. His first year was pretty solid, and he did beat our FF team at that.

Pump your brakes before claiming he's overrated.

 

[Archer2]

Yeah, he's on the big league now. And you do have to give him 3-4 years to get his players in the system. There's no doubt a ton of talent in the state so he should be able to reload pretty quickly. Then we'll see what he's got in terms of coaching chops.

Right now, KU simply dominates that league. And they really only have 3 good teams: KU, WVU, and Baylor. So Smart should be able to win a lot of games if he's really a good coach.

Much like the SEC, which only has 4 good teams(UK, UF, SC, and Arkansas) and those teams are 8-10 against Top 25 teams. The bottom half of the ACC is much stronger than either of those leagues.

 

[ACokeForRoy]

I wonder is State will come calling a 2nd time at the end of the season. He may be a better fit on the east coast. He may accept this time.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

TX to NCSU is at best a lateral move. It most likely is a step down since he would be in the ACC and TX has a more understanding fanbase in bball so I wouldn't make the move!

 

[Archer2]

TX to NCSU is at best a lateral move. It most likely is a step down since he would be in the ACC and TX has a more understanding fanbase in bball so I wouldn't make the move!

Spot on, IMO. It's easier to win at UT and the expectations are not nearly as great Basketball is almost an afterthought in the state of Texas. Football is king.

 

[KCSkip81]

Shaka Smarts / Head coaching record

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
VCU Rams (Colonial Athletic Association) (2009–2012)
2009–10 VCU 27–9 11–7 T–5th CBI Champions
2010–11 VCU 28–12 12–6 4th NCAA Final Four
2011–12 VCU 29–7 15–3 2nd NCAA Round of 32
VCU Rams (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2012–2015)
2012–13 VCU 27–9 12–4 2nd NCAA Round of 32
2013–14 VCU 26–9 12–4 2nd NCAA Round of 64
2014–15 VCU 26–10 12–6 T–4th NCAA Round of 64
VCU: 163–56 (.744) 74–30 (.712)
Texas Longhorns (Big 12 Conference) (2015–2016)
2015–16 Texas 20–13 11–7 4th NCAA Round of 64
2016–17 Texas 10–17 4–10
Texas: 30–30 (.500) 15–17 (.469)

I don't understand how a coach whose never won a regular season conference championship is included in the conversation. If you can't finish higher than 2nd in the A10 or the Colonial why would that translate to the ACC and specifically the University of North Carolina. As an alum I hope this ship never sails.

 

[Tom79]

That Marshall fella sure stepped it up, went from "Winthorp" to "Whichita" St. and has done well. Of course at "Winthorp" he had a couple of head scratchers as players. So it can be done, just as KCSkip said, not sold as of yet on Shaka. IMO, he is not going to step into the dumpster fire at that other place. Next 3 years will be telling.

 

[gunslingerdick]

He is grossly overrated. And those who have him at the top of the coaching list to replace Roy are cray cray.

Agreed.

That Marshall fella sure stepped it up, went from "Winthorp" to "Whichita" St. and has done well. Of course at "Winthorp" he had a couple of head scratchers as players. .

I like Marshall exponentially more than Smart.

 

[FlaTarHeel]

Heck of a difference between coaching at VCU to the kansas owned conference. He was not real high on my list of potential replacements either, good coach but how good yet to be seen. I do think he wil recruit pretty well as texas, he will have to...

This is it in a nutshell.

These young guys jump to the big leagues too fast, and it doesn't always end well.

Anthony Grant did the same thing when he left a successful run at VCU for Bama. Stan Heath leaving Kent St after only 1 year for Arkansas.

 

[Archer2]

Agreed.



I like Marshall exponentially more than Smart.

As do I, Gun.

 

[Tru Blu Tar Heel]

Somewhat off topic, but I just noticed that Texas sucks this year. 10-17 going into tonight's game. What happened? Some of us have Shaka on our list of coaches to consider when Roy retires. Is he having trouble at a big university in a real conference, or is this just a fluke?

The cupboard wasn't necessarily bare when Shaka got to Austin, but it was essentially bare considering his style of play. Let's be honest, Shaka thrives when he is doing what WVU is currently doing. Up until this year, the Texas team was built to pound the ball (look no further than Cameron Ridley). If he can get Jarrett Allen to forgo the NBA for one more season (he's currently predicted in the early to mid 20's on most draft sites), he has four 4-star top 100 recruits coming in next season. When you change style of play like Texas has when they hired Smart, you have to give the coach AT LEAST 3 recruiting cycles to get "his kids" in place.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Shaka Smarts / Head coaching record

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
VCU Rams (Colonial Athletic Association) (2009–2012)
2009–10 VCU 27–9 11–7 T–5th CBI Champions
2010–11 VCU 28–12 12–6 4th NCAA Final Four
2011–12 VCU 29–7 15–3 2nd NCAA Round of 32
VCU Rams (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2012–2015)
2012–13 VCU 27–9 12–4 2nd NCAA Round of 32
2013–14 VCU 26–9 12–4 2nd NCAA Round of 64
2014–15 VCU 26–10 12–6 T–4th NCAA Round of 64
VCU: 163–56 (.744) 74–30 (.712)
Texas Longhorns (Big 12 Conference) (2015–2016)
2015–16 Texas 20–13 11–7 4th NCAA Round of 64
2016–17 Texas 10–17 4–10
Texas: 30–30 (.500) 15–17 (.469)

I don't understand how a coach whose never won a regular season conference championship is included in the conversation. If you can't finish higher than 2nd in the A10 or the Colonial why would that translate to the ACC and specifically the University of North Carolina. As an alum I hope this ship never sails.

That's probably a fair criterion. But some of us look at Smart and see an intense coach with an aggressive style of play who has done pretty darn well with less talent than he could recruit at UNC.

I have always said that the jury was still out on Smart, but I have also felt he is a very promising young coach. Hence why I have him on my list of coaches to consider.

Frankly I'm a little uncomfortable with some of the ferocity directed against Smart. I don't know anyone who has him at the top of their list. So this bashing and calling people crazy seems like an overreaction.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Gonna have to get a LOT closer to Roy retiring before I make my list. Could change dramatically between now-then.

 

[Archer2]

That's probably a fair criterion. But some of us look at Smart and see an intense coach with an aggressive style of play who has done pretty darn well with less talent than he could recruit at UNC.

Frankly I'm a little uncomfortable with some of the ferocity directed against Smart. I don't know anyone who has him at the top of their list. So this bashing and calling people crazy seems like an overreaction.

It's far from ferocity, it's simply people discussing how good a coach he actually is. And it's occurring exactly because several people had him at the top of their list of potential replacements for Roy. Now maybe he'll be up to the challenge at Texas and he may eventually be on the short list of replacements, but many of us want to see more proof that he should be. If you can't win the league title in a mediocre league, I have to wonder.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Also WWJD, don't ask the question then complain about the answers.

 

[gteeitup]

shaka can't even carry greg's shoes.

i know from a pretty good source the only job marshall would've left winthrop and witchita st for was scarolina...something happened that i won't get into that screwed that up when odom was retiring and then during the horn era...plus, the a.d. shakeup here really messed with things for the possibility of marshall here.

now, however, things have changed, frank martin is at scarolina, and marshall is like the saban of witchita...i'll say this, if frank martin doesn't get in the tourney this year, it could get really interesting...he won't get fired, but he might pull a fedora and atm the school or even leave.

 

[superstar57]

I am with Archer, I never thought of him as a replacement for Roy.

I humbly disagree about overrated. Shaka and Brad Stevens with the Celtics have chances to be legends before they are done. Starting young has it's advantages.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Also WWJD, don't ask the question then complain about the answers.

Just trying to correct the record.

Maybe I'm wrong. Will some of those who have Shaka at the top of their list identify themselves? I ask because I can't recall a single person saying that.

 

[coachdubausee]

Sure Shaka is having a tough year. He doesn't have a true PG running his offense.

I like how his past records were brought up. Yeah...he didn't win a conference championship with any of those teams but what did he do?

- He took a team that finished 4th in conference to the Final Four. Overrated still.
- He won 26 or more games each year. Wait, he didn't go undefeated? Shame. Overrated.
Should I continue?


Listen, I get you don't want him at UNC. Heck, he's not my first choice either. But to sit here and say he's overrated is a stretch.

I'm not surprised by the comments though. The same people that say Shaka is overrated echo the same thoughts about Roy when we lose a single game.

But hey... what do I know.

 

[tarheel0910]

I'm not surprised by the comments though. The same people that say Shaka is overrated echo the same thoughts about Roy when we lose a single game.

LOL. If you think that then you clearly don't read this board much.

 

[Archer2]

I humbly disagree about overrated. Shaka and Brad Stevens with the Celtics have chances to be legends before they are done. Starting young has it's advantages.

Of course they "have a chance" to be legends. I have a chance to win the lottery but the odds are pretty long.

 

[Archer2]

I have nothing against Shaka, I think he's a bright young coach and I like his style of basketball. He's got plenty of time to develop and prove his coaching chops.

 

[coachdubausee]

LOL. If you think that then you clearly don't read this board much.

What rock do you live under? LOL

 

[tarheel0910]

What rock do you live under? LOL

I'd be willing to bet you can't find one post where @Archer2, @DSouthr or @gunslingerdick has said Roy is overrated. Seriously I'll bet you can't even find one.

 

[RoseHeel]

i know from a pretty good source the only job marshall would've left winthrop and witchita st for was scarolina

scarolina = South Carolina or a typo?

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Shaka is still ranked up there with other coaches. High as 12th or 13th.

 

[gteeitup]

scarolina = South Carolina or a typo?

south carolina

 

[superstar57]

Of course they "have a chance" to be legends. I have a chance to win the lottery but the odds are pretty long.

By no means am I saying Shaka should be our next coach, but what I am saying if he just took a no name school and made them serious contenders for years, I would think he can do some amazing things at Texas once all his recruits are playing.

Brad is adding to his legacy everday in Boston. Would not surprise me one bit if these two guys are USA basketball head coaches one day.

I think there chances of being great are better than anyone winning the lottery because they are already pretty good.

 

[coryfly]

Agreed.



I like Marshall exponentially more than Smart.

Yeah, I'm not a big Shaka guy either. I think he is an ok coach but a bit overrated. Marshall is legit but everyone says what a prick he is. I have no idea whether that is true or not though. He may be the coolest dude around.

 

[Archer2]

I'd be willing to bet you can't find one post where @Archer2, @DSouthr or @gunslingerdick has said Roy is overrated. Seriously I'll bet you can't even find one.

In my case at least you'd be right. If anything, I think Roy is considerably underrated.

 

[gteeitup]

Marshall is legit but everyone says what a prick he is. I have no idea whether that is true or not though. He may be the coolest dude around.

he is a prick, not really in a coach kay way though...his wife also likes to stoke fires.