Shaka Smart to Texas

Just got the breaking news alert from CBS on my phone saying that Texas will hire VCU's Shaka Smart as it's next head basketball coach

Good hire.

I love this hire! Pretty sure @UKMustangFan won't love this move from Texas' perspective.

@JokersWild24 what are your thoughts- not the coach with pro ties, but Orangebloods have to be excited, no?

I love this hire! Pretty sure @UKMustangFan won't love this move from Texas' perspective.

 

@JokersWild24 what are your thoughts- not the coach with pro ties, but Orangebloods have to be excited, no?

My Facebook timeline is telling me that they are pretty excited. Lots of young alums had seen enough of Barnes and seem to be into the Shaka Smart hire.

I think it's going to be interesting to see how he recruits here. Wonder if they are going to let him pick his staff and how that one will play out.

My feeling was that Barnes might have known where someone buried a body or something like that given that they fired him and still gave him the full amount of his buyout when they really didn't have to do so if they'd waited a few days.

http://www.burntorangenation.com/2015/4/2/8327015/shaka-smart-texas-longhorns-hired

"A common figure for his contract is for five years and $18 million, which doesn't include the $500k buyout from VCU and another $250k if Texas doesn't schedule a home-and-home series with the Rams."

If I'm Texas, no way I play VCU, and $250K is cheap for them.

I'm surprised that Smart didn't have a bigger buyout, but I'm guessing he positioned himself there because of the numbers elsewhere in his contracts. Either way, if I'm VCU, I think I've missed the boat by letting him get bought out for that little.

I love this hire! Pretty sure @UKMustangFan won't love this move from Texas' perspective.

 

@JokersWild24 what are your thoughts- not the coach with pro ties, but Orangebloods have to be excited, no?

Good for him.

If Texas wants to be making another hire in about 5 years, they got their guy to ensure it IMO. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but I have my doubts.

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Will end poorly for Texas, if you made me guess.

The microscope in Austin is very intense, and Shaka isn't the right guy for that.

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Will end poorly for Texas, if you made me guess.

 

The microscope in Austin is very intense, and Shaka isn't the right guy for that.

Am I right in my thinking that Shaka "doesn't play well with others" in terms of dealing with boosters, and the off-court stuff that goes with being the man at a big program like this?

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Will end poorly for Texas, if you made me guess.

 

The microscope in Austin is very intense, and Shaka isn't the right guy for that.

Am I right in my thinking that Shaka "doesn't play well with others" in terms of dealing with boosters, and the off-court stuff that goes with being the man at a big program like this?

Don't you believe if he wins that he'll be aright? As big as a mess that Billy G was, if he had won, he'd probably still be at Kentucky.

Don't you believe if he wins that he'll be aright? As big as a mess that Billy G was, if he had won, he'd probably still be at Kentucky.

I don't see him winning at a higher level than Rick Barnes did there.

Am I right in my thinking that Shaka "doesn't play well with others" in terms of dealing with boosters, and the off-court stuff that goes with being the man at a big program like this?

He is really arrogant, shady, and not engaging with Boosters and Sponsors. He also is the master of double-talk, as evidenced by the below story where he calls Coach K "low level" for putting down another conference, nearly exactly two years after he did the exact same thing. I just don't see it ending well in Austin, but I've always had an affinity for the Horns, so I hope I'm wrong.

Shaka Smart calls Coach K?s comments ?low level? | WTVR.com

Will be interesting to watch this play out. While VCU went to a Final Four in 2011, they've not advanced beyond the second round in the four years since. Theoretically those four years would have been with players either remaining from the Final Four or recruited because of the Final Four run. The last two years have seen them lose in the first round to lower seeded teams.

On the flip side, it probably isn't fair to measure teams solely on their postseason performance and Smart should get credit for always having them in the picture. And with all the resources and talent at Texas, a good coach should always do well in Austin. I'm curious to watch this play out.

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Will end poorly for Texas, if you made me guess.

 

The microscope in Austin is very intense, and Shaka isn't the right guy for that.

The microscope for football and basketball are different. I think Rick Barnes lasted as long as he did in part because of this. The heat is less intense for basketball. That being said, Shaka Smart is supposed to up the level of the program, so he needs to do that.

The microscope for football and basketball are different. I think Rick Barnes lasted as long as he did in part because of this. The heat is less intense for basketball. That being said, Shaka Smart is supposed to up the level of the program, so he needs to do that.

Rick Barnes is as vanilla as they come, imminently likable, and did exceptionally well in and around the program. Just not between the lines recently. Shaka will be the opposite on the former, but people will likely be okay with that if he also is the opposite on the latter. I just don't think he will be.