Texas Makes Smart Choice
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Shaka Smart. (courtesy of VCU)[/caption]
*Audible sigh of relief coming from tim beam’s living room*
Okay, so it appears to be a done deal.
And, in exactly two week’s time, Texas has gone from a program in flux to one of seemingly ultimate excitement with the announcement that VCU head coach Shaka Smart will replace Rick Barnes.
Should that excitement prove to be well founded, the Texas Longhorn basketball program finds itself in the strange predicament of no longer wanting to be a basketball powerhouse but, rather, making a hire that seemingly cements that fact.
UCLA came after Shaka Smart. He said no. Marquette came after Shaka Smart. He said no.
Texas came after Shaka Smart…
So What?
Fair question. Perhaps the only thing that has shined as brightly as Smart’s star has been his team’s inability to reach the second weekend of the tournament since VCU’s Final Four run in 2011. Texas fans have been through exactly that type of situation of late.
Still, there are multiple pieces that speak to the huge deal this is:
• Smart is only 38
• Smart’s VCU teams averaged 27 wins per season during his time in Richmond
• Smart has recruited well at VCU
• Smart’s VCU teams have consistently scored in the mid-70s per game
• Smart’s system fit ideally into the Houston recruiting scene
• Smart’s personality should fit ideally into the Dallas recruiting scene
• Smart’s “Havoc” system fits the strengths of many of Texas’ current players
• Smart’s system has only one comparison in conference (West Virginia)
So What Else?
For a Texas program that needs all of the positive momentum it can get, the hiring of Smart pulls the team into an area where hope can overcome apathy.
Smart wants his teams to play fast, but he also has the ability to manifest accountability, which is the mark of what can take a good coach and make them great.
That’s the type of program football crazed fans can get behind which couldn’t be more important considering where the Longhorns program finds itself: a new coach; Myles Turner leaving the program; the Erwin Center being torn down in favor of a new medical school.
The Endgame
Take heart, Texas fans.
I often think that producing solid teams is about checking boxes. Coaching, in my opinion, is no different.
Exciting style of play? Check.
Personality to win over recruits/families? Check.
A system Texas fans can support? Check.
Personality to sustain accountability in his players? Check.
Are there plenty of coaches out there who could maximize what Texas can offer as a basketball program? Yes.
Did Texas get one of them?
Yes.
Shaka Smart. (courtesy of VCU)[/caption]
*Audible sigh of relief coming from tim beam’s living room*
Okay, so it appears to be a done deal.
And, in exactly two week’s time, Texas has gone from a program in flux to one of seemingly ultimate excitement with the announcement that VCU head coach Shaka Smart will replace Rick Barnes.
Should that excitement prove to be well founded, the Texas Longhorn basketball program finds itself in the strange predicament of no longer wanting to be a basketball powerhouse but, rather, making a hire that seemingly cements that fact.
UCLA came after Shaka Smart. He said no. Marquette came after Shaka Smart. He said no.
Texas came after Shaka Smart…
So What?
Fair question. Perhaps the only thing that has shined as brightly as Smart’s star has been his team’s inability to reach the second weekend of the tournament since VCU’s Final Four run in 2011. Texas fans have been through exactly that type of situation of late.
Still, there are multiple pieces that speak to the huge deal this is:
• Smart is only 38
• Smart’s VCU teams averaged 27 wins per season during his time in Richmond
• Smart has recruited well at VCU
• Smart’s VCU teams have consistently scored in the mid-70s per game
• Smart’s system fit ideally into the Houston recruiting scene
• Smart’s personality should fit ideally into the Dallas recruiting scene
• Smart’s “Havoc” system fits the strengths of many of Texas’ current players
• Smart’s system has only one comparison in conference (West Virginia)
So What Else?
For a Texas program that needs all of the positive momentum it can get, the hiring of Smart pulls the team into an area where hope can overcome apathy.
Smart wants his teams to play fast, but he also has the ability to manifest accountability, which is the mark of what can take a good coach and make them great.
That’s the type of program football crazed fans can get behind which couldn’t be more important considering where the Longhorns program finds itself: a new coach; Myles Turner leaving the program; the Erwin Center being torn down in favor of a new medical school.
The Endgame
Take heart, Texas fans.
I often think that producing solid teams is about checking boxes. Coaching, in my opinion, is no different.
Exciting style of play? Check.
Personality to win over recruits/families? Check.
A system Texas fans can support? Check.
Personality to sustain accountability in his players? Check.
Are there plenty of coaches out there who could maximize what Texas can offer as a basketball program? Yes.
Did Texas get one of them?
Yes.
