Apparently Shaka Smart is talking to U of Texas about their coaching vacancy. Could be another powerhouse program of the future.
Shaka Smart to Texas?
- Thread starter HoustonREDHawk
- Start date
YIKES!!!
Do not want, with his coaching style and the type of recruits he would be able to get will bode well for the rest of the teams.
Personally thought he is a great coach, but one wonders why he turned down all those other offers and now is looking into Texas? Could be a lot of pressure on him there. Maybe using it as a way to get a pay raise at VCU.
Do not want, with his coaching style and the type of recruits he would be able to get will bode well for the rest of the teams.
Personally thought he is a great coach, but one wonders why he turned down all those other offers and now is looking into Texas? Could be a lot of pressure on him there. Maybe using it as a way to get a pay raise at VCU.
Don't see it, but Texas has mad money and anything is possible. Just don't think he'd like Texas.
It would immediately improve the academic expectations and performance of the Texas players.
If McCaffery left I'd be on the phone to Shaka Smart in ten seconds. I think he and Archie Miller are the next generation of break out coaching stars. I don't consider Marshall because he's already broken out with a FF, undefeated regular season, and a sweet 16 the last three seasons.
The Texas job comes with a ton of pressure from the donors and fans, and sometimes to cut corners. I've followed Shaka, at first just cuz I liked the name, but he is a very good coach that does it the right way.
It would immediately improve the academic expectations and performance of the Texas players.
If McCaffery left I'd be on the phone to Shaka Smart in ten seconds. I think he and Archie Miller are the next generation of break out coaching stars. I don't consider Marshall because he's already broken out with a FF, undefeated regular season, and a sweet 16 the last three seasons.
The Texas job comes with a ton of pressure from the donors and fans, and sometimes to cut corners. I've followed Shaka, at first just cuz I liked the name, but he is a very good coach that does it the right way.
>The Texas job comes with a ton of pressure from the donors and fans, and sometimes to cut corners.
In football yes; nobody cares about basketball here. That is why Barnes was able to stay this long with mediocre results.
In football yes; nobody cares about basketball here. That is why Barnes was able to stay this long with mediocre results.
Exactly. Very little pressure, tons of talent instate, can pay him a kings ransom. I hope he goes, I'd love another uptempo team in conference.
Barnes is not a bad coach, but he did underachieve most years with what he had. I still think that Texas should have been a top 20 team this year. Gabe putting down their hot shot PG, when he tried to show Iowa up with the game already decided, started the stretch of underachievement this year.
You also thought we wouldn't make the NCAA tourney and that Fran was on the hot seat so I will take your coach wish list and use it to start a fire
He had a great run in the early 2000's. Made one final four, a couple elite eights, and a few sweet sixteens. He made the tournament all but once in his 17 years I believe.
FWIW ESPN stated that VCU has not been contacted by anyone to talk to Smart as of 5 this morning.
I saw it running on the bottom line when I couldn't sleep.
Posted from Rivals Mobile
I saw it running on the bottom line when I couldn't sleep.
Posted from Rivals Mobile
my theory yesterday was that Texas leaked the Shaka Smart news in order to put pressure on Marshall to accept.
Rumor here in Austin is AD Paterson is looking into an ex NBA coach and Mark Jackson name is popping up.
My recollection is that Mark Jackson coached Golden State to one year and greatly mproved the team then was fired due to some political BS with Management. This guy can certainly coach, and has credibility with recruits. I think he would be a big upgrade over Barnes who did very little with all the Texas / Austin Resources.
I have heard that Barnes is 60 years old and that combined with his underwhelming results at Texas makes him a very piss poor hire for Tennessee.
I have heard that Barnes is 60 years old and that combined with his underwhelming results at Texas makes him a very piss poor hire for Tennessee.
Originally posted by Guidotheguide:
I don't think taking Texas to 16 NCAA tourneys in 17 years can be considered underwhelming.
With the talent Barnes had at Texas, the results were underwhelming. Texas is a demanding position, but as someone mentioned before, it is much more demanding for football than basketball. Additionally, compared to many schools of the same caliber, I don't think Texas football has unreasonable expectations either. Mack Brown had a ton of success at Texas, but in his last few years they were awful without any justification. I think Texas was completely justified in letting him go.
It is when you look at all the draft picks he has had in his tenure. Nobody has been doing less with more than Rick Barnes. With the right hire that program could be a juggernaut.Originally posted by Guidotheguide:
I don't think taking Texas to 16 NCAA tourneys in 17 years can be considered underwhelming.
Agree on sentiments about Shaka. His style is fun and players buy in to HAVOC. If he could get a job at a P5 conference, he would be unreal. Have heard him present: humble, charismatic, seems fun to play for. If Fran left Iowa:
1. Shaka
2. Marshall
Close, though.
1. Shaka
2. Marshall
Close, though.
Smart has been at VCU for 6 years. He's never won his conference despite usually having one of the most talented teams in his conference. His players certainly buy into his fun system, but his resume is way less impressive than Gregg Marshall who has 9 conference titles in his 17 years as coach. Hell, Marshall has finished 1st or 2nd in his conference 14 of his 17 seasons as an HC.
There's something about that school right now that just screams WTF.
I think the problem has to be the school, not the coaches. The atmosphere so to speak. You can't keep under-achieving in football and basketball and not have the problems be deeper than the coaches.
I would think they could hire darn near anybody they want as far as coaches go. They'd be beating a path to Austin to get those jobs.
Maybe OiT can fill us in on what the real story is there...
I think the problem has to be the school, not the coaches. The atmosphere so to speak. You can't keep under-achieving in football and basketball and not have the problems be deeper than the coaches.
I would think they could hire darn near anybody they want as far as coaches go. They'd be beating a path to Austin to get those jobs.
Maybe OiT can fill us in on what the real story is there...
I think the athletes at Texas have seen themselves as rock stars. Many became lazy, undisciplined, and focused more on having fun than doing what it takes to get better at their sport. Charlie Strong has weeded a lot of those players out, even though they were some of the biggest stars on the football team.
I have a cousin who was an assistant basketball coach out East. He often stated that some of their "highest rated recruits" were the most lazy and ignorant POS he's ever coached. He always talked about there are some who are great kids and play hard regardless of their high school careers. But he said you can tell from day 1 who was spoon feed their entire life and who had to work hard to get where they are.
He always has stories about this player and that player, its actually fun getting together with him and talking sports. Sadly he has walked away from coaching and now is selling insurance (wife pretty much gave him the ultimatum) keep coaching and be by himself or get a regular job and be with his family. Not my place to judge, but he must love his family a lot to walk away from that opportunity.
He had a great story about a great player who transferred in (Top player supposedly) and missed their mandatory weight training program in the morning. The kid told him he doesn't lift weights, he is good enough. The Strength coach saw it differently and made him do some tough workout for missing. The kid came to a shooting practice with my cousin and told him, "If that guy makes me do another workout like that for missing, Im gone." My Cousin said he didn't roll the balls out, told the player to get out. The kid left that school as well. Head coach was glad that my cousin handled it that way. If the kid doesn't want to work, he isn't going to be successful.
why? he's never done anything outstanding at VCU except for ride hot 3 point shooting to a Final Four bid 5 years ago. Is that the mark of some young outstanding coach? Or was it just a lucky shooting streak?
His record against high level opponents is pretty bad and it's tough to make the excuse he doesn't have any talent when he has had some decent talent to work with. That said he will obviously get better players at Texas than he did at VCU.
I just don't think his style can win at a high level. Full court press is too easy to break for good teams and leads to layup lines on the other end.
Fair points. While I think Smart is a good coach, I thought the same of Jeff Capel and Anthony Grant when they left VCU to go to Oklahoma and Alabama. And both of them were/are good coaches, just not elite ones.
I believe that the purest measure of a coach is whether his teams are good when they do not have elite talent compared to their opposition. That is what makes it hard to assess Shaka Smart. He was an elite recruiter at the VCU level, and his teams consistently had more talent than their opponents. It is a challenge to project how a mid-major coach will do, moving up to the next level of competition, when they had elite talent compared to their opposition at the previous stop.
I think that his biggest challenge will be recruiting to his specific style of play. I think that pressing defense can still work--West Virginia certainly competed in the Big12 this year with that style. He will have plenty of talent to pick from, but he will need to have players who are committed to that defensive style. I think a lot of the one-and-done talents that Texas was recruiting under Barnes were more interested in offense than defense.
I believe that the purest measure of a coach is whether his teams are good when they do not have elite talent compared to their opposition. That is what makes it hard to assess Shaka Smart. He was an elite recruiter at the VCU level, and his teams consistently had more talent than their opponents. It is a challenge to project how a mid-major coach will do, moving up to the next level of competition, when they had elite talent compared to their opposition at the previous stop.
I think that his biggest challenge will be recruiting to his specific style of play. I think that pressing defense can still work--West Virginia certainly competed in the Big12 this year with that style. He will have plenty of talent to pick from, but he will need to have players who are committed to that defensive style. I think a lot of the one-and-done talents that Texas was recruiting under Barnes were more interested in offense than defense.
West Virginia had about as good a pressure D as is possible (they lead the nation in forced TO%), but still only ranked 43rd nationally and 5th in the Big 12 in adjusted defensive efficiency this season. I really just don't see any way it's possible to press all the time trying to force TOs and have a great defense at a high level. There is a reason NBA teams don't press even though they have only 8 seconds to get across half court instead of 10, it's because it doesn't work. Good guards and good passing teams can routinely shred a full court press.
Originally posted by blockm2:
Originally posted by jdv77:
I think that his biggest challenge will be recruiting to his specific style of play. I think that pressing defense can still work--West Virginia certainly competed in the Big12 this year with that style. He will have plenty of talent to pick from, but he will need to have players who are committed to that defensive style. I think a lot of the one-and-done talents that Texas was recruiting under Barnes were more interested in offense than defense.
West Virginia had about as good a pressure D as is possible (they lead the nation in forced TO%), but still only ranked 43rd nationally and 5th in the Big 12 in adjusted defensive efficiency this season. I really just don't see any way it's possible to press all the time trying to force TOs and have a great defense at a high level. There is a reason NBA teams don't press even though they have only 8 seconds to get across half court instead of 10, it's because it doesn't work. Good guards and good passing teams can routinely shred a full court press.
"press all the time trying to force TO's.",
Iowa fans that followed Dr. Tom's teams have some experience with that.But I think we're all much better now.
West Virginia put there opponents in the bonus regularly with 10 minutes left in halves. Obviously that comes with pressing but if you can be a little more disciplined and Shaka can recruit more talented offensive players who are still willing play that way on defense it can be effective. Louisville is a great example of what style of play can do for you in the NCAA tourney, when teams have a tough time adjusting to a different style from game to game.
I don't think it's realistic in the NBA due to the number of games more than anything. Players bodies break down already, they are not willing to play that way for that many possessions a game for 82 games.
In general I agree that it is much easier to be successful with that style against lesser athletes and the more you play against it the less effective it is but the way the NCAA tourney is set up it can be effective at the most important time of year, and at the very least will be interesting to watch if premier athletes buy in to that system.
