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Big 12: Shaka Smart Needed To Accept Texas Job

By Bobby Reagan

Mar 18, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Virginia Commonwealth Rams head coach Shaka Smart addresses the media in a press conference during practice before the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Virginia Commonwealth Rams head coach Shaka Smart addresses the media in a press conference during practice before the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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It was time for Shaka Smart to get the heck out of VCU. In fact, he should have ran away like the program is on fire.

Luckily for Smart, the University of Texas came calling. The Longhorns signed Smart to replace Rick Barnes in Austin, though the details of the deal have not been released yet. It was a smart – sorry for the terrible pun – decision for a plethora of reasons.

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The first reason is the obvious. It’s a complete step up in terms of programs, even with the recent success of VCU. The truth is Smart reached the peak with the Rams. There will never be a miracle Final Four run for VCU and the team will likely never be higher than a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Texas, on the other hand, is in the prestigious Big 12, where you can finish third or fourth in the conference and still be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament as we saw with Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma this year. Heck, VCU won the Atlantic-10 Tournament and got relegated to a No. 7 seed.

VCU isn’t going to get McDonald’s All-American’s and five-star recruits. Texas? Well, they should have at least one McDonald’s All-American every year. In fact, Smart won’t even have to leave his state to recruit top notch talent. In the last couple of years the likes of Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Julius Randle and Justise Winslow have left the state to attend college.

In the 2012 McDonald’s All-American game there was four Texas natives in the game – Isaiah Austin, Cameron Ridley, Marcus Smart and Rasheed Sulaimon.

Imagine if Smart, who is just 37 years old, had the capability to recruit these types of players. The current VCU coach is one of the most recognizable names in college basketball despite coaching at a small school. His ability to relate to the high recruits will go a long way, as he’s known for being a player’s coach.

The Texas fan base was craving a coach like Shaka Smart. Yes, Rick Barnes had success at was once a failure of a program. He made the NCAA Tournament 16 out of 17 years and went to one Final Four.

However, there was a sense of underachieving the last couple of years with tons of talent on his roster. A coach with Smart’s personality will be able to rejuvenate the program, which plays second fiddle to the football team. If the athletic department was willing to give Barnes 17 years to improve the program, think of how long someone like Smart will get.

The last reason to take the job is the obvious. Money. Smart’s deal is likely for more than $1.6 million per year than he was currently making, which is tough to pass up no matter what profession you are in. Coaches have a limited amount of time to make as much money as possible and this is a great chance for him to do just that.

So, kudos to Smart for making the correct decision. Texas needs you, and frankly, you need Texas as well.

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