Shaka Smart Just What The Texas Longhorns Needed As Head Coach

It’s been less than a week since the Texas Longhorns parted ways with 17-year head coach Rick Barnes and athletic director Steve Patterson wasted no time finding his replacement, as multiple reports confirmed Thursday night that VCU’s head coach Shaka Smart had accepted the Texas job.

Smart had seemingly been the only guy on Texas’ coaching radar, outside of the reports that Texas briefly reached out to Villanova’s Jay Wright and Virginia’s Tony Bennett.

The fact that Smart actually accepted a job offer from a program within the Power Five conferences could come as a surprise to many, as the 37-year-old head coach has turned down previous offers to take the reigns at UCLA, Marquette, Minnesota and Illinois among others, but it was news that was openly welcomed by some Longhorns’ players.

More from NBA

• The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• Constructing the NBA’s perfect all-under-25 starting five

It could go without saying that the expectations surrounding Smart are going to loom larger than they ever have during his six-year tenure at VCU due to what he was able to accomplish with the Rams. Smart has taken VCU to five straight NCAA tournament appearances, which included a Final Four run in 2011. Prior to the 2010-11 season, Smart led VCU to a CBI championship.

His combined record over this six-year period with the Rams in 163-56 (.744), with at least 26 wins every season. Now being thrown into an environment that could be viewed as the most financially resourceful in the country in the heart of a state where elite high school talent has made Texas a hotbed for basketball recruiting, Smart will be expected to keep a few more of those in-state recruits and the wins should follow suit.

Based on Smart’s enthusiastic coaching style and proven track record of getting more out of less at VCU, reeling in big name recruits and finally bringing some NCAA Tournament success back to Austin isn’t too far fetched of a feat.

For those who aren’t familiar with the havoc wreaking, up-tempo style of game Smart coaches, Wescott Eberts of Burnt Orange Nation provided some insight as to what Texas fans can expect to see on the hardwood in 2015-16:

"Known for his trademark “havoc” defense, Smart’s teams play a high-octane, entertaining brand of basketball. By employing several types of full-court pressure including a 1-2-1-1 zone press known as “diamond” and a trapping man-to-man called “double-fist,” VCU consistently disrupted opposing offenses and created transition opportunities throughout Smart’s tenure in Richmond, leading the country in steals for three seasons before finishing No. 4 in that category in 2014-15."

As for the recruiting portion of Smart’s newly acquired duties, the Longhorns’ coach wasted no time letting his presence be felt after extending an offer to ESPN 60 recruit and 2016 SG Bruce Brown only hours after agreeing to make the move to Texas. Smart followed that with an offer to three-star recruit Javin LeLaurier.

For the past seven years, Texas has seen very minimal success in meaningful moments. Yes, they’ve continued the usual trend of 20-win seasons after coming out on top in their share regular season games, but Barnes had made falling short when it mattered most on the recruiting trail and in the NCAA tournament a routine.

Smart has seen much of the same tournament struggles since his Final Four run, but he also has been void of the opportunity to coach and recruit the absolute best at a destination program.

Within less than 24 hours of his hiring, Smart has already rejuvenated the atmosphere surrounding basketball in Austin, offered a four-star shooting guard and a three-star power forward, along with realistically heightening the expectations for Longhorns’ hoops from this point forward.

Texas basketball needed a facelift and Patterson made the smartest possible hire for the program. Smart is exactly what Texas basketball needs.

Next: Booker, Lyles Key For Kentucky

More from Hoops Habit

• The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow