Greg Marshall better go cash in before he has another bad year. He's already making way more than you normally see at a mid major but UT would pay him a good chunk more to go to Austin.
Sources: Shaka Smart’s Departure Likely
- Thread starter Messi
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Shaka ran a gimmick at VCU and it worked, because other mid-major teams didn't have the talent to withstand a handsy full-court press. Comes to TX without those type of scrappy guys, plays against B12 talent, and it doesn't work. So he resorts to changing his style, which also doesn't work.
I get it. Everyone's looking for next young phenom but instead of looking at a flash-in-the-pan success, look at what the coach has done to recruit and to develop talent.
I get it. Everyone's looking for next young phenom but instead of looking at a flash-in-the-pan success, look at what the coach has done to recruit and to develop talent.
I have a hard time believing he will be gone. Doesn't have a huge buyout? And despite their horrendous record they might get in the tournament.
After reading their message board it looks like nobody wants him there anymore. Also, based on the speech and press conference it appears Sean Miller knows his time is coming to an end soon even with a top recruiting class coming in. What a cheater that guy is lol
I'll admit I was worried when they hired him. About 2 years in it became apparent his schtick from VCU wasn't going to work, and that was about all he had. Man has he wasted some talent down there...
Shaka's style of play could absolutely be successful in a P5 conference but you have to recruit the right guys. Good luck getting blue chip recruits to buy into that style of play. Shaka was doomed from the get go and Texas was never going to be the right job for him. I don't know what it is with that athletic department but those Texas kids just seem to have a sense of entitlement and that attitude shows up in games.
Which is why I wonder how well Beard would work there. Beard has thrived off of identifying and developing guys that are a bit under the radar. Smith and Culver weren't big names. I wonder how patient Texas fans would be with not reeling in top 10 recruiting classes...
Yeah, a guy who made his name rallying junkyard dog/"they say you're not good enough" type guys wasn't a real great choice for prima donna central.
Although I agree with BillBrasky4Cy's take above about Shaka's style limiting his performance at Texas, I'm not at all sure that applies to every coach. Coach K wins with nothing but blue chips. Knight himself recruited and won with talented kids at IU. In Shaka's case, he hasn't been able to adjust to his talent and thus has been an abject failure by Texas standards. Beard would win there just as Herman has in football, at least in my opinion today. I will say, Beard is very early in his career at this level.
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Really hasn't surprised me at all. He was what I've come to refer to as "the shiny new toy." A young energetic coach who catches lightning in a bottle, makes a run in the tournament and becomes the new darling of the sports media. Sometimes they work out. More often they don't. There will be a new one this year, I'm sure.
Shaka wasn't exactly a year phenomenon though. I do think that he can be a P5 coach but Texas was a really bad match for him.
Will Wade is the brains behind Shaka's resume that earned him the Texas gig.
I'm reminded of Dunk City Florida Gulf Coast with Andy Enfield. Guy led a true cinderella story to the Sweet 16, became a media darling, and immediately bailed for the greener pastures of USC. Pretty mixed bag of results so far, but mostly underachieving at a school similar to Texas (football-centric, loaded $$$).
Shaka stuck around VCU for a few years after, though. To his credit, he waited for the right job/paycheck, though some of the shine was starting to wear off. Enfield, also to his credit, took the money while the getting was good.
Agree 100%. Tech's campus, while sprawling a bit more than is ideal, is actually quite nice. I haven't found much redeeming value in the rest of Lubbock, however.
He had more than one good year at VCU. He wasn’t quite a flash in the pan.
