INDIANAPOLIS — Texas officially named Shaka Smart its 24th head basketball coach on Friday.
Smart will make $2.75 million his first year in what is “most likely” a six-year deal, according to Kirk Bohls of the Austin-American Statesman.
Smart has wasted no time in recruiting as he already offered Vermont Academy 2016 guard Bruce Brown.
“I’m extremely excited for the opportunity to be the head men’s basketball coach at The University of Texas,” Smart said. “I’m very appreciative of President Bill Powers and Athletics Director Steve Patterson for believing in me and giving me the chance to work with a tremendous group of young men. Coming to The University of Texas presents an opportunity to be a part of a special community. My highest priority is spending time and developing relationships with our current players, our former players and the young men who will make up the future of Texas Basketball.”
While at VCU (2009-15), Smart posted an overall record of 163-56 (.744) and guided the Rams to five NCAA Tournament appearances. The 163 wins tied him for the second-highest number of total victories during the first six years of a head coaching career in NCAA history. VCU and Duke are the only two programs in the country to have posted at least 26 wins in each of the past six seasons.
VCU is one of only 11 schools in the nation to earn a NCAA Tournament bid in each of the past five years (Cincinnati, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, San Diego State and Wisconsin). During Smart’s tenure, the Rams posted a 27-9 (.750) mark in postseason play and a 33-10 (.767) record in the month of March, including a 7-5 mark in five NCAA Tournament appearances. The Rams’ NCAA appearance this past March marked the first time in school history VCU had advanced to the Big Dance five straight years, and the first time in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia that a Division I basketball program had accomplished that feat.
Prior to Smart’s arrival, the Rams were ranked a total of nine weeks in The Associated Press poll in program history. During his six years, VCU made 22 appearances in The AP Top 25, including three straight rankings in the final AP poll in 2012-13 (No. 25), 2013-14 (No. 24) and 2014-15 (No. 25), a program first.
“Leaving VCU was not an easy decision for me and my family,” Smart said. “I will be eternally grateful to the players at VCU with whom I shared such special experiences. They have taught me so much and changed my life.”
“I’m looking forward to building on the past success of Texas Basketball,” Smart said. “This is a proud program that goes back over 100 years, and I embrace that history. There is tremendous potential in this program, and my job is to work extremely hard to ensure that we realize that potential. I can’t wait to get to work.”
Smart’s style of play during his time at VCU was termed “Havoc.” Simply stated, it was a high-octane platform marked by full-court pressure and transition offense. The Rams led the country in steals per game for three consecutive seasons (2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14) and ranked fourth nationally this past year (9.5 spg). In 2012-13, VCU’s 422 total steals shattered the Atlantic 10 single-season record of 352 set by Xavier in 1998-99. The 422 thefts marked the 18th-highest single-season total in NCAA Division I history. During the 2013-14 season, the Rams registered 391 steals, 21 more than any other squad.
VCU also ranked near the top of the national statistics in turnover margin and opponent turnover rate under Smart’s guidance. The Rams led the nation in turnover margin in 2011-12 (+6.47) and 2012-13 (+8.03) and ranked third nationally (+5.4) during the recent 2014-15 season. VCU’s +8.03 mark in 2012-13 was the sixth-best turnover margin by a NCAA Division I team since the 1992-93 season.
“Havoc” was a hit with the VCU fan base. The Rams concluded the 2014-15 season with a streak of 66 consecutive sellouts at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. That is the fifth-longest active streak in the nation, trailing only Duke, Kansas, Michigan State and Gonzaga.
In the classroom, all 12 seniors during the first five seasons under Smart graduated with at least a bachelor’s degree. Three of the 12 went on to earn a master’s degree. In addition, all three seniors on the 2014-15 VCU roster (Treveon Graham, Jarred Guest and Briante Weber) are on pace to earn their bachelor’s degrees later this spring.
Weber made Atlantic 10 Conference history when he was named the A10 Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season in 2014-15. Despite suffering a season-ending injury in late January, he finished third all-time in NCAA history with 374 career steals and led the nation with 121 steals during the 2013-14 season (13th-best total in NCAA Division I history). Graham, a two-time All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection, completed his career ranked second on the VCU all-time scoring list with 1,882 points and fifth in school history with 803 career rebounds.
Smart led VCU to a 26-10 overall record in 2014-15, including a 12-6 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference and a No. 25 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. The Rams captured the 2015 Atlantic 10 Tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round before falling to Ohio State (75-72) in overtime. This marked the program’s first A10 title and ninth overall conference title for VCU. The Rams became the first team since Xavier in 2006 to win four games in four days at the A10 Tournament. VCU finished the year at No. 15 in the NCAA RPI with the nation’s toughest non-conference schedule and the eighth-toughest overall schedule. The Rams posted 14 wins against the NCAA RPI Top 100, with nine of those victories coming away from home.
Release: Texas Athletics
Photo: USA Today
