Mac Engel, Star-Telegram:
Shaka Smart was never a bad coach, but he was at the wrong job. Some coaches are better fits for certain jobs, and Texas never fit Smart.
How he wound up at a job that fits him better was made possible by the place that needed to fire him.
It all worked out perfectly for Marquette and Smart, who are now in the Sweet 16 this weekend at the NCAA Tournament’s south regional in Dallas while the Longhorns are in a different spot, at home in Austin.
Go back to March 20, 2021, when Texas was upset by Abilene Christian in the first round of the NCAA Tournament; that 53-52 loss is one of the lowest points for Texas basketball this century.
Everyone liked Shaka, but it wasn’t working. The success he had at Virginia Commonwealth didn’t come with him to Texas. With three NCAA Tournament appearances but no tourney wins, Smart’s tenure had been more potential and promise than results.
Meanwhile, out on the plains in Lubbock, head coach Chris Beard was killing it at Texas Tech. He was happy there, but the job he coveted was Texas, and the timing was right for all of it.
The trouble was Smart’s contract; UT was on the hook for the remaining two years and $7.1 million. UT did not just want to eat that contract while signing Beard to an even larger deal, as well as paying Texas Tech $4 million to buyout his deal there.
According to people familiar with the situation, it was Texas that worked the phones to find a solution. It could get out of the Smart contract by acting as a head hunter for a school that wanted a head coach.
Marquette fired head coach Steve Wojciechowski, on March 19 of that year. With resources, facilities and history, Marquette of the Big East is a good job in men’s basketball. All Marquette had to do was think Smart was the right guy, and UT could switch from Shaka to Beard with minimal problems.
Texas never had to fire Smart, who “left” Texas for Marquette on March 26. On April 1, Chris Beard was named as Shaka Smart’s replacement.
At Marquette, Smart has had the success that Texas sought. The Golden Eagles have reached the NCAA Tournament in all three of his seasons there, and are a second seed for the second consecutive season.
This is what he did at VCU when he built that into a mid-major power, from 2009 to ‘15.
He is the classic example of a coach who is better suited for a certain level of college sports. Some people aren’t wired for the muddy brutality of a “power” job.
Marquette is not some third-tier Division I program, and it’s not Texas.
“How have I changed? Gotten older. My hair has changed,” Smart said at a press conference on Thursday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. “I think probably the biggest transformation for me as a coach since 2011 is just understanding how much that I don’t control. I think as a young coach you try to assert control over so many different things.
“Trying to understand what helps the players be their best and I think with that, learning that coaching your team is not the same as coaching your players.”
Texas’ timeline with men’s basketball after Shaka left took a detour into a ditch through no fault of its own. Texas had the guy it wanted in Beard. Beard had the job he wanted in Texas.
After Beard led UT to the NCAA Tournament in his first season with a win, his personal life caught up to him. On Dec. 12, 2022, Beard was arrested after a domestic violence charge from his fiance. On Jan. 5, 2023, Texas fired Beard.
According to the Travis County District Attorney, Beard’s fiance did not want to prosecute Beard, and based on the evidence the charges were dropped.
Assistant coach Rodney Terry coached the team the rest of the season, all the way to the Elite Eight. He was named the full-time head coach in March of ‘23.
In his first full year as head coach, the Longhorns were decent. They finished 21-13 with a .500 mark in the Big 12; they narrowly lost to second-seeded Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and former UT head coach Rick Barnes.
Texas hiring Shaka Smart made sense, as did hiring Chris Beard.
The big winner in all of this is Marquette, who found the right guy for that job.
Shaka Smart was never a bad coach, but he was at the wrong job. Some coaches are better fits for certain jobs, and Texas never fit Smart.
How he wound up at a job that fits him better was made possible by the place that needed to fire him.
It all worked out perfectly for Marquette and Smart, who are now in the Sweet 16 this weekend at the NCAA Tournament’s south regional in Dallas while the Longhorns are in a different spot, at home in Austin.
Go back to March 20, 2021, when Texas was upset by Abilene Christian in the first round of the NCAA Tournament; that 53-52 loss is one of the lowest points for Texas basketball this century.
Everyone liked Shaka, but it wasn’t working. The success he had at Virginia Commonwealth didn’t come with him to Texas. With three NCAA Tournament appearances but no tourney wins, Smart’s tenure had been more potential and promise than results.
Meanwhile, out on the plains in Lubbock, head coach Chris Beard was killing it at Texas Tech. He was happy there, but the job he coveted was Texas, and the timing was right for all of it.
The trouble was Smart’s contract; UT was on the hook for the remaining two years and $7.1 million. UT did not just want to eat that contract while signing Beard to an even larger deal, as well as paying Texas Tech $4 million to buyout his deal there.
According to people familiar with the situation, it was Texas that worked the phones to find a solution. It could get out of the Smart contract by acting as a head hunter for a school that wanted a head coach.
Marquette fired head coach Steve Wojciechowski, on March 19 of that year. With resources, facilities and history, Marquette of the Big East is a good job in men’s basketball. All Marquette had to do was think Smart was the right guy, and UT could switch from Shaka to Beard with minimal problems.
Texas never had to fire Smart, who “left” Texas for Marquette on March 26. On April 1, Chris Beard was named as Shaka Smart’s replacement.
At Marquette, Smart has had the success that Texas sought. The Golden Eagles have reached the NCAA Tournament in all three of his seasons there, and are a second seed for the second consecutive season.
This is what he did at VCU when he built that into a mid-major power, from 2009 to ‘15.
He is the classic example of a coach who is better suited for a certain level of college sports. Some people aren’t wired for the muddy brutality of a “power” job.
Marquette is not some third-tier Division I program, and it’s not Texas.
“How have I changed? Gotten older. My hair has changed,” Smart said at a press conference on Thursday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. “I think probably the biggest transformation for me as a coach since 2011 is just understanding how much that I don’t control. I think as a young coach you try to assert control over so many different things.
“Trying to understand what helps the players be their best and I think with that, learning that coaching your team is not the same as coaching your players.”
Texas’ timeline with men’s basketball after Shaka left took a detour into a ditch through no fault of its own. Texas had the guy it wanted in Beard. Beard had the job he wanted in Texas.
After Beard led UT to the NCAA Tournament in his first season with a win, his personal life caught up to him. On Dec. 12, 2022, Beard was arrested after a domestic violence charge from his fiance. On Jan. 5, 2023, Texas fired Beard.
According to the Travis County District Attorney, Beard’s fiance did not want to prosecute Beard, and based on the evidence the charges were dropped.
Assistant coach Rodney Terry coached the team the rest of the season, all the way to the Elite Eight. He was named the full-time head coach in March of ‘23.
In his first full year as head coach, the Longhorns were decent. They finished 21-13 with a .500 mark in the Big 12; they narrowly lost to second-seeded Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and former UT head coach Rick Barnes.
Texas hiring Shaka Smart made sense, as did hiring Chris Beard.
The big winner in all of this is Marquette, who found the right guy for that job.
