Shaka Smart

Shaka Dingani Smart (born April 8, 1977) is an American men's college basketball coach. He is the current head men's basketball coach at Marquette University.

Shaka Smart
Smart in 2021
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamMarquette
ConferenceBig East
Record19–13 (.594)
Biographical details
Born (1977-04-08) April 8, 1977
Madison, Wisconsin
Alma materKenyon College
Playing career
1995–1999Kenyon
Position(s)Point guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1999–2001California (PA) (assistant)
2003–2006Akron (assistant)
2006–2008Clemson (assistant)
2008–2009Florida (assistant)
2009–2015VCU
2015–2021Texas
2021–presentMarquette
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2001–2003Dayton (basketball ops.)
Head coaching record
Overall291–155 (.652)
Tournaments7–9 (NCAA Division I)
5–0 (NIT)
5–0 (CBI)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
CBI (2010)
NCAA Regional – Final Four (2011)
CAA Tournament (2012)
Atlantic 10 Tournament (2015)
NIT (2019)
Big 12 Tournament (2021)

Early life and playing career

Smart grew up in Oregon, Wisconsin. In high school, Smart was a three-year starter for Oregon High School in his hometown. He was a second-team All-Badger Conference pick as a senior and by the end of his career was the all-time assists leader at Oregon High for a career (458), season (201) and single game (20).[1]

Smart attended Division III Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he remains the school's career assists leader (542) twenty years after his playing career ended. In 1999, as a senior, he was an All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) selection, named the NCAC Scholar Athlete of the Year, and among 20 students in the country selected for the USA Today All-USA Academic team.[2] On ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, he credited his personal relationship with then head coach Bill Brown as the reason for his decision to attend the school.

Coaching career

Assistant coach

Smart began his coaching career in 1999 as an assistant at California University of Pennsylvania, where he also earned a master's degree. Afterwards, he was hired as Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Dayton. He was then an assistant at the University of Akron for three years, Clemson University for two, and the University of Florida for one.

VCU
Smart as VCU coach in 2013.

VCU hired Smart to be the head coach in the spring of 2009 after the program's previous coach, Anthony Grant, left to become the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team. Smart's hire made him the 10th-youngest head coach in Division I. In his first season, he led the Rams to a 27–10 season and a CBI Championship after VCU swept Saint Louis in the championship best-of-three series.[3]

Smart's second season began with forward Larry Sanders declaring for the 2010 NBA Draft after his junior season. Sanders' selection by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 15th pick made VCU the first school in the Commonwealth of Virginia to have a player selected in the first round of the NBA Draft in consecutive years, as the Utah Jazz had selected guard Eric Maynor with the 20th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The Rams under Smart went 23–11 in the 2010–2011 season. Smart led the Rams to their second consecutive Colonial Athletic Association Championship Game, where they lost to Old Dominion.

Despite not securing the automatic bid, VCU earned an at-large bid to the Southwest region of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The Rams were one of the last four teams invited, and were placed in the First Four against USC for a spot in the main 64-team tournament bracket. VCU defeated USC and then upset the 6th-seeded Georgetown Hoyas and 3rd-seeded Purdue Boilermakers to advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. VCU won 72–71 against Florida State University in overtime to earn the school's first spot in the Elite Eight and subsequently upset the top-seeded University of Kansas 71–61 for its first Final Four appearance. The Rams lost to Butler 70-62 in the semifinal game.

On April 4, 2011, Smart agreed to an 8-year contract extension with VCU, increasing his base pay from $350,000 to $1.2 million per year, prior to any performance bonuses.[4][5]

On January 19, 2013, Smart became the second youngest active coach to win 100 games, with a 90-63 victory over Duquesne.[6]

Texas

On April 2, 2015, Smart accepted an offer to become the new men's head basketball coach at Texas. In his first season at Texas, the Longhorns won 20 games and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, which the Houston Chronicle described as having "surpassed all realistic expectations."[7] That offseason, Smart received a contract extension which would keep him at Texas through the 2022–23 season.[8]

In May 2017, Smart received a commitment from Mohamed Bamba, the second ranked overall player in the 2017 recruiting class, to play at Texas.[9][10] The following recruiting class was ranked eighth in the country after Smart received commitment letters from several highly ranked high school recruits.[11] Smart led Texas to an NIT championship in 2019 after losing in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament the previous season to Nevada.[12]

In six seasons of coaching Texas, Smart did not win an NCAA Tournament game with the Longhorns.[13] Smart was considered on the "hot seat" at Texas according to the San Antonio Express-News, with public speculation about how much longer he could remain; in 2021 he had just two years remaining on his contract with a relatively low buyout clause.[14] He did, however, win the 2021 Big 12 tournament and led Texas to a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament, but a shocking first-round loss to 14th-seeded Abilene Christian fired up speculation about his job status once again.

Marquette

On March 26, 2021, Marquette University hired Smart to replace Steve Wojciechowski as the Golden Eagles' head coach.[15] Just three games into his tenure on November 15, 2021, Smart and the Golden Eagles upset No. 10 Illinois. Smart and Marquette lost in the championship game of the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic to No. 16 St. Bonaventure University. On January 4, 2022, Smart led Marquette to their biggest margin of victory against a ranked opponent, beating the No. 16 Providence Friars 88-56 a 32 point margin of victory.[16] On January 19, 2022, Smart led the Golden Eagles to a 57-54 victory over Villanova. This upset ended the Wildcats' 29-game winning streak at Finneran Pavilion, having last lost there against Furman on November 27, 2018.[17] Smart went on to lead Marquette to a berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament as a 9-seed, where, in its opening game, the team lost to the University of North Carolina.[18]

Style of play

Smart's teams at VCU played an upbeat style of basketball known as "havoc." Smart described his "havoc" defensive philosophy during his introductory press conference as, "We are going to wreak havoc on our opponent's psyche and their plan of attack." On the court, the "havoc" defensive mindset is visible through the heavy use of the full court press and pressing after made baskets to disrupt opponents' timing of offensive sets. The Rams consistently maintained one of the most efficient and disruptive defenses in the nation, ranking 1st nationally in both turnovers and steals forced per possession from 2011-2014.

Personal life

Smart's given name was bestowed in honor of the famous Zulu monarch and military strategist.[19] He graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College with a degree in history, researching and writing on issues related to race and the Great Migration.[20] Smart received an NCAA postgraduate scholarship and earned a master's degree in social science at California University of Pennsylvania. He developed a love for quotations at Kenyon. Smart began writing down quotes into a digital document that is now over 110 pages long. He also likes nature documentaries featuring big cats.[21]

Smart has been married since May 20, 2006, to Maya Smart, a professional writer and alumna of Harvard University and Northwestern University.[1][22][23] Their daughter was born in 2011.[1][24]

Smart has four half-siblings from his estranged father Winston Smart: Sekou Lumumba Smart,, Ifoma Oginga Smart, Anika Aduesa Smart, and Nkosi Mandela Smart. Smart's half-brother, J.M. Tyree, is a writer and professor.[25]

Smart campaigned for President Barack Obama in Florida in 2008 and Virginia in 2012.[26]

Head coaching record
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
VCU Rams (Colonial Athletic Association) (2009–2012)
2009–10 VCU 27–911–7T–5thCBI Champion
2010–11 VCU 28–1212–64thNCAA Division I Final Four
2011–12 VCU 29–715–32ndNCAA Division I Round of 32
VCU Rams (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2012–2015)
2012–13 VCU 27–912–42ndNCAA Division I Round of 32
2013–14 VCU 26–912–42ndNCAA Division I Round of 64
2014–15 VCU 26–1012–6T–4thNCAA Division I Round of 64
VCU: 163–56 (.744)74–30 (.712)
Texas Longhorns (Big 12 Conference) (2015–2021)
2015–16 Texas 20–1311–74thNCAA Division I Round of 64
2016–17 Texas 11–224–1410th
2017–18 Texas 19–158–10T–6thNCAA Division I Round of 64
2018–19 Texas 21–168–106thNIT Champion
2019–20 Texas 19–129–9T–3rd Postseason cancelled due to COVID-19
2020–21 Texas 19–811–63rdNCAA Division I Round of 64
Texas: 109–86 (.559)51–56 (.477)
Marquette Golden Eagles (Big East Conference) (2021–present)
2021–22 Marquette 19–1311–8T–5thNCAA Division I Round of 64
Marquette: 19–13 (.594)11–8 (.579)
Total:291–155 (.652)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

References
  1. "NCAA men's basketball: Ex-Oregon athlete Shaka Smart guides VCU past Georgetown". Host.madison.com. March 18, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  2. Shaka Smart. "VCU Athletics". VCU Athletics. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  3. "VCU vs. Saint Louis - Game Recap - March 31, 2010". ESPN.com. March 31, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  4. DeCourcy, Mike. "Shaka Smart agrees to eight-year contract with VCU". Sporting News. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  5. "Smart decision: VCU coach has deal, will stay". ESPN.com. April 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  6. Pearell, Tim (January 20, 2013). "VCU blowout gives Smart 100th win". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  7. Mike Finger (7 March 2017). "Shaka Smart confident UT's down year an anomaly". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  8. "Texas basketball coach Shaka Smart receives contract extension, pay raise". Sports Illustrated. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  9. Nick Moyle (31 May 2017). "Shaka Smart: Texas has a chance to take a 'really big jump as a program'". San Antonio News-Express. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  10. Ricky O'Donnell (23 May 2017). "Mohamed Bamba is the most interesting basketball prospect in the world". SB Nation. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  11. Nick Moyle (8 November 2017). "Texas' Shaka Smart puts together another stellar recruiting class". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  12. Tyler Savitsky (4 April 2019). "Texas claims title after taking down Lipscomb in New York'". CBS Sports. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  13. Noah Trister. "NCAA Tournament success has eluded Smart since VCU run". Associated Press, March 19, 2021. Accessed March 21, 2021.
  14. Nick Moyle. "After Texas falls short again, Shaka Smart's seat heats back up". San Antonio Express-News, March 21, 2021. Accessed March 22, 2021.
  15. "Marquette names Shaka Smart as next men's basketball coach". WISN. March 26, 2021.
  16. "#MUBB topples No. 16/17 Providence 88-56". Marquette University Athletics. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  17. "Marquette snaps no. 11 Villanova's 29-game on-campus streak". 2022-01-19.
  18. Steele, Ben. "Marquette's NCAA Tournament drought continues in blowout loss to North Carolina". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  19. Branch, John (March 26, 2011). "Coach Shaka Smart Has Become V.C.U.'s Brightest Star". The New York Times.
  20. "Kenyon College - Shaka Smart wins sport on academic team". bulletin.kenyon.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-06-29.
  21. http://www.marfdrat.net/2011/03/29/shaka-smart-as-only-a-brother-could-know-him/#.T2dHNHn63ch
  22. Illinois Fighting Illini targeting VCU Rams coach Shaka Smart, according to source - ESPN Chicago
  23. "Shaka Smart". University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Sun Sports & IMG College. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  24. "EXCLUSIVE: Coach Smart Is Going To Be a Father" Retrieved 2011-04-12.
  25. Tyree, J.M. (25 March 2011). "Shaka Smart, VCU: What it's like being related to the hottest name in March Madness Slate Magazine". Slate. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  26. Wise, Scott (6 May 2012). "Shaka Smart: "I support President Obama"". WTVR. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
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