O.T. Shaka Smart leaving VCU for Texas
- Thread starter Scarletwoman
- Start date
Great patience by him not bolting at the first offer a couple of years ago. He picked the right time to go. This is a tremendous hire by Texas
I don't get this at all for Shaka......
He said No to UCLA. He said no to marquette. Those are basketball schools (UCLA is probably 50-50 basketball and football, and marquette firmly basketball). Those schools have won national championships. Texas has never played in a championship. Not to mention, VCU has been a better basketball school the past 7-10 years than Texas. By far.
I just don't get it.
He said No to UCLA. He said no to marquette. Those are basketball schools (UCLA is probably 50-50 basketball and football, and marquette firmly basketball). Those schools have won national championships. Texas has never played in a championship. Not to mention, VCU has been a better basketball school the past 7-10 years than Texas. By far.
I just don't get it.
Texas has incredible amounts of money. Compared to UCLA they are both top schools to go to.
The difference may be the time difference from the UCLA offer. He may have thought VCU was getting into the Big East or there would be more shuffling. He may also be looking at his current situation where VCU can't pay more and his recruiting possibilities are limited.
With Texas there is no state income tax which may help a bit. His contract is rumored to be a 6 year deal at $2.75 mil a year. At VCU his last extension was for $1.5 mil per year for 8 years. Not sure the UCLA offer but it may have been around the same as VCU gave him as an extension.
If you've been to Austin, or the rest of Texas...you'd know the answer. Texas recruits itself very well. Austin is a great place to spend 4 years or your coaching career versus what the other TX schools offer, and UT is worshipped for many HS school students.
Ya, but texas is not winning a national championship while Shaka is there. It's just not gonna happen. I'm not one to prognosticate like this, but I'm confident enough to opine on this and put my internet name and reputation to it (haha)...
It may not have happened at VCU either...but Marquette and UCLA are viable contenders, and with Shaka they could be national champions. I just can't see Texas doing it.
It may not have happened at VCU either...but Marquette and UCLA are viable contenders, and with Shaka they could be national champions. I just can't see Texas doing it.
UCLA fans justifiably have different expectations. They have the longest men's win streak in history. Texas is high profile enough without the crazy expectations. UCLA is what Alabama is to football, Texas is more like a Wisconsin or Iowa but with insane recruiting advantage.
There is no comparison between Texss and Marquette. Shaka can win a national championship at Texas....he cannot at Marquette tou got things backward
Texas certainly has more money to spend than UCLA but not a better "program" ever.
Sorta amused at the, "This is a great hire" talk. Remains to be seen and by no means a slam dunk.
How much has Smart actually done the last three years? 0-2 the last two tourneys with bad losses to 12 seed Stephen F. Austin and this year a bad loss to 10 seed Ohio State. Let's go back three years and all he has to show for is a win over Akron?
Isn't that the type of record that alleged underachiever Rick Barnes got fired for? Isn't this the same type of living on past success that got Barnes fired? Hmmmmmmmm.
Certainly worthy a chance but the great hire talk appears a bit pre-mature.
Sorta amused at the, "This is a great hire" talk. Remains to be seen and by no means a slam dunk.
How much has Smart actually done the last three years? 0-2 the last two tourneys with bad losses to 12 seed Stephen F. Austin and this year a bad loss to 10 seed Ohio State. Let's go back three years and all he has to show for is a win over Akron?
Isn't that the type of record that alleged underachiever Rick Barnes got fired for? Isn't this the same type of living on past success that got Barnes fired? Hmmmmmmmm.
Certainly worthy a chance but the great hire talk appears a bit pre-mature.
II thought UT would go for the Whicita St coach as he is already well known in theor conference footprint but Smart is a good hire.
Marquette may be a BB school but Smart is smart enough to know that he needed to be in a school with Big Time football. I would guess that Texas threw more money at him than UCLA did..
Marquette may be a BB school but Smart is smart enough to know that he needed to be in a school with Big Time football. I would guess that Texas threw more money at him than UCLA did..
Going forward who do you think is going to invest more in BB? Marquette, getting $1.5 million from the Big East, or Texas with its record setting yearly revenues?
Marquette might be more basketball oriented, but each passing year tilts the table more and more in favor of the P5 schools in terms of the ability to invest in all sports. At this point Marquette is basically on par with VCU - a lateral move for Smart.
Investment is going to win championships? We are so obsessed with this concept of investment. I understand it's important, i get it, nice facilities equal good recruiting equal good teams equal better recruiting equal better teams, and the circle of life continues. But, its freakin Texas. Nobody cares about basketball down there, and when I say nobody I mean NOBODY. They can pretend all they like. Nobody gives a crap, and thats the truth. Football rules the roost and it will ALWAYS be that way.
If that's what you sign up for -- second fiddle, forever, no matter what you do, and the allure of a big university with lots of money but no glory, then good for Shaka. But he goes to Marquette and he pulls great athletes from Chicago, Milwaukee, all the midwestern cities that produce awesome bball talent. Now he'll have to settle for whatever comes out of Texas (and in the past couple of years the crop has been really good), but im sorry, you're just not gonna be an elite team recruiting just texas guys. You need northeastern boys. You need midwest grit. That's basketball country, just like the haven for football players is down there in florida nad texas and louisiana.
And one more thing -- Marquette has a huge arena and sells out. Texas barely draws 10,000
If that's what you sign up for -- second fiddle, forever, no matter what you do, and the allure of a big university with lots of money but no glory, then good for Shaka. But he goes to Marquette and he pulls great athletes from Chicago, Milwaukee, all the midwestern cities that produce awesome bball talent. Now he'll have to settle for whatever comes out of Texas (and in the past couple of years the crop has been really good), but im sorry, you're just not gonna be an elite team recruiting just texas guys. You need northeastern boys. You need midwest grit. That's basketball country, just like the haven for football players is down there in florida nad texas and louisiana.
And one more thing -- Marquette has a huge arena and sells out. Texas barely draws 10,000
I think we've reached a point where we can agree to disagree. All I can say is, over the next 10 years (or whatever horizon you care to measure), Marquette will be the better basketball team. Marquette is fully capable of winning national championships. Fully capable.
Texas, is not. And they won't sniff one. Come find me when they do. I won't hold my breath.
Texas is a better basketball program with 5x the potential as Marquette who is no longer in a power conference...I do not even know the name of the Marquette coach offhand and thats pretty telling
I agree with Randal...
Marquette is better basketball program than Texas...
I think many of you just are brainwashed by the whole Texas thing similiar to how the SEC is the best in football
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Marquette is better basketball program than Texas...
I think many of you just are brainwashed by the whole Texas thing similiar to how the SEC is the best in football
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Yes you do. Steve Wojciechowski or however you spell it. Has a couple of very highly regarded recruits coming in, whom he signed before he coached his first game.
Of course Texas is a better job than Marquette. I totally get the basketball coach is the big man at a campus like Marquette, but at the same time that brings with it more pressure than the basketball coach at Texas simply because football and Texas are so ... well, let's just say it's an unhealthy relationship. :)
More money, less pressure. Gee, can't imagine why you would take the Texas job ...
I mean when Greg Schiano was coach at Rutgers, he turned down Michigan and Alabama...
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No, I just look at the money and recruiting and fanbase and conference advantage Texas has.
Marquette had a coach leave for Virginia Tech. When was the last time any coach just left Texas?
Fanbase? Texas basketball has a fanbase advantage over Marquette? Dude, your wrong on this one.
Texas, as an institution, may have more fans, yea. But NOBODY CARES about hoops man. Nobody.
Recruiting and money -- Texas has the advantage. But that's also bc Shaka is a good recruiter. Put him at Marquette and he'd recruit lights out.
And Marquette STILL recruits really well, despite all of this supposed inferiority.
Texas, as an institution, may have more fans, yea. But NOBODY CARES about hoops man. Nobody.
Recruiting and money -- Texas has the advantage. But that's also bc Shaka is a good recruiter. Put him at Marquette and he'd recruit lights out.
And Marquette STILL recruits really well, despite all of this supposed inferiority.
Except Marquette isn't even right now a better basketball program than Texas.
In the 17 years under Barnes Texas made the tournament 16 times, Marquette 10. Texas made it out of the first round 75% of the time, Marquette only 60%. Texas won an average of 1.44 games per appearance, Marquette a mere 1.3. Both lost in one final four quite a long time ago.
So in the past 20 years, when the revenue splits were tighter Marquette wasn't a better program and had a hard time holding onto coaches. They lost their last HC to VT.
Marquette can't win a title - no non-P5 team can. Only UConn has won won as a non-BCS program in the past 30 years and they were on their way to becoming a BCS program in 1999. Thats only going to get worse. Marquette was probably making about a third of what Big Ten team got (via conference revenues - TV and tournament) in 2005 when they joined the BIg East. Once the Big Ten signs its new deal, it will be getting roughly 10%.
Of course investment matters - its not a coincidence that Marquette is good - they spend alot basketball. Just like its not a coincidence that PSU, RU, Nebraska, and RU are the worst teams in the BIg Ten - they send the least. But 10 years from now they will likely all spend about what Marquette spends - because Marquette wont get more TV money and has more or less maxed out ticket revenue.
So yeah - Shaka made the right move. If he wants to win titles, the better shot is at Texas, where he can afford to hire guys to recruit nationally, and not Marquette, where he will have to rely on Chicago, and hope the national level teams don't steal the best area players first.
Texas = a lot more coaching $$$$ than any other choices out there. Also Austin is an awesome area
Marquette won a championship in 1977 or so about the same time Rutgers went to the final four. Times have changed and in the 10's the Texas job is a superior job to Marquette. Marquette is good and they will have the occasional very good team but Texas with the right coach has the potential to be a very good team every year!
