Would you hire Shaka Smart?

O

olivecourt

Well-Known Member
I saw Shaka Smart's name mentioned in another thread re: the Missouri job. I'm sure he'll be on the hot list for any unfilled vacancies after the tourney ends, this year and next. Would you hire a 33-year old with two years of head coaching experience to lead a major program?

Pros:
Awesome tournament coach (VCU won the CBI Classic last year and has been to two consecutive Colonial finals)
Exciting style of play
Personable with reporters and media
Seems to have a great connection with his players
Intelligent (NCAA postgrad scholar)

Cons:
Average in the regular season (VCU dropped four of their last five; if the field hadn't expanded this year, no way they get in)
Only three years of major conference assistant coaching experience (Clemson and Florida)
No proven recruiting record
Took over great program already built by Anthony Grant

Everyone loves to play armchair athletic director after the fact, but how about stepping up and predicting Shaka's future. Is he Todd Lickliter or Thad Matta?
 
HawkPrdatr40 said:
Nope!!! I would give it more time.
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Agreed. I really like him, but if I'm an AD - unless I'm really, really desperate (think J. Pollard - "OMG, am I really hiring Fred Freakin' Hoiberg?") - I'm letting this guy simmer a few more years at the mid-major level.
 
this guy needs more time at a lower level program. Seems like a great guy but running a major college program??? Don't think he's quite ready. I think the Butler guy is more polished. He may not be ready yet either. Lotta pressure in MAJOR college coaching.
 
Would I personally hire him? It depends on what school I am the AD for. Right now it appears the two big BCS conference school openings are Oklahoma and Missouri. If I am the AD of Missouri he is probably a second tier candidate with the facilities and money we have. Missouri was just courting Painter until he re-upped with Purdue today. My assumption is they have a couple other candidates they will try to get with more proven track records.

Now Oklahoma is a different story. Not a great basketball tradition that doesn't appear to put a ton of resources into their program. Also, they have been searching for a coach for 2 1/2 weeks, an eternity in coaching searches. It appears to me they will be looking for the hot coach in the tournament which will more than likely be Shaka Smart.

Seeing where both those schools are, I think Oklahoma should interview him and Missouri should wait to see how their other first tier candidates turn out.
 
I think he's got a lot of the tools necessary for the job, but he needs more time to really refine his craft. I think he's a lot like a top baseball prospect, let's just say Corey Patterson (back in the day). He appears to have the raw talent. But if you rush him up to the big leagues.......well, that's just throwing that talent down the drain.

Give him a few more years. But I do think he's got that "it" factor.
 
He's going to get paid big time very soon. has the pedigree of Univ Florida recruiting and a final 4 on his resume.
 
Nice run in the CBI last year and we all know what he has done this season. That being said, can the guy recruit on a national level? Does he have enough of a brand to attract top assistants to his staff? He is a smart dude and from all reports a tireless worker, but as we saw with Lickliter, if you can't recruit and hire a top notch staff, you aren't going to succeed simply by telling the VCU / Butler story to recruits.
 
hawkIhoops said:
Nice run in the CBI last year and we all know what he has done this season. That being said, can the guy recruit on a national level? Does he have enough of a brand to attract top assistants to his staff? He is a smart dude and from all reports a tireless worker, but as we saw with Lickliter, if you can't recruit and hire a top notch staff, you aren't going to succeed simply by telling the VCU / Butler story to recruits.
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To be fair to Smart: talking about the "Butler Way" is not the sort of thing I imagine Smart trying to sell recruits on. He brings a tremendous amount of passion to the game, not unlike McCaffery.

I think for the most part, coaches say a lot of the same things to recruits. What matters more is what you have to back it up, and I think maybe just as important.....is HOW you say it. Lick I'm guessing was pretty vanilla, whereas Smart is the wild man that loves each moment on the floor just as much as you (the recruit) do.

I really think he's got the tools, he just needs a little more seasoning (again, similar to Fran).
 
If I didn't have to win immediately I'd consider hiring Shaka Smart.

While he may not be ready for the big time, I think Shaka Smart may have to strike while the iron is hot, and he may never be "hotter" than right now.

If they make it past Butler (and probably even if they don't) some school will probably come in and offer to quadruple or quintuple his annual salary. Anyone would be hard pressed to pass that up.

You have to make hay while the sun is shining (one more idiom for the road)
 
BroderickHawk said:
If I didn't have to win immediately I'd consider hiring Shaka Smart.

While he may not be ready for the big time, I think Shaka Smart may have to strike while the iron is hot, and he may never be "hotter" than right now.

If they make it past Butler (and probably even if they don't) some school will probably come in and offer to quadruple or quintuple his annual salary. Anyone would be hard pressed to pass that up.

You have to make hay while the sun is shining (one more idiom for the road)
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I think with the right assistants to help with recruiting he could be great. Seams like he is an awesome X's and 0's guy. I'd take him if we still had Lickliter, but I'm good with Fran.
 
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