Shaka Smart statying at VCU

[detlef]

So, he just turned down (likely) more money at NC St. All the state fans are feeling jilted by the one of the hottest commodities in coaching right now. Here's a thought, maybe he's not actually that great?

 

I've said this already, but before VCU went on it's very magical run through March, they went on a very un-magical run from November through February. There's another rant of mine inside of this one because I think the fact that college hoops has gotten as deep as it has means they should actually allow fewer teams into the tourney, not more. Ultimately, too many teams are good enough to take advantage of a bid and go on a run like VCU did. Thus, you should actually have to earn the right to be a few games away from the final four by assembling a solid resume all season long, which I don't think VCU did. Not that I think other teams were more deserving, but that they and a handful of other teams that made the cut should not have.

 

At any rate, I remember when Al Davis was blasted for overpaying for Larry Brown, a FA CB from Dallas who had just won the Super Bowl MVP, because he wasn't really all that great. He just happened to have two pick-6s gifted to him in the biggest game of the year. He cashed that in and then proceeded to continue to not be all that great.

 

Shouldn't we be sure that the Shaka Smart we're looking at is the one who led his team on a magical 5 game run and not the one who has put up rather pedestrian results in a 2nd-tier conference (4th and 5th in the CAA his two years at VCU). I mean, it was a great story, but crazier things have happened. And it didn't hurt that they were shooting light's out from behind the arc, including no shortage of shots where you cover your eyes because dude is 10 ft beyond and then, lo and behold, it swishes through. One of the commentators pointed out during the Butler game, that we were finally seeing the VCU team that went 4th in the CAA, because the shots were finally not dropping. They were still the same shots, it's just the the PG stopped draining them from half-court.

 

Year in and year out success in the NCAA tourney should certainly be counted among the feathers in a coach's cap, but that doesn't mean we should overreact to a guy taking his team on one great run. What NC St needs is a guy who can make that team consistently competitive, and frankly, that's not something Smart has shown he can do. VCU lost to bad teams, failed to beat that m any really good teams (prior to the tourney run, of course) and went through a pretty bad late-season swoon this year (that I'm honestly surprised didn't cost them a bid).

 

That sounds a whole lot like what NC St has had to grow used to and something I'd hope they're not looking to repeat. Let's put it this way. If, during Lowe's run they managed to sneak into the tourney one year as one of the last teams in and then go on a ride like VCU did, would that have saved his job in light of the general lack of results? Or would we see it for what it was, an amazing run that seemingly happened out of nowhere?

 

Frankly, I'm actually shocked that he didn't jump at the money, because this may be as hot as his iron ever gets.

[billay]

The decision is all the better for him if he's not that great, because the state fan base would crucify him if they paid him $2 Million plus and he didn't produce immediately.

[detlef]

The decision is all the better for him if he's not that great, because the state fan base would crucify him if they paid him $2 Million plus and he didn't produce immediately.

True enough. Then again, worst case is that he goes back to a lower-tiered program and is no-worse off than he is now.

[wildcat2334]

disagree for most part Det

 

he is an up and comer, young coach that is positioning himself to climb the coaching ladder and get into a top tier program. NC State is a graveyard, coaches go there to whither on the vine, lose confidence and die. Probably the most over-rated job in America, and I think Shaka is saavy enough to realize this....now that being said, I think State can go out and get a decent coach, and Shaka may not be ready for the ACC yet...... he can get a raise from VCU, capitalize on this run and recruit even better players and springboard to a job where he would be set up to succeed rather than take the money and run to a place like State where he may fail and take years to get back to the spot he is at now.

 

i think he has it figured out, get a nice raise - build the VCU program THEN make a major move to a better job than NC State....time will tell

 

fwiw the CAA plays pretty solid hoops and everyones darling Brad Stevens had Butler at 14-9 earlier this year and UCONN finished tied for 9th in the Big east. Chit my UA Wildcats looked like poop most of the year and put it together at the end and I would personally take Sean Miller over any coach in America - such is life in college hoops.....

[detlef]

disagree for most part Det

 

he is an up and comer, young coach that is positioning himself to climb the coaching ladder and get into a top tier program. NC State is a graveyard, coaches go there to whither on the vine, lose confidence and die. Probably the most over-rated job in America, and I think Shaka is saavy enough to realize this....now that being said, I think State can go out and get a decent coach, and Shaka may not be ready for the ACC yet...... he can get a raise from VCU, capitalize on this run and recruit even better players and springboard to a job where he would be set up to succeed rather than take the money and run to a place like State where he may fail and take years to get back to the spot he is at now.

 

i think he has it figured out, get a nice raise - build the VCU program THEN make a major move to a better job than NC State....time will tell

 

fwiw the CAA plays pretty solid hoops and everyones darling Brad Stevens had Butler at 14-9 earlier this year and UCONN finished tied for 9th in the Big east. Chit my UA Wildcats looked like poop most of the year and put it together at the end and I would personally take Sean Miller over any coach in America - such is life in college hoops.....

I don't disagree with the fact that the NC St gig is not all that. Seriously. They could be a perennial top 20 program and still be the worst D-1 team in their own area code.

 

My point is that Smart really hasn't done jack besides stand on the sidelines during an amazing run that literally came out of nowhere. Had they not expanded the tourney to 68, they very likely would not have even been given the chance. Heaven knows they did basically nothing leading up to the tourney to make a case for why they should have been in it. Then Smart would have had two so-so CAA finishes and an NIT run to go along with his CBI title from last year.

 

Just like you can't blame the coach if a great team gets cold and bows out, you can't assume a coach is a genius if a team comes from out of nowhere and does what VCU just did. If you shoot as many 3s as they do and hit 50% of them, you win games. Thing is, you can't do that forever. If, after losing their best player, like Butler did, they come back again next year, or the year after that and make a deep run, then you've got something. But, again, I think actually winning the CAA would be a nice start.

 

He could be a great coach for all any of us know, but he has hardly proven himself and the fact that he's being considered as one of the hot up and comers illustrates the gullibility of everyone. Because if he's as good what we just saw, why has he been average in the CAA?

 

And let's not get carried away with the strength of that conference. It's certainly better than it has been, but it's still the place that schools from power conferences go looking for wins that look OK on their resume. Sure, sometimes it bites them in the ass (like Drexel beating Louisville), but for the most part, the top tier of that conference hasn't done well against better teams from the major ones. Take VCU. They beat UCLA (who's a name but really wasn't all that) and Wake (who was horrible and finished a distant last place in the ACC). But they also lost to decent Tenn and Big East bottom dweller South Florida. ODU put up a nice OOC resume, but that was pretty much it. On top of that, VCU lost to both Northeastern and GA St. two teams that finished 6-12 in the CAA and no better OOC.

 

That's the thing about a conference like the CAA. Even teams with losing league records in major conferences have .500 records overall, because they feast on teams like Northeastern and GA St.. Not so with the CAA. Those teams lose as many games OOC as they do in conference, because it gets no easier once they leave the league for games.

 

At least Stevens and Butler have done it twice now, and at least they win their conference. And UConn, while 9th in the Big East did not lose a single game OOC or on neutral court.

 

If Smart "has it figured out" as you say, how 'bout he "figures out" how to do better than 4th in a conference that never does more than provide us with the occasional "giant killer" in the tourney.