Texas Longhorns Are Getting One of the Best Coaches In Shaka Smart

By Trevor Lowry
Shaka Smart
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Longhorns have had a very interesting offseason so far (and it literally just started). First, the program fired head coach Rick Barnes. Then, as many people predicted, Texas replaced Barnes with the one and only Shaka Smart.

Texas fans should be very excited about this news.

Smart has been one of the best coaches in college basketball over the last few seasons. He has managed to achieve that feat while coaching for the VCU Rams, who have nowhere near the talent of a Kentucky or Duke. Smart also managed to coach the Rams to the Final Four in 2011, which is what really got this program on the map.

During that year, so many people complained about VCU even making the tournament, yet it proved the nation wrong by, of course, making a run to the Final Four.

Since that season, Smart’s teams have consistently been ranked in the top 25 and have been an annual NCAA tournament team. This team receives quite a bit of national recognition on a yearly basis and that is all because of Smart.

Of course, coaching for a team as popular as Texas is going to come at a price. After all, the pressure will be on Smart to succeed right away — that’s just how they do it in Texas.

Smart is the perfect man for the job and his body of work at VCU proves that. This is a huge blow for the Rams, but the Longhorns are landing one of the best coaches in college hoops.

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