The man who took VCU to the Final Four back in 2011 is heading southwest to become the newest coach for the Texas Longhorns. Less than a week ago Texas fired their coach of the past 17 years, Rick Barnes. In those 17 years, Barnes had made the NCAA tourney in all but one of them. Still, they seem to have stagnated (and even regressed) under Barnes' leadership, not advancing past the second round since 2008. Additionally, there were pretty believable rumors that pointed to Barnes' firing being a result of his refusal to ax some of his assistant coaches.
In Smart, they'll be getting a guy who's turned VCU into a tournament staple at a school that is nowhere near a national brand. Smart has made the Big Dance in all of the past five seasons. In six total years at VCU, Shaka is 163-56. Should be interesting to see what he can do at a school with nearly infinite recruiting resources.
[via Jeff Borzello]
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