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Shaka Smart

I think Shaka's a reasonably good coach, but regional recruiting is still a big thing. I'd have loved to have seen him at a Georgetown. With his ties in the DC area, etc. I think he'd put a good team on the court.

Texas is might as well be Poland for him.

It's why Stallings was a total flop at Pitt. Why Crean is setting himself to be out of college hoops in five years, etc.
 
Towney007 said:
I think Shaka's a reasonably good coach, but regional recruiting is still a big thing. I'd have loved to have seen him at a Georgetown. With his ties in the DC area, etc. I think he'd put a good team on the court.

Texas is might as well be Poland for him.

It's why Stallings was a total flop at Pitt. Why Crean is setting himself to be out of college hoops in five years, etc.
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His four recruiting class rankings at Texas: 18, 6, 6, 13

I don't think recruiting has been his problem.
 
UConnStats said:
Not sure what happened to Smart’s coaching style. Smart used to play very uptempo on offense and defense at VCU, but at Texas his teams have played much slower and simply haven’t been as good, especially considering the higher talent level.
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HAVOC flusters ill-prepared/low-talent teams. It's a gimmick that good coaches with good talent can exploit.

To Shaka's credit he figured that out relatively quick at Texas – the same stuff that works in the A-10 isn't going to fly in the Big 12. To his detriment, he's yet to come up with a Plan B.
 
UConnJim said:
His four recruiting class rankings at Texas: 18, 6, 6, 13

I don't think recruiting has been his problem.
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If his teams aren't good, then his recruiting isn't very good.
 
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KemBaller said:
Only guy who's stock has fallen more than Shaka over the last 4 years is the guy we just got rid of.
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Truth. Remember when we were worried Ollie would get poached by an NBA team? How the mighty have fallen.
 
Texas gets screwed on 2 brutal Bamba calls. This is absurd
 
Towney007 said:
I think Shaka's a reasonably good coach, but regional recruiting is still a big thing. I'd have loved to have seen him at a Georgetown. With his ties in the DC area, etc. I think he'd put a good team on the court.

Texas is might as well be Poland for him.

It's why Stallings was a total flop at Pitt. Why Crean is setting himself to be out of college hoops in five years, etc.
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I agree with this. There are a handful of guys who can go anywhere and succeed. But most struggle when they are out of their element. Shaka is a solid coach and I think st UConn would have been very successful. On his change in style I put that on change in talent.
 
freescooter said:
I agree with this. There are a handful of guys who can go anywhere and succeed. But most struggle when they are out of their element. Shaka is a solid coach and I think st UConn would have been very successful. On his change in style I put that on change in talent.
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He's no Kevin Ollie (flushed by Nevada in game they should have won, 7 less NCAA tourney wins, even Ollie's 2016 was more successful.)
 
I think recruiting based on regions is over stated. This is not horse and buggy times of 130 years ago or whatever. We live in a global society and as far as recruiting are just talking about one country for the most part. Cell phones, low cost airlines, etc. Make it super easy to form connections regardless of where you are. If you are a good coach, you are a good coach. You will form connections almost instantly if needed. Regional exp. Is so low in regards to importance when hiring a new coach. Most of them travel all around the country and know each other any ways now adays. Xs and Os, coaching exp. Passion are more important.
 
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Travelman32 said:
I think recruiting based on regions is over stated. This is not horse and buggy times of 130 years ago or whatever. We live in a global society and as far as recruiting are just talking about one country for the most part. Cell phones, low cost airlines, etc. Make it super easy to form connections regardless of where you are. If you are a good coach, you are a good coach. You will form connections almost instantly if needed. Regional exp. Is so low in regards to importance when hiring a new coach. Most of them travel all around the country and know each other any ways now adays. Xs and Os, coaching exp. Passion are more important.
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Recruiting is important for everyone. Regional recruiting is important for many schools, especially those who can't receire nationally. Shaka is averaging a top 10 class recruiting nationally. And people are blaming his mediocrity on being in an unfamiliar region. I don't get it.
 
Recruiting is important, I just do not totally buy that it is restricted to regions in 2018... Maybe in 1978. Less and less each year. Technology, increased money at programs disposal, etc. Is/has made regions more and more irrelevant. Unfamiliar region? I don't buy it, the world Is so much smaller now than it was even two decades ago. This idea of countries (now that we have the EU), like it or not, is dying, never mind regions. Most of these coaches know each other and other important people in the business, travel so much now and can more easily form connections anywhere.
 
Travelman32 said:
I think recruiting based on regions is over stated. This is not horse and buggy times of 130 years ago or whatever. We live in a global society and as far as recruiting are just talking about one country for the most part. Cell phones, low cost airlines, etc. Make it super easy to form connections regardless of where you are. If you are a good coach, you are a good coach. You will form connections almost instantly if needed. Regional exp. Is so low in regards to importance when hiring a new coach. Most of them travel all around the country and know each other any ways now adays. Xs and Os, coaching exp. Passion are more important.
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Post/handle.
 
Storrs South said:
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Shaka has only been there for the last 3 years. Still think Texas at the very least reaches the S-16 with Jones. And making the tournament 2/3 years is something we’d take at this point.
 
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Huskyforlife said:
Shaka has only been there for the last 3 years. Still think Texas at the very least reaches the S-16 with Jones. And making the tournament 2/3 years is something we’d take at this point.
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You're making injury excuses for Shaka?
 
upstater said:
You're making injury excuses for Shaka?
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Losing your 2nd best player and best guard to a cancer diagnosis is pretty brutal, emotionally and strategically. At least they still made the tournament.
 
Walker11 said:
Losing your 2nd best player and best guard to a cancer diagnosis is pretty brutal, emotionally and strategically. At least they still made the tournament.
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If they hadn't made the tournament with all that talent, that would have been a massive surprise.

They are underperformers.
 
upstater said:
If they hadn't made the tournament with all that talent, that would have been a massive surprise.

They are underperformers.
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Sure. But just because losing AG in back to back years is brutal, doesn't mean losing Jones isn't brutal. Valid excuse for both programs. If AG was healthy both years, KO is probably still the HC.
 
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Walker11 said:
Sure. But just because losing AG in back to back years is brutal, doesn't mean losing Jones isn't brutal. Valid excuse for both programs. If AG was healthy both years, KO is probably still the HC.
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I'm asking the guy who said repeatedly injuries are no excuse.
 
UConnStats said:
Losing your best player to leukemia is a legitimate gripe.
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So is losing your best player to shoulder injuries two years running.

Shaka is a better recruiter than KO, but it's not obvious he's a better coach otherwise. KO could reasonably think he would have made the tourney next year if he had the opportunity to coach a team with solid point guards (Gilbert and Akinjo) and returning a few frontcourt players, even if mediocre. Same results as Shaka had this year, but with less talent.
 
Towney007 said:
I think Shaka's a reasonably good coach, but regional recruiting is still a big thing. I'd have loved to have seen him at a Georgetown. With his ties in the DC area, etc. I think he'd put a good team on the court.

Texas is might as well be Poland for him.

It's why Stallings was a total flop at Pitt. Why Crean is setting himself to be out of college hoops in five years, etc.
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You can't be serious. He's at the biggest money making school in the NCAA. They can write him a blank check for whatever he wants. He can recruit any place, including Poland.
 
upstater said:
I'm asking the guy who said repeatedly injuries are no excuse.
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Ollie didn't lose Adams two years in a row. If Gilbert was the difference between us being a tournament team, and being what we are, I'd argue Ollie deserves another year.

Not to mention Gilbert re injuring his shoulder could've easily been accounted for(Maybe hold onto MAL?), Shaka losing a first round pick(his best perimeter player), to the most unpredictable "injury(if you can even call it that)," is not comparable imo. And this doesn't even mention the mental impact Jones' diagnosis had on everyone in the program as well. Despite all this, Shaka improved on his 11 wins the year before, and made the NCAA's for the second time in three years. I'd bet on Shaka turning Texas into a power, more than him becoming KO.
 
Huskyforlife said:
Ollie didn't lose Adams two years in a row. If Gilbert was the difference between us being a tournament team, and being what we are, I'd argue Ollie deserves another year.

Not to mention Gilbert re injuring his shoulder could've easily been accounted for(Maybe hold onto MAL?), Shaka losing a first round pick(his best perimeter player), to the most unpredictable "injury(if you can even call it that)," is not comparable imo. And this doesn't even mention the mental impact Jones' diagnosis had on everyone in the program as well. Despite all this, Shaka improved on his 11 wins the year before, and made the NCAA's for the second time in three years. I'd bet on Shaka turning Texas into a power, more than him becoming KO.
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Shaka is well on his way to becoming an Ollie.

Today's exit didn't exactly instill confidence. Did you forget UConn actually won against Colorado in a similar ranking circumstance?

UConn under Ollie would not have done much even with Alterique, but it would have been a better team. Still, all that talent on Texas, and this is the best you can do?

You can't make injury/illness excuses at one school and then say we shouldn't make it at the other.

If Shaka came to UConn, we'd have one less championship and we'd be in the same predicament we're in now.
 
upstater said:
Shaka is well on his way to becoming an Ollie.

Today's exit didn't exactly instill confidence. Did you forget UConn actually won against Colorado in a similar ranking circumstance?

Not a good loss today, still made the tournament though.

UConn under Ollie would not have done much even with Alterique, but it would have been a better team. Still, all that talent on Texas, and this is the best you can do?

Ollie doesn't make the tournament with Shakas players. So even if you want to say he was underwhelming, he's a surefire upgrade over KO.

You can't make injury/illness excuses at one school and then say we shouldn't make it at the other.

You can't pretend context doesn't matter.

If Shaka came to UConn, we'd have one less championship and we'd be in the same predicament we're in now.
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Thanks for 2014 KO, Shaka is still a better coach than you right now.
 
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