Shaka

[mb227]

I said that CDC would not fire Herman and I was wrong. I cant see him firing shaka after he won the big 12 tournament. I agree with fwhorn that we should just let him stay another year and just bite the bullet. He doesnt deserve a buyout.

The Big12 flag carries a helluva asterisk though...Texas didn't have to run the table. They got a big OLE into the finals courtesy of the 'rona...

While I agree that the buyouts in various sports are adding up, the other realization is that the people being bought out have simply not met expectations. And most were NOT unreasonable expectations. Getting to the Big Dance is expected. Winning at least one game should NOT be unreasonable in the expectations category. Getting to the Sweet 16 is ALSO not unreasonable as a goal for a school like Texas.

 

[Vino Bevo]

While there is some truth to this, good luck finding a keg party at BYU or Abilene Christian... When it comes to drinking, dancing, smoking, sex, drugs, and rock n roll, those two schools, at least, live apart from the rest of the college world.

Having known folks that attended each of these, I respectfully beg to differ.

 

[TEXnSEATTLE]

Allow me to introduce you to a fine Baptist institution of higher learning 100 miles north of Austin on I-35. They have had the worst drug problem for over thirty years.

this is true of what you speak????

 

[Vol Horn 4 Life]

Hopefully CDC doesn’t take as long with this as he did Herman. Recruiting is probably already taking a hit from what happened and we need to get moving on from this embarrassment.

The '21 class is already signed and we have no commitments for the '22 class so I guess we are at zero recruiting risk at this point.

 

[Chop]

Having known folks that attended each of these, I respectfully beg to differ.

I've known plenty that have attended one or the other, and they uphold their reputation. There are "Jack Mormons", but they are the minority.

 

[Txreds]

The '21 class is already signed and we have no commitments for the '22 class so I guess we are at zero recruiting risk at this point.

Good to know Shaka has been busy. The loss will surely impact some recruits thoughts.

 

[AustinHorn24]

Having known folks that attended each of these, I respectfully beg to differ.

I would lay good odds that UT has at least 10 times the number of keg parties per capita compared to ACU or BYU.

Nobody ever said those campuses are completely dry.

 

[longhornlegend]

Baylor doesn't allow drugs or alcohol on campus, the latter being a real point of contention with me. No alcohol, so the fraternities and other groups go to out of town ranches for parties. (Bosque County, Marlin, Groesbeck, Mexia, Crawford, etc. Baylor refuses to release the number of students killed by DUIs coming back to Waco after a party. Prohibition didn't work, neither does Baylor's alcohol policy, which winds up with dead and crippled students, plus the ruined lives of the drivers. The former "president" of Baylor and I got into a heated exchange over this a few years back when he was being his usual arrogant/too cool to care self until I made it personal and reminded him about the impact it had on the family of one of his close friends.

As for the drugs, it is my assertion that those are primarily in the athletic department.

I can grant that drugs are probably less an issue at Baylor but I had 2 kids go through there and as previsously stated about Abilene Christian and Baylor, the same stuff goes on there as everywhere else. I wish we did live in a fantasy land that bad things didnt exist but until that time, reality of drugs/alcohol with college age kids is at every school.

 

[BevoJoe]

Ummmmmm.

Other than Texas State, TCU now has a reputation for being the biggest party (and drug) college in the State.

My wife went to TCU before going to Texas. She confirmed TCU's drug reputation is real.

 

[longhornlegend]

Hopefully CDC doesn’t take as long with this as he did Herman. Recruiting is probably already taking a hit from what happened and we need to get moving on from this embarrassment.

I totally agree that Shaka is not the answer and we have had numerous threads about that. However there are still some who will never see the problem because he is black and the players are black. When was the last time, if ever, that Shaka recruited basketball players instead of athletes. His defense has never been swarming like ACU or Tech or like some he had at VCU. He is just not a P5 coach.

 

[longhornlegend]

Would be nice for Texas to actually recruit players who can shoot. If our guys can shoot, what happens when they get to Texas? I know there is zero offense, its almost like the NBA in that everyone has to get behind the arc and jack the ball. We have 2 big guys and we have had zero post offense in the entire time of shaka. He is making 5m doing it so I guess he isnt concerned.

 

[Chop]

Does anyone besides me, and possibly beijinghorn1, still support Shaka?

 

[beijinghorn1]

Does anyone besides me, and possibly beijinghorn1, still support Shaka?

I am still in. I think it would be foolish to fire a guy who earned a number 3 seed. Texas has had a good run of coaches in basketball and it is not easy to find coaches who can take UT to the tournament. Penders had to be fired, Barnes should not have been fired (although I never watched his teams as I would rather watch the grass grow than watch his style of play), Shaka should not be fired. Basketball is a very dirty business and finding unicorns like Barnes and Shaka is nearly impossible.

 

[SabreHorn]

fire a guy who earned a number 3 seed

Smart did not "EARN" a #3 seed, he backed into it

The only thing that sets Smart apart as a "unicorn" is that he is a class act who will never embarrass the school away from the court. As for his coaching ability, he is more of an "acorn" than a "unicorn". You could go to the boys State Tournament and find a dozen coaches who are better with fundamentals, game planning, and adjustments, but how many of them run a "clean" HS program, much less the politics of The University of Texas.

Shaka didn't "earn" his #3 seed, neither did he "earn" his job, and certainly not that salary. Since there doesn't seem to be a suitable replacement (Chris may surprise us after the Final Four), have him work for free next year with incentive bonuses. There ain't a line of people outside Bellmont waiting to talk to him.

 

[moondog_LFZ]

Does anyone besides me, and possibly beijinghorn1, still support Shaka?

Hard for me to support anyone that had anything to do with that last game.
Coaches and players alike.

 

[Vol Horn 4 Life]

finding unicorns like Barnes and Shaka is nearly impossible.

You really think a coach who takes blue chips annually to a barely .500 record and below .500 overall in conference is a unicorn?

 

[Horns11]

Does anyone besides me, and possibly beijinghorn1, still support Shaka?

Kinda. I think there are a lot of factors at play beyond the "we need to get rid of him because he can't do X, Y, and Z" crowd.

First, I don't think we'll find another coach who can do the relational stuff as well as Shaka on the open market. That includes Beard. Kids are brought up in these AAU systems from middle school, including parents, handlers, and lots of other "hand-holding" opportunities along the way. I think Shaka gets that and adheres to it.

Second, with coaching turnover, we run the risk of losing more than just Coleman and Sims. A Jones could leave, as he's like 24 or something. It could force K Jones' hand at the league. With our current 2021 guys, we desperately need Bates and Ellis on the front end, and I don't really know what their relationship with Texas would be without Smart here.

Third, the money stuff.

Fourth, I don't think the ACU game was truly all on him like this board is making it out to be. The way UCLA played ACU, I could easily see us doing the same given that opportunity. Coleman and Ramey picked the absolute worst game of the year to have their worst games of the year.

Fifth, we won the Big 12.

 

[SabreHorn]

we won the Big 12.

We won the Big XII made for TV and sponsorship money, meaningless group get together in Kansas City. The conference tournament, while slightly more meaningful than the Bowelsby Meaningless Piece of **** Money Grab at Jerry World, does not constitute a conference champion, which we clearly did not contend for. Unfortunately that championship belongs to Baylor.

But whatever makes the "save our coach crowd" feel better, will be justified the "Friends of Billie Powers Club"

 

[zuckercanyon]

Kinda. I think there are a lot of factors at play beyond the "we need to get rid of him because he can't do X, Y, and Z" crowd.

First, I don't think we'll find another coach who can do the relational stuff as well as Shaka on the open market. That includes Beard. Kids are brought up in these AAU systems from middle school, including parents, handlers, and lots of other "hand-holding" opportunities along the way. I think Shaka gets that and adheres to it.

Second, with coaching turnover, we run the risk of losing more than just Coleman and Sims. A Jones could leave, as he's like 24 or something. It could force K Jones' hand at the league. With our current 2021 guys, we desperately need Bates and Ellis on the front end, and I don't really know what their relationship with Texas would be without Smart here.
All of these things seem to indicate the title "assistant coach in charge of recruiting" or "assistant coach"....kinda like Charlie Strong...

Third, the money stuff.

Fourth, I don't think the ACU game was truly all on him like this board is making it out to be. The way UCLA played ACU, I could easily see us doing the same given that opportunity. Coleman and Ramey picked the absolute worst game of the year to have their worst games of the year.

Fifth, we won the Big 12.

 

[zuckercanyon]

don't know why it didn't post, but Shaka's attributes indicate "assistant coach" or "recruiting coordinator" or "social justice warrior".

 

[Chop]

Kinda. I think there are a lot of factors at play beyond the "we need to get rid of him because he can't do X, Y, and Z" crowd.

First, I don't think we'll find another coach who can do the relational stuff as well as Shaka on the open market. That includes Beard. Kids are brought up in these AAU systems from middle school, including parents, handlers, and lots of other "hand-holding" opportunities along the way. I think Shaka gets that and adheres to it.

Second, with coaching turnover, we run the risk of losing more than just Coleman and Sims. A Jones could leave, as he's like 24 or something. It could force K Jones' hand at the league. With our current 2021 guys, we desperately need Bates and Ellis on the front end, and I don't really know what their relationship with Texas would be without Smart here.

Third, the money stuff.

Fourth, I don't think the ACU game was truly all on him like this board is making it out to be. The way UCLA played ACU, I could easily see us doing the same given that opportunity. Coleman and Ramey picked the absolute worst game of the year to have their worst games of the year.

Fifth, we won the Big 12.

Excellent points. Good to see some reason around here instead of more and more of the mindless anti-Shaka drivel.

 

[SabreHorn]

Thinking about changing my board name to "Drivel Driver"

 

[Omniscient.one]

News flash for all the different posts about drug school or party school. Does anyone really think that drugs are more prevalent at one school vs another. The answer is s big NO. Some may have had more publicity but its the same at virtually every single location. No one parties more or does more than any other school. Hopefully we can stay focused on UT. Yes I think Shaka is way overrated and his record proves it. No opinions, just look at the record. He is middle of the road at best. Yes he is enthusiastic and likeable but again this is UT and most people would like us to be better. Yes we won the conference tourney in a very weak basketball year. In fairness, Barnes team went down yesterday too but he has a much stronger record than our guy shaka. Kudos to ACU. They played as a team and actually ran an offense which is foreign in todays get behind the 3 line and jack it.

Weak? The Big 12 was stacked. You’d be correct saying we were lucky with the KU forfeit and Baylor losing.

 

[Sydhank]

Smart did not "EARN" a #3 seed, he backed into it

The only thing that sets Smart apart as a "unicorn" is that he is a class act who will never embarrass the school away from the court. As for his coaching ability, he is more of an "acorn" than a "unicorn". You could go to the boys State Tournament and find a dozen coaches who are better with fundamentals, game planning, and adjustments, but how many of them run a "clean" HS program, much less the politics of The University of Texas.

Shaka didn't "earn" his #3 seed, neither did he "earn" his job, and certainly not that salary. Since there doesn't seem to be a suitable replacement (Chris may surprise us after the Final Four), have him work for free next year with incentive bonuses. There ain't a line of people outside Bellmont waiting to talk to him.

Texas was a #3 entering conference tournament. They were ranked 12ish and had good momentum. This claim they backed in by "avoiding" a Kansas team that they beat both times they played and one of those an all-time embarrassment at Phog Allen is just wrong. They clearly got lucky they didn't play Baylor. But they were a legit 3 entering the conference tournament, they beat the teams they played. They were a legit 3 before and after the conference tournament. I want to say I still support Shaka as he is a good, decent man that recruits studs and his players love him. I have met him and his wife and I'm telling you they are good people. But damn, outcoached by ACU and couldn't adjust all damn game long. Hard to get past that.

 

[beijinghorn1]

Texas was a #3 entering conference tournament. They were ranked 12ish and had good momentum. This claim they backed in by "avoiding" a Kansas team that they beat both times they played and one of those an all-time embarrassment at Phog Allen is just wrong. They clearly got lucky they didn't play Baylor. But they were a legit 3 entering the conference tournament, they beat the teams they played. They were a legit 3 before and after the conference tournament. I want to say I still support Shaka as he is a good, decent man that recruits studs and his players love him. I have met him and his wife and I'm telling you they are good people. But damn, outcoached by ACU and couldn't adjust all damn game long. Hard to get past that.

I agree with your post but I would like to add the following comments on the ACU game. I think having to play a lower level in state team in the tournament stinks and I think the University of Illinois would agree. Also teams lose one game in basketball frequently that they should not lose. Remember after the first game between the Rockets and Lakers last playoffs when everyone was saying that the Lakers were dead and the Houston brand of basketball was the future. 4 games later, the Lakers put an end to that nonsense and now the Rockets disbanded their team. One game tournaments are great as the great Cinderalla stories would be largely eliminated with the best of 3 series. Of course it sucks when someone plants the glass slipper in your backside as we know.

 

[Vol Horn 4 Life]

Kinda. I think there are a lot of factors at play beyond the "we need to get rid of him because he can't do X, Y, and Z" crowd.

First, I don't think we'll find another coach who can do the relational stuff as well as Shaka on the open market. That includes Beard. Kids are brought up in these AAU systems from middle school, including parents, handlers, and lots of other "hand-holding" opportunities along the way. I think Shaka gets that and adheres to it.

Second, with coaching turnover, we run the risk of losing more than just Coleman and Sims. A Jones could leave, as he's like 24 or something. It could force K Jones' hand at the league. With our current 2021 guys, we desperately need Bates and Ellis on the front end, and I don't really know what their relationship with Texas would be without Smart here.

Third, the money stuff.

Fourth, I don't think the ACU game was truly all on him like this board is making it out to be. The way UCLA played ACU, I could easily see us doing the same given that opportunity. Coleman and Ramey picked the absolute worst game of the year to have their worst games of the year.

Fifth, we won the Big 12.

Its pretty obvious all that matters is results with the biggest being wins in a clean program. If you win you typically are a good recruiter and with wins comes support for the program from the donors, school and fans. If you can't win then the rest goes out the window no matter how good of a guy you are nor how clean a program you run. If you run a dirty program and are a bad person sooner or later that will catch up to you no matter how much you win.

Shaka seems to be a good guy and a good recruiter but he isn't capable of producing the required results. He needs to go now.

 

[dukesteer]

Its pretty obvious all that matters is results with the biggest being wins in a clean program.

Bingo.

The fact that Shaka is a good guy or that his players like him is irrelevant if he cannot win when it counts.

Texas hires coaches to win games and compete for championships. Any coach that cannot do that — and also run a clean program - needs to be replaced. Shaka has had more than enough time and the fact that he could not win with top shelf talent — including lottery pick talent — clearly indicates that his coaching skills just aren’t sufficient.

 

[horninchicago]

I'm on pins and needles waiting to see who wins this thread.

(Going with Sabre, Duke, and their driveling ilk)

 

[Horns11]

Bingo.

The fact that Shaka is a good guy or that his players like him is irrelevant if he cannot win when it counts.

Texas hires coaches to win games and compete for championships. Any coach that cannot do that — and also run a clean program - needs to be replaced. Shaka has had more than enough time and the fact that he could not win with top shelf talent — including lottery pick talent — clearly indicates that his coaching skills just aren’t sufficient.

So, I guess I'd like to know your delineation between conference and national championships. Every coach we've had going back to 1959 (even Kaiser Bob) won a conference championship. And honestly, I think that's kind of our "peak" when it comes to basketball success. Expecting to compete for national titles is a whole other level and requires more than just a coaching change. I'd love to be there, but as long as we're not, I don't think it requires radical thinking.

Second, the lottery pick stuff: almost all lottery picks don't come from Final 4 teams. You'll find the "outlier" years where maybe like 5 of them were, but do you really believe that one year of Bamba, one year of Allen, and one year of Hayes "make" a college program? They're drafted on size and athleticism, much like Greg Brown is about to be. They're also not Kevin Durant, who got us to the round of 32. They can't play guard and do the things that win banners.

Shaka's coaching was good enough to put us in position to succeed this year. The whole team had some brain farts (but mostly Ramey in the close games, honestly).

Finally, I do believe Shaka runs a clean program. Barnes didn't. We now know enough about 13 former Barnes players (two of whom were recruited by Barnes but started under Smart) to make insiders blush. Does it go on everywhere? Probably. But I think Shaka has done a good job in that regard and gives him a leg up on other candidates we might look at right now.

 

[FWHORN]

If CDC has shown one thing its that he doesn't run from coaches, he runs to coaches, so he isn't going to dump Shaka in a vacuum. If a better choice presents itself he will make the move, if not we will get one more year while CDC looks for a replacement (much as he did with women's program).