04/24/24
April 06, 2011
VCU Makes Shaka Smart a Millionaire: Shaka Smart's improbable run to the Final Four has earned the Virginia Commonwealth University coach a new eight-year, $1.2 million contract from the school. The second-year, 33-year-old coach had been offered North Carolina State's head coaching job. " He exemplifies everything that is right about college athletics," said VCU athletic director Norwood Teague.
posted by rcade to basketball at 05:50 PM - 5 comments
Glad to see him staying. VCU is no scrapheap - they've done well lately and the prior head coaches distinguished themselves in Richmond.
However, no doubt, Smart took full note of what has happened to former VCU coach Jeff Capel at Oklahoma. If you fall from grace at a bigger program, there is no guarantee that you'll land on your feet at a school that's as good as the one you left for that bigger program.
Many coaches at smaller schools no doubt also take note of how the Stan Heath saga played out at Arkansas.
If you're a bright young coach, you have to be sure that a job like NC State is what you really want. Recruiting and competing in the ACC is brutal. You can go from the title game to the lowlands pretty fast, as Ga. Tech did. Or you can go from Skip Prosser to the cellar as Wake did. Doing better than either side of .500 in conference play is an achievement. The conference tournament is usually a tough go as well.
Meanwhile, the fans expect nothing less than a return to past glory.
Looking forward to hopefully seeing the Rams back in the NCAA tournament next year.
posted by beaverboard at 07:28 PM on April 06, 2011
Damn, good for him. I feel like VCU would have given UConn a better game in the finale.
posted by insomnyuk at 08:25 PM on April 06, 2011
It would have been hard for VCU to give them a worse one.
Clank!
posted by rcade at 09:27 AM on April 07, 2011
Good for Shaka and VCU. Smaller schools like VCU are well positioned to make deep runs with the 1 and done approach some of the big name universities are employing. Having a well respected coach with dedication to more than just money goes a long way in recruiting. VCU probably over extended itself with the new contract, but it was well deserved.
I suspect Shaka's interview with Debbie Yow really helped cement the deal with VCU. If any doubts remained they were certainly put to rest by NC State's Gottfried press conference during which Yow deemed it necessary to belittle her newest employee. Good luck coaching and recruiting in that environment.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:13 AM on April 07, 2011
In football, a eight-year $1.2 million contract means they get that money over 8 years. I thought he was getting only $150,000, so I didn't know why he would sign a contract of that length for that money. But, $1.2 million annually is much better and well-deserved.