Shaka Smart (born April 8, 1977)
Current position: Head men’s basketball coach
Current team: Marquette Golden Eagles
Current conference: Big East Conference
VCU record: 163-56 (.744)
Texas record: 109-86 (.559)
Marquette record: 19-13 (.594)
Overall record: 291-155 (.652)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 9 (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 1 (2011)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 1 (2011)
- NIT Championships: 1 (2019)
- NIT Appearances: 1 (2019)
- CBI Championships: 1 (2010)
- CBI Appearances: 1 (2010)
- Big East Regular Season Champion: 0
- Big East Tournament Champion: 0
- Big 12 Tournament Champion: 1 (2021)
- Atlantic 10 Tournament Champion: 1 (2015)
- CAA Tournament Champion: 1 (2012)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2021-present | Marquette |
| 2015-2021 | Texas |
| 2009-2015 | VCU |
| 2008-2009 | Florida (asst) |
| 2006-2008 | Clemson (asst) |
| 2003-2006 | Akron (asst) |
| 2001-2003 | Dayton (DBO) |
| 1999-2001 | California (PA) (asst) |
Shaka Smart Facts
- Shaka Dingani Smart
- Born April 8, 1977
- Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
- Alma Mater: Kenyon College (BA, 1999) / California University (PA) (MS, 2001)
- Got started in coaching in 1999 as an assistant at California (PA), where he spent two years and earned a masters degree
- Hired by Oliver Purnell as the Director of Basketball Operations at Dayton in 2001, spending two years in that position
- Spent three years as an assistant at Akron, first under Dan Hipsher and the under Keith Dambrot
- Reunited with Oliver Purnell in 2006 to work as one of his Clemson assistants for two years, then spent one year at Florida under Billy Donovan before being hired at VCU
- VCU career got off to a hot start, winning the 2010 CBI Championship in his first season and making an improbable run to the NCAA Final Four in 2011 as a 10-seed
- Smart and VCU became household names after the F4 run and would play in the NCAA Tournament in each of the next four seasons – two of which were due to at-large bids (as was the 2010 berth)
- After being courted for many high major openings, Shaka finally left VCU in 2015 to become the next head coach at Texas
- Led the Longhorns to a 20-13 record and NCAA berth in his first season; returned to the NCAAs two years later (2018)
- Won the 2019 NIT title, the second such championship for the Texas program
- In 2021, Smart led UT to its first Big 12 Tournament crown in program history and got back to the NCAA Tournament
- In March 2021, Smart decided to leave Texas and become the head coach at Marquette, returning to his home state of Wisconsin
- Along with his wife, Maya, has one daughter
Shaka Smart Coaching Tree
- Jeremy Ballard (FIU)
- Jamion Christian (George Washington, Siena, Mount St. Mary’s)
- Darrin Horn (Northern Kentucky)
- Mike Jones (UNC Greensboro, Radford)
- Mike Morrell (UNC Asheville)
- Mike Pegues (Louisville)
- Dwight Perry (Wofford)
- Mike Rhoades (VCU, Rice)
- Will Wade (LSU, VCU, Chattanooga)
- Luke Yaklich (UIC)