Shaka Smart to Texas

[maverick]

Full set of teeth... his own hair... wears shirts with sleeves...

Trust me, he's more than "sexy" enough for Bama.

Perfect.

[brtransplant]

Just a thought. Sometimes when a child is raised in a family that relocates many times while growing up (because of parents career) they as an adult want to "stay put" for their children as they grow up. Maybe Mike White will want to stay in Ruston during the growing up years of his children? I don't know how often Mike Whites family relocated and if he wished to have had roots in one place as a child/teen, but if so, there could be a really strong desire to stay in Ruston for a while. I suspect, since he didn't jump at the first big money (TN) offer, as so many do, he's thinking long term and realizes he's building something special at Tech that will serve him (and Tech) well in the long run. If he demonstrates stability by committing to Ruston/LaTech he will get better recruits because they are not fearful of their college coach jumping ship on them after they commit IMO... this will in turn build both his brand and the Tech brand and help him be more attractive to the much larger ACC basketball colleges. Coach White probably has a handful of program names that he would leave Tech for the opportunity to coach, and I hope it's a small list :-). I have a feeling he's really smart, disciplined, and has balance in his life and will be at Tech for a good while. I've seen on a prior thread some ideas of ways to generate more income for MW that may help him justify staying here a little longer too (financially speaking). Of course, unless Coach White, were personally writing this, this is 100% speculation because I have not spoken to him directly and do not know his heart, his goals as a family man or his goals as a coach. Whatever they are, I want the best for him and LaTech.

That's all been said before, and it never proves to be true. I really like Coach Mike White, but he'll leave for a multi-million dollar contract as soon as one is offered. Anybody in that position would. Surely our AD has a short list ready to work off of if and when we have to hire a new coach. Our program didn't miss a beat when Tommy Joe Eagles replaced Andy Russo. Skip Holtz has proven to be one heck of a hire as well. Those are the kinds of hires we need to pray for when the time comes to replace White.

[TechFanno1]

Tread reporting Alabama talking to ex NBA coach Avery Johnson.

[skilldawg]

That's all been said before, and it never proves to be true. I really like Coach Mike White, but he'll leave for a multi-million dollar contract as soon as one is offered. Anybody in that position would. Surely our AD has a short list ready to work off of if and when we have to hire a new coach. Our program didn't miss a beat when Tommy Joe Eagles replaced Andy Russo. Skip Holtz has proven to be one heck of a hire as well. Those are the kinds of hires we need to pray for when the time comes to replace White.

White has turned down multi-million dollar contracts, but one day he will probably bite.

Your right that we didn't miss a beat with Tommy Joe... but TJE had been the guy that really built it anyway. We cratered with the next hire and that is always the danger of an unengaged administration.

[HogDawg]

I know Shaka Smart is a good basketball coach, but I'm kinda surprised that Texas went with an "east coast" guy. He doesn't know the recruiting grounds in Texas.....he doesn't know the high schools in Texas or their coaches. I know this isn't as important in basketball as it is in football, but it's still a lot to ask of a guy who's probably used to driving no further than a couple of hours up the road to DC to recruit the majority of his players.

[dawg80]

I don't want to hit this too hard, because I really, really liked TJE as a coach. But, there was a difference between the Russo-led Dawgs and the Eagles-led Dawgs, and TJE admitted as much openly.

The 1983-1985 Dawgs were 55-10, including 3-2 in the Big Dance, and finished ranked in the Top 10. No other head coach has come anywhere close to that in Tech's history. That was all Andy Russo and his style of coaching. I liked TJE and we enjoyed success under him, a trip to the NIT Final Four the crowning moment AND receiving an at-large bid to the Dance. But, there were subtle differences in the style of play. Russo's teams were great. Great in terms of the national scene. A top 10 ranking.....hello!

Now....would we have been as great w/o TJE as Russo's top assistant? I don't know. But I do know Russo's teams played a different style than Eagles', so obviously Russo was running the show those years (83-85). Again, please don't misunderstand me, I loved Tommy Joe Eagles. He was a great coach. I would have been perfectly happy with him staying, not jumping ship to Auburn.

Coach Mike White has restored some of the luster to our MBB's program, and he's the best we've had since the Russo/Eagles era. But....

[Cool Hand Clyde]

I know Shaka Smart is a good basketball coach, but I'm kinda surprised that Texas went with an "east coast" guy. He doesn't know the recruiting grounds in Texas......

He has a good blend of local and national recruiting on his VCU team. He should thrive with the assets Texas can give him.

[Dwayne From Minden]

He will relegate Scott Drew and Baylor back to "has been" status...

[TYLERTECHSAS]

He will relegate Scott Drew and Baylor back to "has been" status...

I don't see that happening.

[Dwayne From Minden]

At least they will be better than TCU...

[HogDawg]

He will relegate Scott Drew and Baylor back to "has been" status...

That's funny. I don't see that happening either.

[localdawg]

Interested in seeing what he tries to bring to Texas? The Havoc Defense he plays at VCU or with the potential star players he can get at Texas running more Kentucky dribble drive stuff. I question him getting the "star" players to buy into gimmic defenses. But what do I know?

[HogDawg]

FYI guys, although I've been a quasi Duke basketball fan since 1978, I'm kinda hoping Wisconsin wins the NC tonight. Why? I'd love to the Wisconsin fans burn their town down in the post game celebration if they win.