Shaka Smart turns down Illinois

[Canadian Dimes]

The truth is I don't know squat, but I strongly believe that Shaka had a very real initial interest in Illinois, took a closer look, and thought that there would be better offers for him to leave VCU in the future than the Illinois situation.  He's doing well enough now at VCU that there is no reason to move anywhere other than the place at which he wants to end his career.

Only problem is some times u need to strike while the iron is hot ... A couple .500 seasons n he may never get the chance again.  Clearly he is blnot concerned one way or the other

[muhoops1]

Why would Buzz want Shaka's left overs?  Seriously.  That is retarded.

[Dawson Rental]

Why would Buzz want Shaka's left overs?  Seriously.  That is retarded.

Canadian Dimes is talking about Shaka, not Buzz.

[Blackhat]

Not sure how much Scott Drew is making, but if I was Illinois I'd see if he's interested.   


Be hard for him to leave those fertile Texas recruiting grounds though. 

[avid1010]

retarded

i hate when people use that word...

[Sir Lawrence]

Canadian Dimes is talking about Shaka, not Buzz.

You could be Dimes' interpreter for the board.

[4everwarriors]

Does "crazy" qualify one as a minority?

Nah, then the minority would be the majority.

[boyonthedock]

Buzz to VCU?

[77fan88warrior]

I think Buzz could make knee jerk reaction and bolt MU. I believe he probably is very big on loyalty, especially to his players, and that is what makes him tick. My fear is that he could make a decision at the wrong time and it is based off emotion and not his core beliefs. I love the guy but his whole persona about this is not all about him only rings about 80% truthful to me. To get to his place in the becking order you have to have some ego and I think Buzz has an ego as well. Nobody likes their balls squeezed and sometimes when it happens you do not make sound decisions.

I love Buzz but I do feel he is walking the emotional tightrope at times. That is what makes him great but it could also cause a change of scenery. It has nothing to do with his loyalty but one also must remember that Izzo got whacky at the end of the season a few years ago.

[4everwarriors]

Unless I missed something, I suspect an element of insulation (Dick Strong) exists between any relationship displeasure Buzz might have with the current MU administration (Pilarz and LWill)...

You talkin' MU or IU?

[4everwarriors]

That's probable, then again....

Speaking of dicks

[ZiggysFryBoy]

You could be Dimes' interpreter for the board.

LittleMurs=Mrs. Cleaver.

[Benny B]

I love Buzz but I do feel he is walking the emotional tightrope at times. That is what makes him great but it could also cause a change of scenery. It has nothing to do with his loyalty but one also must remember that Izzo got whacky at the end of the season a few years ago.

Any emotional tightrope is how people who can't deal with stress describe dealing with stress.

You don't get to the high D-I level in coaching if you can't deal with stress.  It's not to say you don't get a little crazy at times, but people who can't make rational decisions under stress typically don't make it past the graduate assistant coach job.

[muhoops1]

i hate when people use that word...

I understand, but it is a word.

[Dawson Rental]

LittleMurs=Mrs. Cleaver.

Now, Eddie....

[ATWizJr]

CNN reports Simeon coach Smith offerred asst. Job ai Illinois but has told them that he is only interested in being the head coach.

[Silkk the Shaka]

CNN reports Simeon coach Smith offerred asst. Job ai Illinois but has told them that he is only interested in being the head coach.

Does anybody else find this... odd? Has there ever been a case of a high school coach jumping straight to a BCS head job? Isn't assistant at a BCS job a SIGNIFICANT step up from high school HC in itself? I know one of the Hurleys went from HS HC to the head job at Wagner, but that's a different animal than the head job at Illinois. Does Smith already have experience as a D1 assistant or something? If not, wouldn't HC at Southern Illinois or Loyola be a more rational leap?

[brewcity77]

I don't know if Smith would be interested here, but I wouldn't mind him as a replacement to Benford if Tony ends up at SMU or one of the other openings. Not many are more tied in to Chicago, and you don't win title after title if you don't know basketball.

[MU B2002]

Does anybody else find this... odd? Has there ever been a case of a high school coach jumping straight to a BCS head job? Isn't assistant at a BCS job a SIGNIFICANT step up from high school HC in itself? I know one of the Hurleys went from HS HC to the head job at Wagner, but that's a different animal than the head job at Illinois. Does Smith already have experience as a D1 assistant or something? If not, wouldn't HC at Southern Illinois or Loyola be a more rational leap?

Illinois made a similar move in the past(in terms of HS coach of potential recruits to asst) when they hired Wayne McClain from Peoria Manual as an assistant.  They were fresh off their 4th consecutive AA state title and I believe at least 3 of the players were at Illinois: Sergio McClain, Frank Williams, and Marcus Griffin(sic).

Side note, the following year Whitney Young and incoming Marquette PG Cordell Henry won state.

[dw3dw3dw3]

Well there's the knowing basketball part and then there's the knowing Jabari and Derrick part.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Illinois made a similar move in the past(in terms of HS coach of potential recruits to asst) when they hired Wayne McClain from Peoria Manual as an assistant.  They were fresh off their 4th consecutive AA state title and I believe at least 3 of the players were at Illinois: Sergio McClain, Frank Williams, and Marcus Griffin(sic).

Side note, the following year Whitney Young and incoming Marquette PG Cordell Henry won state.

To clarify, I DON'T think it's odd that Illinois offered him the assistant position.  I think that makes complete sense for the reasons you and brewcity77 state.  What I find weird is that Smith would turn it down because he wasn't offered the head job.  Unless he already had experience as an assistant at the D1 level, wouldn't assistant at a high major program like Illinois be a huge step up in terms of pay, prestige, and careers trajectory from head coach in high school?  Isn't it a little unrealistic to expect to make the jump from high school coach to the head man at a top 30 job in the nation?

[MU B2002]

To clarify, I DON'T think it's odd that Illinois offered him the assistant position.  I think that makes complete sense for the reasons you and brewcity77 state.  What I find weird is that Smith would turn it down because he wasn't offered the head job.  Unless he already had experience as an assistant at the D1 level, wouldn't assistant at a high major program like Illinois be a huge step up in terms of pay, prestige, and careers trajectory from head coach in high school?  Isn't it a little unrealistic to expect to make the jump from high school coach to the head man at a top 30 job in the nation?

Was not questioning your original statement, was just trying to offer that they had made a similar move in the past in regards to assistants.  He is crazy if he thinks he is getting the head job.

[nyg]

Does anybody else find this... odd? Has there ever been a case of a high school coach jumping straight to a BCS head job? Isn't assistant at a BCS job a SIGNIFICANT step up from high school HC in itself? I know one of the Hurleys went from HS HC to the head job at Wagner, but that's a different animal than the head job at Illinois. Does Smith already have experience as a D1 assistant or something? If not, wouldn't HC at Southern Illinois or Loyola be a more rational leap?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Wade_(basketball)

Bob Wade, a high school coach for Dunbar, Baltimore took over the Maryland job after Lefty Dreisell was fired in 1986.  This was after the Len Bias incident.  Wade's first year at Maryland was worst in history.  Attached WIKI writeup because it actually has some interesting facts.

[Dawson Rental]

Does anybody else find this... odd? Has there ever been a case of a high school coach jumping straight to a BCS head job? Isn't assistant at a BCS job a SIGNIFICANT step up from high school HC in itself? I know one of the Hurleys went from HS HC to the head job at Wagner, but that's a different animal than the head job at Illinois. Does Smith already have experience as a D1 assistant or something? If not, wouldn't HC at Southern Illinois or Loyola be a more rational leap?

What I find odd is apparently the Illinois AD offering out assistant basketball coaching positions before he has a head coach.  If he did, Shaka turning Illinois down makes far more sense then it did yesterday.

And why would Illinois need Smith as an assistant coach?  They actually are recruiting Chicago very well with Howard.  Is Howard pulling a Buzz, i.e. "If you'd like me to stay as HC, I'd love to, but if you want to go another direction for HC, I'll be on my way."

Another scenario, I suppose, could be that Howard is pulling a Buzz and Shaka needed reassurance that he will have an inroads into Chicago recruiting, and Illinois tried to hire Smith to give Shaka that assurance, and when they couldn't get Smith, Shaka said "no thanks".  The coolest possibility about this is that it suggests that Howard will be available, if, for example, Benford leaves for a HC job.

[GGGG]

Good ole Bob soon realized that the NCAA investigates improper behavior a little more rigorously than the Maryland high school association  Illinois would be monumentally stupid to hire him as a coach...they won't do it.