Could we be Shaka's forever home?

[The Lens]

I remember us having similar conversations about how Duke would lure Wojo away. The lesson I’ve learned from that is to just not worry about it, if Shaka leaves for an NBA job that will have meant that he had an incredible amount of success here, that’s all that should really matter.

KO was going to Arizona
TC was going to MSU
Buzz was going to Texas
Wojo was going to Duke

Could Shaka leave?  Sure but he has what none of those other guys did...big time security and bank account from his time at Texas.  He also has a wife who seems to be focused on doing good & making her community better (Lindsey Wojo was the same way).  We've never hired a "settled in" coach.  Mike Deane had experience but not the saving account.  We have a coach who doesn't have to work a day in his life (here by choice) and a family that doesn't seem to place an importance on amassing generational wealth for their children (here for purpose).   

[JakeBarnes]

KO was going to Arizona
TC was going to MSU
Buzz was going to Texas
Wojo was going to Duke

Could Shaka leave?  Sure but he has what none of those other guys did...big time security and bank account from his time at Texas.  He also has a wife who seems to be focused on doing good & making her community better (Lindsey Wojo was the same way).  We've never hired a "settled in" coach.  Mike Deane had experience but not the saving account.  We have a coach who doesn't have to work a day in his life (here by choice) and a family that doesn't seem to place an importance on amassing generational wealth for their children (here for purpose).

And it's not like he's making peanuts at Marquette.

[jficke13]

He'll end up making generational wealth at MU even if that's not his goal. At least "generational wealth" in the "don't really have to work" sense of the term even if he won't quite reach the "oligopolistic elite buying and selling the world from Silicon Valley or the Hamptons" sense of the term.

[The Lens]

He'll end up making generational wealth at MU even if that's not his goal. At least "generational wealth" in the "don't really have to work" sense of the term even if he won't quite reach the "oligopolistic elite buying and selling the world from Silicon Valley or the Hamptons" sense of the term.

If you can't buy an EPL team, you're poor.

[Hards Alumni]

I will pray hard that we don't crucify him.  An actual Crucifixion would be bad for recruiting.

A recruitcifixon... if you will.

[muwarrior69]

Shaka at some date in the future:

"Yes, I considered the NBA job, with its much better pay, fewer 100-hour weeks, and significantly higher social status. But in the end, I decided to stay at Marquette because I did not want posters on MUScoop to say mean things about me."

...and Lovell would hold him to his contract like Fr. Raynor did to Al.

[warriorchick]

He'll end up making generational wealth at MU even if that's not his goal. At least "generational wealth" in the "don't really have to work" sense of the term even if he won't quite reach the "oligopolistic elite buying and selling the world from Silicon Valley or the Hamptons" sense of the term.

Wojo left Marquette with generational wealth and he sucked.

[MUBurrow]

And it's not like he's making peanuts at Marquette.

Yeah, if Shaka continues to be successful, $$ won't be the reason he gets away.  When you look at the money it took to move on from Wojo and bring Shaka in, there's enough money there to make sure that MU can match pretty much any offer that would come in.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Shaka staying a decade+ was always the biggest selling point in his hire to me. Take a look at the current KenPom top 10


Mark Few: 20+ years at Gonzaga

Scott Drew: 19 years at Baylor

Calipari: 13 years at UK

Matt Painter: 17 years at Purdue

Jay Wright: 20 years at Villanova

Bruce Pearl: 8 years at Auburn (we all know his story before then)

Kelvin Sampson: 8 years at Houston (we all know his story before then, to borrow a Shaka-ism he might be the Domino of the MU Coaching Lineage)

Bill Self: 19 years at Kansas

Tommy Lloyd: 1 year at Arizona

Will Wade: 5 years at LSU


At a certain point after you're at a place for a while with some sustained success, kids grow up seeing you every year at the tournament and on FS1 multiple times a week. They know your style, you're a proven commodity. HS & AAU coaches trust you. Your ability to access players that fit what you want to program to be deepens. The players you've had through multiple full recruiting cycles have all taught each other your system & philosophies, and they've taught the next guys, who's taught the next guy, and they next guy, and all of a sudden you're competing not just for tourney bids but for titles.


My hope was that Shaka did not make the Wojo mistake and waste a ton of time trying to get 5* guys that aren't necessarily sold on a team concept or might not fit a long term vision. At a program like MU you can layer those guys in when your program is well-established and you have a stable of quality returnees where the 5* stud can be complementary to the ultimate goal rather than the focal point of an entire season. My view is that the 75-150/200 range player doesn't have a ton of difference between their games. But we have access to that type of player at MU. So if you spend your time fishing in those waters with a focus on strong personality & mindset fit, with playing style fit plus a high upside ceiling, enough of them together are going to gel, cream will rise to the top, and you can sustain success for quite some time that way while building the program brand until your compound interest starts paying you fat dividends after a decade.

Back to the list above. Gonzaga, Baylor, and Villanova 20+ years ago are probably the best comps, about what MU was at after 7 years of Wojo (give or take). Private schools with some history and potential. With some early success, those guys took their respective programs to the next stratosphere in their second decade.

Really really hope Shaka sees the value in the sweet spot he's now in between VCU & Texas here at MU. He has turned away from the siren song of recruiting rankings and got guys who fit & buy in. This season is foundational to how the next 15+ years could play out. I hope he's here to see it through!

[GoldenWarrior11]

I think this is a very intriguing question. 

Shaka spent six years at VCU and six years at Texas.  He had many offers after his second year at VCU (Final Four team), but stayed another four seasons (making the tournament each time).  At Texas, it was all but certain that he would have been fired had he not taken another job.  If it wasn't Marquette (say, for whatever reason, Wojo is still our coach this year), he would have had a number of quality options available to him (though none as ideal for him as Marquette, IMO). 

Time may prove me/us wrong, but Shaka very much doesn't seem like a job-hopper.  Unlike Buzz, who's endgame was always the next opportunity, or Crean, who always had sights set on a bigger Big Ten job, I think the Texas experience really had a strong effect and impact on Shaka as a coach.  He didn't come into Marquette seeking out one-and-dones like had been his new model at Texas; he acquired many first-year or second-year players, supported them with two grad-transfers, and built around the few players that stayed and returned.  Really, really remarkable.  And that was what made his program at VCU special.  For various reasons, he coached and built a program differently at Texas. 

I'd imagine that Shaka coaches after Marquette, as nearly every coach has.  But, if this season has revealed anything, the next several years should be incredibly memorable and entertaining under his coaching and direction.  Let's all just try and enjoy the ride. 

[TSmith34, Inc.]

I always assumed it was Sand Knit reincarnated

Hmmmm...maybe. By NLW doesn't use "n", "ur" or other text shorthand as Sand Kinit did, and seems far more seething with rage and racism than Sand Knit. But maybe.

[Pakuni]

Time may prove me/us wrong, but Shaka very much doesn't seem like a job-hopper.  Unlike Buzz, who's endgame was always the next opportunity, or Crean, who always had sights set on a bigger Big Ten job, I think the Texas experience really had a strong effect and impact on Shaka as a coach.  He didn't come into Marquette seeking out one-and-dones like had been his new model at Texas; he acquired many first-year or second-year players, supported them with two grad-transfers, and built around the few players that stayed and returned.  Really, really remarkable.  And that was what made his program at VCU special.  For various reasons, he coached and built a program differently at Texas. 

Who knows, but Crean spent more time at Marquette (9 seasons) and Indiana (9 seasons) than Shaka did in either of his previous jobs.
Buzz spent six seasons at Marquette and five at VaTech, which ain't all that far off from Shaka's six and six.

The reality is, none of us know what Shaka's long-term personal goals are, how he feels about a long tenure at Marquette or anywhere else, whether the Texas experience soured him on the big school experience or makes him want to prove people wrong, whether he has NBA aspirations or how much money he wants to make.
Nobody knows but him. So why waste time worrying about it, especially less than a year into his tenure?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Who knows, but Crean spent more time at Marquette (9 seasons) and Indiana (9 seasons) than Shaka did in either of his previous jobs.
Buzz spent six seasons at Marquette and five at VaTech, which ain't all that far off from Shaka's six and six.

The reality is, none of us know what Shaka's long-term personal goals are, how he feels about a long tenure at Marquette or anywhere else, whether the Texas experience soured him on the big school experience or makes him want to prove people wrong, whether he has NBA aspirations or how much money he wants to make.
Nobody knows but him. So why waste time worrying about it, especially less than a year into his tenure?

To be honest, HE might not even know.

[The Lens]

There's also enough evidence out there with KO, TC and Buzz that you're less likely to succeed more after MU.  If you leave it should be for money or security (KO & Buzz) or prestige (TC).  Shaka has the money and already had the prestige (debating MU vs. Texas is interesting).  If he studies the data, he'll see the only better place is the NBA.  And unless you're hired by a good org, you take those jobs for the clout / paycheck.

[Galway Eagle]

Hmmmm...maybe. By NLW doesn't use "n", "ur" or other text shorthand as Sand Kinit did, and seems far more seething with rage and racism than Sand Knit. But maybe.

What former poster spoke in full sentences but was a guru at being unhinged and semi racist?

That's who I'd place my money on.

[MU82]

So why waste time worrying about it

Because ... Scoop be Scoop be Scoop?

[The Equalizer]

Shaka @ MU has to be the worst nightmare for the likes of Nova and Hall and their athletic departments and coaches:

MU already had:
- engaged alumni
- well funded program
- NBA arena
- deep history
- strong presence of alumni in NBA
- awesome training facilities
- TBT success

Add a great coach to that and you have the makings of a long term BEAST dynasty.

Based on this logic, you'd have to agree that bringing Gonzaga into the Big East would be a bigger nightmare.

[Goose]

The Shaka situation on staying at MU is much like the expectations for his success at MU. We are so used to hiring an assistant that is more likely to look for bigger opportunities and use MU as a starting job to prove themselves. We hired a grown man with a resume this time and he has seen other opportunities. IMO, the NBA down the road could be an opportunity, but if he accomplishes what I expect he will accomplish at MU there would be plenty of reasons to be here 10+ years.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

What former poster spoke in full sentences but was a guru at being unhinged and semi racist?

That's who I'd place my money on.

If you are talking about muguru, he loves Shaka.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

What former poster spoke in full sentences but was a guru at being unhinged and semi racist?

That's who I'd place my money on.

Again maybe, but guru tended to write multi-paragraph diatribes, go on and on and on, and then spike the ball in celebration of his "unassailable logic" at the end. Not the same M.O. as NWL...but maybe.

[Galway Eagle]

If you are talking about muguru, he loves Shaka.

I was referring to him. Damn, really thought I had cracked the code. I'm out of guesses then.

[The Equalizer]

For all the talk of Shaka being from WI, he hates the Madison area due to the racism he experienced growing up.  Most of that was in Oregon, WI, where the played in HS, but the Madison area does have the best track record of treatment of young black men.

I guess you assume Shaka doesn't know the story of Doc Rivers.

[MUBurrow]

The Shaka situation on staying at MU is much like the expectations for his success at MU. We are so used to hiring an assistant that is more likely to look for bigger opportunities and use MU as a starting job to prove themselves. We hired a grown man with a resume this time and he has seen other opportunities. IMO, the NBA down the road could be an opportunity, but if he accomplishes what I expect he will accomplish at MU there would be plenty of reasons to be here 10+ years.

I agree with this, and have a new appreciation for the NBA point after watching the all access game.  Shaka's communication style seems custom-made for working with NBA players.

[tower912]

I don't know what the future holds with Coach Smart.    Right now, with his daughter, I am skeptical he will want to uproot her again.   Once she is out of high school, who knows.     But also, his riff about shaping young men and building relationships works much better at the college level than at the pro level.     His schemes are fine.   

[Uncle Rico]

What former poster spoke in full sentences but was a guru at being unhinged and semi racist?

That's who I'd place my money on.

NLW registered last January and started posting blasting Theo John and Marquette for being social justice warriors.  Remarkably, he then defended the mulax dudes who dropped the n-bomb on social media.

He’s not guru, though.  Guru will support Shaka as long as he’s winning and whatever players are here as long as they’re winning