Actions Shakas taken after a bad team

[Galway Eagle]

The 2016-17 Texas Longhorns team (Shaka's second season at UT) finished 11-22.  I presume that this is the team that Shaka has indirectly referenced.  Six of the top eight players in minutes played from the previous season (NCAAT appearance) either graduated or left for the draft (I. Taylor went undrafted, had a cup of coffee in the NBA).  The 2016 recruiting class for Texas was a top-15 or so (ESPN was 11th, Scout was 6th and Rivals was 16th).  From that class, only Jarrett Allen was drafted, with the others having varying college careers.  None of that year's senior class were top-minute-getters on the team.  The team also very much had the bottom-fall-out; they were a preseason top-25 team, but they ended up losing thirteen of their last sixteen games to close out the regular season.  To date, it is the only losing season in Shaka's career, and it wasn't really even close to a .500 season. 

The following season, Allen declares for the NBA draft (top in minutes from that team) and and Tevin Mack (who was second in minutes) transferred.  Lots of turnover, but they made the NCAAT again.  Sims and Bamba were both on the roster as future NBA players,but Sims didn't play significantly that year, and its leading minutes-getter was a transfer (D.Osetkowski from Tulane).

Through 16 seasons as a head coach, Smart has only not made the NCAAT four times.  Once in his first year at VCU (CBI Champions), once as referenced above (11-22 year), once in 18-19 (as NIT Champions) and once during the COVID season (but they would have made the NCAAT that year).  He has never gone two straight seasons of not making the tournament, so the resume shows that he does, in fact, make necessary changes after a bad year. 

This is the kind of answer I was hoping for and too lazy to research myself.