VCU coach Shaka Smart is content staying in Richmond, turning down an offer to coach at Illinois. So why wouldn’t the 34-year-old want to take that next step in his career and prove he can succeed on a bigger stage in a bigger conference?
It’s not like he’s not getting paid. After taking the Rams to the Final Four in 2011, he signed an eight-year contract extension worth $1.2 million a year.
After the tournament run, no team in the CAA can compete with Smart in recruiting. At Illinois, he would have had to fight for players with other Big Ten powerhouse programs such as Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State and Wisconsin.
And how have Smart’s predecessors done after leaving VCU?
Jeff Capel made the jump to Oklahoma and was fired last year. He’s currently an assistant at Duke. And Anthony Grant just made his first NCAA tournament in three seasons at Alabama, losing in the first round to Creighton.
Success doesn’t always follow coaches wherever they go. Smart will keep enjoying the ride at VCU … at least for now.
– Jeffrey Tomik
