For the Texas Longhorns basketball team, they have been looking for that breakout season that would lead you to believe they are on the right track. While the team has made it to the big dance under Smart, there hasn’t been any sustained success that Smart had for Virginia Commonwealth University.
During his six seasons with the VCU Rams, Smart led the team to a 163-56 record (.744 winning percentage) in those six years. His second season saw VCU make it all the way to the Final Four before getting bounced from the tournament. He wouldn’t get higher than the second round in the final four years before departing for Texas.
Smart has been in charge of the Texas Longhorns basketball program for just over four seasons now. He has a 81-70 record (.540 winning percentage), that doesn’t exactly breed confidence to fans or boosters for that matter. In two of his first four seasons saw Smart lead Texas to the NCAA Tournament only to get ousted in the first round. Last season the Longhorns took home the NIT Tournament Championship.
Texas finally got their first win of the Big 12 season when they defeated Kansas State at home in Austin. They now look to take down Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Wednesday. The Longhorns are searching for a second-straight conference victory and the first on the road. Given how the rest of the conference is shaping up, can Texas allow Smart to remain in the driver’s seat?
Smart’s predecessor, Rick Barnes led the Longhorns to the Final Four in his fifth season as their head coach. Each year was a progression for Barnes from just making the tournament to the sweet 16 and then the final four. That would be his best season with Texas but unfortunately the Longhorns paid a lot of money to Smart and aren’t seeing a return on their investment.
The question remains, not that should Shaka Smart be on a short leash but just how short is it?