Well, the last time I referenced an article from The Athletic, it didn't end up going so well.  Let's hope we can have a normal, mature discussion.

The Athletic has a great article today on Shaka Smart.  Before I continue, let me just say from a GW perspective that I believe there is relevance to our program in that JC once worked for Shaka, considered him a mentor, has established at least some of his coaching principles (havoc is supposed to equal mayhem even if we have not seen this yet), and to this day considers Shaka a friend.  Clearly, JC is his own person and not a Shaka clone.  Nevertheless, I do think we can gain some insight about JC from a basketball perspective by learning a bit more about Shaka.

Some highlights:

1) Shaka is self-aware regarding the type of player he would like to be coaching.  He would rather coach a less talented player who will give all of himself than a five star player who thinks he has it all figured out.

2) He more or less said this to Marquette during his interview process.  It was the most memorable point he conveyed according to Marquette's AD.  It was a point which said "let's make sure we're both on the same page."  At Texas, it was all about 5 star players and how many he could recruit.

3) Related to point 2 is the importance of player retention.  Shaka fully acknowledges that it takes time for players to grow as people, to grow as players, and to learn how to play the way Shaka would like.  It was another way of saying that he's not cut out to coach college players for just a year.  For JC and GW, what we've been seeing hasn't been players leaving early to play ball but players leaving early in general.  One could only hope that JC also understands the value of retaining players.  Personally, I'm willing to give JC a pass for turning over the roster and (hopefully) building a better team as a result.  That said, it's now important that early player defections do not continue to be out of hand.  And when I say that, I mean more than the national average.  Losing at least half of your roster each season just isn't a recipe for success.

4) One of Shaka's goals is for his team to achieve 32 defensive deflections per game.  Am guessing the Turkey board may have started during VCU practices.  It's another way to quantify defensive performance.

I don't believe that it was wrong or silly of Shaka to leave VCU for Texas.  More money, better conference, better chance to coach future NBA players, better chance at a national championship.  What this article tells me is that the reason why Shaka did not have more success at Texas is because of the fit.  At Marquette, he may have the best of both worlds (he was raised in Wisconsin, fyi).  A chance to coach talented players but not among the most talented in the country.  A chance to coach them longer.  A chance to coach kids who are more naturally willing to sacrifice for the good of the team.  And still, at a superior conference with greater resources than was the case had he remained at VCU all of this time.  It will be interesting to monitor his progress over time.