Texas Basketball: 5 potential replacements for Shaka Smart as head coach

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Shaka Smart of the Texas Longhorns gestures during the championship game of the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament against the Michigan State Spartans at the Orleans Arena on November 23, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Michigan State defeated Texas 78-68. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /

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RICHMOND, VA – DECEMBER 07: Head coach Mike Rhoades of the VCU Rams (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

Honorable Mentions

The Longhorns will likely bring in a number of candidates, as this will be athletic director Chris del Conte’s first head coaching search.

The first honorable mention is VCU head coach Mike Rhoades. Rhoades has garnered the interest of high major programs, but due to the disappointment that his Rams have faced this season, in addition to the fact that Smart came from VCU, makes this an unlikely match.

Another honorable mention is Jamie Dixon. Del Conte was hired away from TCU, where he was the athletic director when the Horned Frogs hired Dixon. While the Longhorns will surely have interest, Dixon did not leave TCU for UCLA last spring due to contractual reasons, which makes any traction unlikely.

Other potential names of interest could be BYU’s Mark Pope, Illinois’ Brad Underwood, and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson. Between short tenure (Pope), lack of establishment (Underwood), and desire to leave (Sampson), these three are unlikely to even interview.

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