Just a day after Oklahoma opened, another Big 12 job has come open in the wake of the announcement that sixth-year head coach Shaka Smart was departing Texas Basketball for the same position at Marquette University.
Smart’s decision to leave Texas comes a week after the Longhorns suffered a season-ending loss to 14th-seed Abilene Christian in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. His tenure was nothing short of tumultuous, having finished his career at Texas with a solid 109-87 overall record, but a mediocre 52-56 mark in Big 12 play and 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament.
That is not to say that Smart did not enjoy success with the Longhorns. This past season was shaping up to be his best performance yet, with Texas climbing as high in the national polls as fourth and becoming the first team in program history to sweep Kansas in the regular season.
IT'S OFFICIAL!!! Please help us welcome home Shaka Smart and his family to the @MarquetteU and #mubb family! RELEASE: https://t.co/lMKrQxfFGZ pic.twitter.com/EKcRBeOBzv
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) March 26, 2021
Despite a mid-season COVID-19 pause that sent the Longhorns on a three-game losing streak and infamously raised tensions within the roster, victories over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State propelled Smart’s crew to their first-ever Big 12 Tournament crown and a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
This was a roster rich with athleticism with the likes of Matt Coleman III, Kai Jones, and Courtney Ramey – but Smart’s decision, paired with the Longhorns’ rocky season and ending, sends Texas into an uncertain future in a highly-competitive Big 12. Whoever accepts this job will face a daunting task, especially considering that the Longhorns have not made it out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2007-08, despite going 264-172 in that 13-year stretch under Rick Barnes and Smart.
Final State of Texas NCAA DI Tournament wins tally during the Shaka Smart Era:
— Connor Hope (@HoopsHopeCBB) March 26, 2021
Texas Tech - 9
Baylor - 5 & Counting
Houston - 5 & Counting
Texas A&M - 4
Texas Southern - 2
North Texas - 1
Abilene Christian - 1
Stephen F. Austin - 1
University of Texas at Austin - 0
Luckily for Texas, there are a number of successful head coaches around the region who would be perfect fits in continuing Texas’ flourishment in the Big 12 – and potentially leading the Longhorns to success in the NCAA Tournament, with the hopes of leading Texas to its first Final Four appearance since the 2002-03 season.