Shaka Smart left the Texas Longhorns after six seasons to take the coaching position with the Marquette Golden Eagles. It marked the end of a six-year run with the Longhorns that did not see the program advance out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
There was even some speculation that Texas could move on from Smart after the Longhorns’ upset loss in the first round of this year’s tournament as a three-seed to No. 14 seed Abilene Christian. It never had to make that decision, but that didn’t stop Smart from throwing a little bit of shade at his former program on the way out regarding attendance for games in Austin.
“I was at VCU for six years, and we had a sellout streak over 100 when I left,” Smart said Monday at his Marquette introductory press conference, via Jaden Daly. “I learned not to take for granted that the arena was full.”
The Frank C. Erwin Special Events Center at Texas holds 16,734 people. This season, attendance was limited due to COVID-19 protocols. Average attendance for Texas during the 2019-20 season was 9,779, according to official NCAA documents. It marked a 1,129-person increase in average from the previous season, which was the 17th largest increase in all of men’s college basketball.
"We had six great, great years at Texas,” Smart said at his introductory press conference. “The relationships we were able to build. the unbelievable memories. I will never forget those six years. The six years before that at VCU. One of the things when you're in coaching, you learn more than anything it's about the people. When you move from one place to the next, you miss the people."
Marquette, which went to the Final Four with Dwyane Wade under Tom Crean in 2003, just let go of Steve Wojciechowski after seven seasons as coach. The school is located in Milwaukee, Wis., a short drive from where Smart grew up in Madison.
Smart, who had a record of 109-86 (.559) in six seasons at Texas, including a mark of 52-56 (.481) in Big 12 play with an 0-3 record in the NCAA Tournament, has the cache of having just won UT’s first-ever Big 12 Tournament championship.
"This is a special family-oriented place and program that's going to be extremely attractive to future players," Smart said at his introductory press conference. "I'm already hearing that with a lot of guys. To our current players and future players, you will not find a coach that has more passion and enthusiasm pouring into you as a person and helping you become the person you can be."
Smart is hoping to bring the Golden Eagles back to national relevance as a March Madness mainstay. Marquette went 13-14 this season and reached the NCAA tournament twice in Wojciechowski's seven-year tenure.
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March 31, 2021 at 07:20AM
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Shaka Smart throws shade at Texas regarding attendance at Marquette introductory press conference - 247Sports
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