An interesting take on this individual.KCMax wrote: Speculation points to ... Shaka Smart (VCU),
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketb ... -next-step
The VCU coach may be making a million dollars or so next year still residing in Richmond and coaching the Rams, or he could be earning more than double that somewhere else — say at North Carolina State or Missouri.
Many expect the 33-year-old to jump at a lucrative offer and bolt VCU.
“I don't think there's a certainty at all,” said Akron head coach Keith Dambrot, who had Smart on his staff for a couple of years. “He doesn't care about money.”
Everyone cares about money.
But Smart is unique, in a subtle way that draws some comparisons to Butler coach Brad Stevens.
Forget about the fact he's mature beyond his years; he's smart, articulate and knows how to deal with everyone from players to coaches to the media. Smart keeps a diary and writes poetry. He dives for loose balls in the locker room and dances with his players.
“He's probably the most comfortable coach in his skin I've ever met,” said Denny Kuiper, an author and former high school and college coach in Michigan who has become a confidant of Smart's the last couple of years.
Stevens spurned the lucrative offer from Nike czar Phil Knight and Oregon a year ago to remain in the mid-major ranks. That's worked out just fine.
...
Add VCU senior athletic director Mike Ellis to that list. Not too long ago, Ellis made a pinky swear with Smart that he'd win at least 137 games and become the school's all-time winningest coach.
“As corny as it sounds,” Ellis said, “I really believe that pinky swear means something to him.”
