The joke had been made thousands upon thousands of times -- Shaka Smart earned himself some money with VCU's improbable run to the Final Four.
On Monday afternoon, he did. Just not quite the way many of us expected.
Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com broke the news -- tweeting during a radio interview, no less -- that not only had Shaka Smart turned down NC State's advances, he was re-signing with VCU. And, yes, he got the significant pay bump that he was due, seeing his salary more than triple as he inked an eight-year deal worth $1.2 million per.
The decision by Smart to stay at VCU may confuse some. There were reports that NC State was offering him as much as $2 million a year, and if Smart wanted more than that, he probably just need to give them a number. The same thing happened with Brad Stevens last season, when he opted to remain at Butler by signing a 12 year contract extension following the first of two Final Four runs.
Some people are going to ask why.
Why would a coach turn down an offer that could double his salary? Neither Smart nor Stevens will be hurting financially, but turning down an extra seven figures is significant regardless of you pay grade.
The answer is simple -- the right job wasn't available.
Smart is the latest hot, young coach riding a wave of postseason success. But that "heat" doesn't last forever. If his team struggles next season, the opportunity to move up to a bigger conference may no longer be there. That's why you see coaches use mid-majors as a stepping stone so often. You have to strike while the iron is hot, so to speak.
Smart didn't maximize his potential earnings, he still capitalized on his team's success.
Stevens is now in a different position than Smart. The fact that he has taken Butler to back-to-back national title games firmly entrenches him among the "greats". Whenever he decides to leave Butler, he can get just about any job that he wants. The "heat" is not going to subside on Stevens.
These two aren't the first coaches to make the decision to remain at a school sitting outside the power six conferences. Mark Few has remained at Gonzaga for over a decade now. Chris Mooney just signed a 10 year contract to stay at Richmond. Jim Larrananga didn't go anywhere after taking George Mason to the Final Four.
As they say, money makes the world go 'round. But there is no price that you can put on the happiness of you and your family. There is no price that you can put on enjoying the school you coach at and the town that you live in. I'm sure everyone reading this has had both good and bad experiences with a boss at some point in your life.
The coaches that opt to stay at the mid-major programs have job security. They already have financial security. They are already in a good working and living environment.
Is that really worth leaving for a coaching gig that is anything less than ideal?
Continue reading...
Monday, April 4, 2011
Shaka Smart follows Brad Stevens lead, stays at VCU |
Monday, February 28, 2011
Hoops Housekeeping: Rakeem Buckles is done for the year. |
Rakeem Buckles: Just a few weeks removed from finally returning to the court after breaking a finger, Buckles once again joined the long list of injured Louisville Cardinals. Buckles planted awkwardly on a fast break in Sunday's win over Pitt and tore an acl.
"I'm really, really disappointed for Rak," Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said. "He waited patiently to come back, and now he gets hurt again. I feel absolutely awful for him and the team. But we've battled adversity all season and we'll continue to do so, and we won't let it bother us."
Nolan Dennis: A top 50 recruit coming out of high school and a member of the disbanded 2009 recruiting class that John Calipari brought into Memphis before leaving for Kentucky, Dennis has never quite lived up to those expectations in college. He's played two seasons at Baylor, averaging just 2.3 ppg. On Friday, Dennis withdrew from school for medical reasons.
"We ask that Baylor Nation keeps Nolan in their thoughts and prayers," Baylor head coach Scott Drew said. "He was truly a treasured member of our basketball program and we wish him the best."
Brad Stevens: The Butler head coach had a scary incident on the sidelines during Butler's game against Loyola on Saturday. I'll let him explain:
"Right now, I can't see and my eye feels like it has a thousand scratches," Stevens said from home. "My vision got progressively worse as we were getting ready to start the game, and by the final media timeout of the first half, I could not see the other end of the court and everything in front of me was blurry."
He was diagnosed with a corneal edema and was back coaching on Monday.
Elijah Johnson: Johnson has been starting for Tyshawn Taylor since the junior was suspended from the team a week ago. He's played well and there are rumors that he may keep the starting job once Taylor rejoins the team. He also took a shot to the head in Saturday's win over Oklahoma, but appears to be fine.
“You know when you go to Chuck E. Cheese and you get the hammer and you bop the people?” Johnson said. “I kind of feel like that’s what happened.”
He missed the final 14 minutes of the game, but the game was out of reach already. He was cleared to play if he was needed.
Continue reading...
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Brad Stevens isn't going anywhere, signs 12 year contract with Butler |
Well, that ended fairly quickly.
Today, Brad Stevens signed a 12 year extension with Butler, meaning he will be under contract with the Bulldogs until 2022. While that doesn't necessarily mean that Stevens will be with Butler until 2022, it definitely means he will be coaching the Bulldogs next season. And as of right now, that is really all that matters.
How many of those 12 years will Stevens be at Butler?(photo credit: DePauw.edu)
A 12 year contract is rare, and when you consider that we are dealing with a 33 year old at a school in the Horizon League, it becomes all the more impressive and unheard of.
But Butler had to do it.
The Bulldogs couldn't afford to throw the kind of money at Stevens that a Oregon, or a Clemson, or a Wake Forest could. Where they made up for it was in duration, in job security. Last season, Stevens pulled in a $750,000 compensation package. Assuming that number gets bumped (he came inches from winning a national, that number is getting bumped; the terms haven't been released, but my bet is that the number gets doubled), that is a pretty comfortable living to make, and he doesn't have to uproot his family.
Now that Stevens is locked up, the next question for Butler is Gordon Hayward. Does he come back to school?
Draft Express doesn't think so, as Hayward is listed as the 21st pick in this year's mock draft. NBADraft.net has Hayward going 20th. In all fairness, I think that Hayward would be smart to go pro this year. I mean, he did lead Butler to the national title game. His stock very likely will never be higher.
If Hayward does happen to come back, the Bulldogs have to put somewhere in the top five next season considering Shelvin Mack, Matt Howard, and Ronald Nored all return. But if they lose Hayward, is this still a top 25 team? They struggled scoring this year, and would be losing their best offensive option.
A couple things to ponder about this hiring:
- If Indiana continues to struggle under Tom Crean, how long until the Hoosiers dump him and make a run at Stevens?
- There is no way that Butler can consistently remain a top five team. How will the administration and the fan base react if Stevens isn't getting them to Final Four's every season? I don't see Stevens finishing out this contract with Butler. Will he entertain any offers from schools other than Indiana?
- Where will Oregon, Clemson, and Wake look next?
Continue reading...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The Henry Iba Award Finalists Announced |
The USBWA has announced their list of ten finalists for the Henry Iba Award for college basketball coach of the year. They are:
- Mike Anderson, Missouri
- John Calipari, Memphis
- Jeff Capel, Oklahoma
- Jamie Dixon, Pitt
- Mike Montogomery, Cal
- Stew Morrill, Utah State
- Matt Painter, Purdue
- Oliver Purnell, Clemson
- Bill Self, Kansas
- Brad Stevens, Butler
What about the job that Lorenzo Romar has done out in Seattle for the Washington Huskies? U-Dub was picked fifth in the preseason poll, but Romar has led them to a 22-7 record and at least a share of the Pac-10 title (they will win it out right if they beat Wazzu this weekend).
I would even put Bruce Weber from Illinois on this list. The Illini didn't add much to a team that struggled through the '07-'08 season, but Weber has his guys at the top of the Big Ten and headed back to the tournament.
As far as I'm concerned, those three guys are far more deserving that Jamie Dixon, Jeff Capel, or Stew Merrill. Don't get me wrong, all three are fantastic coaches and are having great seasons. I just don't see how they have been better than some of the coaches that were left off the list.
Pitt has been a top five team all season, and is right in the mix for the Big East regular season title. But they were supposed to be. Pitt would be considered a disappointment if they weren't having this kind of season. Is it coach of the year worthy to just live up to expectations?
Oklahoma is having a great season, but isn't the knock on them that they are Blake Griffin and then everyone else? Is it really a great coaching job when you ride the best player in the country?
As good as Utah State has been in the WAC, I just can't give this team too much credit. They have one good win (at home against Utah), they have 12 wins against teams with RPI's of 200+, and they have lost three of their last five (all to teams in the top 100). I just don't think that beating up on a bunch of poor-mediocre teams qualifies you as a coach of the year candidate.
So who is the coach of the year?
If I had to decide today, I would probably narrow it down to three guys: Brad Stevens, John Calipari, and Bill Self. Stevens lost everyone except Matt Howard from last year's Butler team, but he has managed to keep the Bulldogs atop the Horizon League on the strength of two freshman (Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack) and Howard. Everyone in the world knows what Bill Self lost last year - six of his top seven scorers, five of whom went to the NBA. Just sixth man Sherron Collins and seldom used Cole Aldrich came back, but Self has managed to mold a group of talented freshman and JuCo transfers into the top team in the Big XII. The Baby Jayhawks control their own destiny as they try to win their fifth straight conference title.
But my pick for coach of the year goes to John Calipari. Just like Self, he lost a ton of talent to the league in Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Joey Dorsey. He returned a team with all sorts of athletic potential, but that was devoid of a point guard and consistent shooters. Trying a number of different line-ups, he finally settled on using freshman Tyreke Evans at the point, and Memphis has not lost since he made the change.
The Tigers are still playing their menacing style of defense (they have given up more than 70 points just five times this year, and not once since January 3rd). Cal has taken this team from inconsistent bunch that lacked confidence into a serious threat to make a second straight Final Four.
I think Buzz Williams at Marquette and Leonard Hamilton at Florida State should also get a mention for the season that their respective teams are having, as well as Tom Crean for keeping his Indiana team fighting through the abysmal season they are having. Continue reading...
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