Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
HOUSTON –– The N.C. State job is Shaka Smart’s to turn down, according to a report by David Glenn of ACCSports.com.
“The Shaka Smart chapter of this search is going to come to a conclusion soon, probably today,” an agent who works with numerous college coaches told Glenn.
“Regardless of his response, the Wolfpack will have a new coach this week. That’s how most of these searches go nowadays. You talk with multiple candidates at the same time, usually on different timetables, and that’s what’s happened here.
“Technically speaking, N.C. State can still say that nobody has received an official job offer, just inquiries and frameworks and presentations and conversations. But it’s also accurate to say that Rick Barnes and Sean Miller and others were made aware that it was their job if they wanted it, and now Shaka is in that position. It doesn’t really matter if you call it an official job offer or not.
“It’s reached the point now where either Shaka Smart or someone else is going to be introduced as the next N.C. State basketball coach at some point this week.”
Glenn’s report indicates N.C. State has offered Smart $2 million per yer, with only Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, Roy Williams of North Carolina and Gary Williams of Maryland making more.
VCU, meanwhile, is working on a “contract upgrade” worth “well over $1 million” annually, Glenn reports.
“We said all along that we would be aggressive in trying to keep Shaka here at VCU,” VCU athletic director Norwood Teague told Glenn, “and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Smart is 55-21 in two seasons at VCU and led the Rams to their first-ever Final Four before losing Saturday to Butler.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
HOUSTON –– The N.C. State job is Shaka Smart’s to turn down, according to a report by David Glenn of ACCSports.com.
“The Shaka Smart chapter of this search is going to come to a conclusion soon, probably today,” an agent who works with numerous college coaches told Glenn.
“Regardless of his response, the Wolfpack will have a new coach this week. That’s how most of these searches go nowadays. You talk with multiple candidates at the same time, usually on different timetables, and that’s what’s happened here.
“Technically speaking, N.C. State can still say that nobody has received an official job offer, just inquiries and frameworks and presentations and conversations. But it’s also accurate to say that Rick Barnes and Sean Miller and others were made aware that it was their job if they wanted it, and now Shaka is in that position. It doesn’t really matter if you call it an official job offer or not.
“It’s reached the point now where either Shaka Smart or someone else is going to be introduced as the next N.C. State basketball coach at some point this week.”
Glenn’s report indicates N.C. State has offered Smart $2 million per yer, with only Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, Roy Williams of North Carolina and Gary Williams of Maryland making more.
VCU, meanwhile, is working on a “contract upgrade” worth “well over $1 million” annually, Glenn reports.
“We said all along that we would be aggressive in trying to keep Shaka here at VCU,” VCU athletic director Norwood Teague told Glenn, “and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Smart is 55-21 in two seasons at VCU and led the Rams to their first-ever Final Four before losing Saturday to Butler.
