Along with the annual Player Transfer List comes the Head Coaching Wish List for programs with recently created vacancies.
Seems quite a few Texas and Tennessee fans have expressed their desire for Buzz & Shaka on Twitter.
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I'll tell them what my mom told me when I was a kid.... they can want in one hand and..well...you get the point...
They can express their desire all they want. Buzz's job isn't done, and I can't see him leaving until we at least have one round of 32 under our belt. He wants to know he can build a program from nothing to perennial contenders.
Shaka knows he has a great thing at VCU. He isn't going anywhere.
Wouldn't be so sure about that last statement. Granted, the only job I could see him leaving for is Texas but if they offer him the job I think it would be tough for him to pass up.
I think that Texas chases "bigger names" than Buzz and Shaka however, Buzz's stock is lower than it probably will ever be in his career (not his fault obviously, but we want to keep that a secret) and while Shaka has done a tremondous job, I think Texas thinks they can do better than him because well their Texas and have the most money in the country.
Don't be surprised if they go after Tony Bennett or Gregg Marshall though. If Texas wants to make a home run hire, than they will make a home run hire.
Uhhh, any way we could help to "encourage" Tex-ass to go after Bennett?
Buzz's wife loves Blacksburg. I have a tough time seeing him leave after one year unless someone gives him a ridiculous contract which in that case Texas would be the only threat and I doubt they even pursue Buzz.
Not only does his wife love Blacksburg, but he does as well. Pretty sure he'd need to find a place that would make Blacksburg pale in comparison to it in order to consider leaving VT.
Then he's here for life.
The prospect of Buzz being at Tech for the long haul makes me all
Shaka didn't leave when several high profile schools came calling I'm not sure he is going to leave as long as his kids are young.
Shaka waiting for Duke or Cuse job me thinks
What makes you think that? He has no connections to those schools or areas of the country.
No reason other then its what i would want i guess. Taking over for a legendary coach. He seems like he would want a challenge to leave VCU and that would indeed be a challenge. And lots of $$$. If he is waiting for a hot job doesnt get any hotter then that. if he hasnt left VCU for wods of cash i can only imagine its gonna be a very prestigious program with history. Syracuse coach is gone in a couple years and coach K cant be too much longer then him. No offense to VCU but he wont stay there his whole career
He turned down UCLA, Illinois, Minn, USC and NCST.
So? I would turn those down too if i was waiting to follow K at Duke :P
That I think as long as he keeps winning at VCU and they keep throwing money at the program he won't leave.
I don't think anyone actually wants to follow Coach K at Duke, I would however want to follow the guy that followed Coach K, get that buffer coach in there.
Mike Krzyzewski is actually an AI cybernetic organism. The "Coach K" prototype was developed for Duke back in the late 80's by Northrop Grumman using American Tobacco cigarette money. (For the kids in the audience - smoking was still socially acceptable back in the 80's and all the tobacco companies were basically printing money.)
Expected battery life is at least 370 years. Hope Coach Smart is a patient man.
Coaches A through J were flops, but development of Coach L looks to be unstoppable.
Someone else who's in the know....
He is also in the Illuminati.
None of those schools could offer him the task of replacing a legend like Syracuse and Duke will. Shaka strikes me as the type of guy who would love to replace a legend at a big name school. Imagine how well he could recruit at Duke or Syracuse if he is already pulling in top 30 classes at VCU.
Plus if he goes to Duke, imagine the havoc defense when the refs are always on your side ;) Unstoppable
Look at what happened to the other two former VCU coaches who left for that next great job, fired when they didn't live up to inflated expectations at these "power" schools.
Uhh Capel led Oklahoma to an Elite Eight. He was fired because of NCAA violations, not because he didn't live up to expectations. Plus Shaka is a much better coach than he or Grant was anyway.
Tennessee will probably hire Jim Weaver as a consultant to the AD and go after James Johnson
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7214108/jeff-capel...
Capel was fired after two losing seasons.
That's correct. But still Shaka>Capel
But my point still is valid. Why leave a job where the pay is just going up, the money into the program is just going up and winning the NCAA is not the end all be all.
And my point is also still valid. Havoc>Capel
I don't think Shaka Smart would leave for those teams. If he were to leave, my money is on Wisconsin.
But I think it's very possible that he stays at VCU his entire career. Now, I personally don't care for VCU, but my sister who went there said that Shaka loves Richmond. If Shaka is like me, then I wouldn't leave a place where I am comfortable at.
Shaka will chase the money, especially once he realized VCU will be left behind when the Power 5 split away. If the price is right, he's gone.
For what its worth, I've always heard Bennett is next in line at Wisconsin, and I could see him seeking high and cashing in on his UVa success in the coming years to get his dream job.
How much money are we talking about here? He reportedly turned down offers that were between 1-1.5 million more per yer than what he makes now at VCU. I guess schools like UK and KU offer a lot more, but those coaches probably aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Depending on Wojciechowski's success at Marquette, I'd say that either he or Capel are the favorites for Duke. I don't know about Syracuse though.
As for Wisconsin, yeah, I forgot about Bennett. With Bo Ryan's age and Barry Alvarez liking to go with people he knows, it's very likely that Bennett will be the next Wisconsin coach whenever that opens up.
He has turned down money at 5 power 5 schools.
Yes he has, but the landscape has been changing and will continue to change. It is not long before there is a very clear financial and possibly divisional divide between the Power 5 and everyone else and basketball will be hit the hardest. The second it becomes clear that VCU is going to be left behind, Shaka is gone.
You can't say that for sure though. There are plenty of examples of successful coaches who have chosen to continue coaching at the same school, whether mid-major, Division II, Division III, NAIA, or Jr. College.
About that....
Jeff Capel and his wife both loved Richmond as well. Capel still left. Coaches tend to be ambitious types who are seeking out challenges.
My guess with Shaka is he's waiting for Donovan to retire from Florida. He was an assistant there and the rumor has been that Florida is his dream job. He makes enough at VCU that he doesn't have to jump but VCU has a ceiling.
But how soon is Donovan gonna step out? He ain't exactly an oldy moldy.
That's a good question. Donovan's name comes up a lot when major programs/NBA teams need a HC since Florida is a football-first school with less than amazing facilities. He turns 50 this May (he's been at UF since 1996) so if he wanted to go somewhere else he'd likely do it soon.
Donovan was probably the hottest coach when Florida won back-to-back titles but it seems like he has lost some of that luster in recent years. Perhaps the situation with the Orlando Magic made teams weary of pursuing him.
Well according to the Bleacher Report update I just got, Donovan is looking at the NBA now more seriously than ever before.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12605160/billy-don...
Nice try, I don't trust espn links anymore. They're always April Fools jokes.
The link is legit, I read the article recently
Anybody else hate the new ESPN format?
SVP and Rusillo talked about Buzz with Jeff Goldman today:
RR: would Buzz leave Blacksburg after only a year?
JG: in a second.
SVP: in a half second.
JG: he would walk to Texas, sweating all the way.
I hope Marshall takes that Texas job. Buzz might seem happy, but remember all those empty seats and atrocious student support. This year did not go well at all in the "program support" category.
I dont think it will happen. But if it did the only plus side of it (and im reaching here) would be any buyout to his contract would help pay off some of the basketball mistakes from previous AD.
I don't think it will happen either. Usually it's the names not being talked about who get jobs.
But I don't expect buzz to be around all that long
I cannot imagine Buzz leaving. What the hell would student attendance mean to him if he left Marquette? If he wanted a well known program I'm sure he could have found somewhere other than tech. I don't see money being an issue either considering he budgets himself as if he's a high school teenager so waving money at him won't work. I don't see any reason why he would come here and ask for patience if he could be swayed to leave in a heartbeat.
SVP has always tended to be a bit of a prick towards VT, so this exchange does not surprise me.
But he knows a shitload more about college basketball than anyone on this forum.
Ahhh, the appeal to authority. If he's on ESPN, he must know a lot...
False.
Nah, SVP is alright. I take everything Goodman says with a grain of salt though, he has no idea whether Buzz would leave or not, he is just pulling stuff straight out of his butt. In his eyes, Buzz will leave VT whenever a bigger school offers him the job.
Prick you say? I think I found Alum07's Twitter account ;)
I'm a huge SVP fan, I don't recall him being that bad towards us but he is a UMD alum/fan so I'm sure he's not the worlds biggest Hokie lover.
I am hoping we get a minimum 5 years from Buzz, time to turn the program around for the next coach. I have confidence that Whit would another good replacement.
#SOURCES told me that Texas firing Rick Barnes this year is likely a very good thing for us because Buzz likely would not leave the program after one year due to his large buyout (of course Texas could help pay for that if they REALLY wanted him and he REALLY wanted to leave right now).
The same person also told me that If that job opened up in the next few years, they'd give us a run for our money, so pray that they hire somebody good.
This makes me wonder: is Texas Buzz's dream job? I hadn't really thought much about it before. He's from about 250 miles away from Austin (so roughly as far away as DC is from Blacksburg). If it's not, I don't see him leaving after one year even for a pretty solid promotion, but if it is...his buyout from VT would be $3.5 million if he left this year - a huge amount to him, but chump change to Texas if they really want him and agree to pay for it.
I'm still only on DEFCON Level 1, though.
Edit- Buzz's buyout is 7 mil through May 11. DEFCON 0.5 GUYS
DEFCON 1? So you're in full-on panic mode?
Throwback from my freshman year... (NSFW language and possibly somewhat offensive stereotypes)
But I'm le tired...
Classic
Man, talking about freshman year, Trogdor helped me get my wife to notice me. No idea what I'd have done without that man...I mean, dragon man...maybe he was just a dragon...
There was a point in time when about half the rooms on my hall would be playing "End of the World," Trogdor (or perhaps some other Homestar Runner), or a GI Joe overdub. I had a fun hall.
I think we were all there together... Might as well their this into the mix, you know, when not playing unreal tournament against your floor
7 million buyout, that should cover all the money owed the fired coaches right?
I think it would. Buzz would be owed nothing, this was the last year of Greenburg, and I think we would have 6.5 million left in the bank after paying off Johnson.
Okay, maybe I was wrong about Texas not pursuing Shaka.
Also...
Saw a tweet today where they haven't even talked. #offseason
For what it's worth, all of the news channels and sports talk shows here in Austin are hyping Marshall and Shaka Smart. Texas AD Steve Patterson is in Iowa at the moment.. hmmmmm ...no mention of Buzz Williams at all.
Texas gets what Texas wants.
There was a lot of truth to the rumor of Nick Saban going to Texas this time last year; and he's bigger than Bear Bryant in Alabama.
I would like Buzz to stay at VT, but it will depend on MONEY and UT, and little else.
I don't know about that in the current environment. The Big 12 fell apart because Texas thought they could have everything. I'm also not convinced they got their first choice at football coach.
In large part, it will depend on Texas' ego. If they look at the resumes, Buzz stacks up well against Marshall and Shaka. but he's coming off a 2 win/11 win season. I'm not sure Texas will "stoop" to Buzz.
But there is a pretty good chance that Shaka and Marshall will turn them down as they have turned inexplicably down everyone else the last five years.
My guess is Texas ends up with neither Shaka, Marshall or Buzz. Someone that isn't even being mentioned yet.
I have heard Greenburg mentioned for Texas.
His mother? His wife? Children? Best friend?
Brad.
Love it.
If there was a lot of truth to the rumor of Saban going to Bama, why is Saban still at Bama?
That blows my mind.
Because they offered him 50% of the state's tax revenue to stay...and partial ownership in the NFL franchise they believe they will get in the next 5-100 years.
They actually might save money if they turned Alabama into an NFL team, having to abide by the salary cap and all....
Hearing Barnes may not stay fired long as Tennessee supposedly going to bring him in.
Marshall interviewing at Bama this week.
After this years tournament run Notre Dame better pony up because Mike Brey deserves a big job. The UK game was awesome, but that team was well coached all season. The UK game was just a very well coached team putting it all together at the biggest stage.
And he's losing some valuable members off that team next year.
If Coach K retired tomorrow, Brey might be the best choice for Duke.
This was also the first time Brey's ever made the Elite 8. He's had a bunch of tourney flameouts to worse-seeded teams. I kinda think he's perfect for ND- they mostly want a competent basketball coach whose players aren't an embarrassment to the school.
I understand that it's been a lot of flameouts. But this team was coached at an elite level all year. Plus, ND was a joke of a bball program for 10 years before Brey got there. He knows how to build a program, and quickly. I know he's highly regarded in Maryland and I think he has earned himself a spot at a top tier school.
Me, I hope so. Tired of worrying about having to rebuild a program with guys like him cadging players we might be able to recruit. Buzz'll begone soon enough, nice to think Texas will be occupied for a while.
It looks like my prayers have been answered. Bye bye Shaka, and good luck in your jump from pond to ocean.
Here's the story that came later.
Interesting quote #1:
Didn't realize that he turned down all of these schools. I'd heard Marquette, Illinois, Minnesota and UCLA.
Interesting quote #2:
Maybe I should have led with this one. Buzz isn't listed.
He'll take the job (and the unlimited resources and money) if he's Smart.
wow, so it seems most everyone believes Buzz will leave quickly. I had thought he was here for legacy program building with an administration that is offering him full support. Maybe not for life but long term. Was the first year so much off the rails that he is ready to jump already?
No... There are just a lot of sportswriters and analysts who don't think we deserve to have a good program who were already penning articles on him taking the next job the second he was announced as our head coach.
I think that some of that is justified in that no one knows what he is going to do. Unless you are in his inner circle, not a lot gets shared and even then they may not know his every move. Buzz is a calculated man and for the most part is always off in his own world working out everything from coaching to his family to whatever else is on his mind. He could be gone next season or he could stay 10 years. At this point, the only thing to do is sit back and watch the boys go to work.
Makes you wonder how much longer our program has to be bad before they'll say we deserve a good one
I don't think anyone close to the program, or anyone who actually read into why Buzz even took this job believes he would leave after a season or two.
Yep 07. You nailed it, I think. Those same pundits are still trying to figure out why he came to Tech to begin with. They didn't get it then, they won't get it now.
Buzz coming to VT is difficult to comprehend. I still don't understand why he would do it. Sure, the P5 football schools are the most secure. Sure, we have an AD who will likely turn out to be very good at his job. But we have an awful basketball tradition. It's difficult to recruit African American kids when the overall population at VT is 4.5% AA.
But the most troubling thing to me this year was the fan support, in particular, the students. It was really, really embarrassing. And unlike Seth, I didn't see Buzz make it a priority to fix it. We weren't good, nobody was there and he kinda just shrugged.
All that on top of his history. He left UNO after one season, gave up a HC spot to go back to being an assistant (an upgrade to Marquette). But UNO wasn't a nobody school. A lot of people blame that on Katrina, but he accepted that job in 2006, a year after Katrina, then left after a year. Again, to go back to being an assistant! Then he left Marquette, a solid program, where he made 5 NCAA appearances in 6 years, two sweet 16's and an Elite Eight....to come to VT. Where we have a limited roster, no fans at our games and have finished last now....what....three times in a row? Or is it four? He makes unpredictable career choices.
Buzz has a killer resume, but he just had one stinker of a year. I don't think Texas will offer him the job, but if they do, he absolutely should take it. And if we win at all next year, we will go through this again....at Oklahoma State or Indiana or Iowa or Michigan or Minnesota. I don't think he will be here long, but I don't know why he took the job in the first place.
A little perspective on just how hard UNO was hit after Katrina.
In 2005 they were in the Sun Belt Conference. Then Katrina hits. The campus is hit hard, and the student body begins to dwindle. Admissions were gutted in the years following the hurricane, so bad that by 2009, the LSU board, on the request of the UNO administration, dropped UNO athletics from Division I to Division III. It was that bad. Thankfully, for them, things normalized a bit, and it looks like they're going to end up being able to remain Division I for the long-haul, but its really close.
So this is now the 2nd time I have seen you try to equate the UNO situation with what is going on now at VT. The situations could not be more different. Yes, we have fans not showing up to some games (others the stadium is packed and rowdy). At UNO, he literally saw admissions dwindling so badly the school would shortly thereafter make a case for dropping 2 divisions. There are no similarities between the two. He went back to Marquette (who was just entering into the Big East, by the way) and we all know how that played out.
I'd give you a billion upvotes if I could.
I lived in NOLA as an AmeriCorps member doing post-Katrina relief. My two roommates were UNO grad students.
There's really nothing to compare to the situation in New Orleans or at UNO. Athletics are still an afterthought at UNO, and calling them an afterthought is probably a stretch. Mind you, this was in 2012 so we're talking about 5 years after the storm...and they're still struggling to recover, like the rest of the city unfortunately.
That situation is an extreme anomaly.
Sorry, sds7c, but I still rankle a little at statements like yours referring to "an awful basketball tradition". I've been quoted all the statistics about post season achievements, etc., but I remind you that for many years, VT had a vibrant and lively basketball scene. We used to fill Cassell often enough and we had some decent teams with decent years for our situation and affiliation. I, personally, have seen a bunch of fantastic games at the Cassell, with Dell Curry, Alan Bristow, Bimbo Coles and more. We've won the NIT twice. Yeah, it was in the past, but since I was there, it is still part of Hokie tradition to me. And it wasn't awful. You can make your points without denigrating those athletes, many more I won't mention , and all of the fans and our memories of those days. I do agree that VT has an obvious rural location and Blacksburg isn't an urban hub, but the increasing diversity of the area due to VT's influence is changing that minus towards the plus every year. I believe Buzz is here to build a program and I am hoping he can recruit quality athletes and get those folks back in the stands. I think he knows full well that winning will help take care of both of those problems, and I believe he can make that happen.
having past success at something does not make you "known" for something. my HS has won a few state titles but we are not known as a basketball school like others are.
i was at school just after we won the NIT and everyone was seriously hyped about basketball. I remember it. We were established now, we were on our way, we had staked our claim and were ready to go dancing and prove once and for all that we we belong.... except that didn't happen. not even close. we lost whatever momentum we gained. I agree we had spurts of basketball focus but I disagree completely that VT has ever been thought of as a school with basketball tradition. to create tradition you need to have consistency. we have not.
our football program has which is why we are known as a football school. hopefully we get to a point where VT is celebrated as a 2 sport school but it has not been, nor is now, that way. we have a long way to go, but we seem to have the right AD, Administration and Coach to make it happen.
One of the trainers at my gym went to VCU and had some sort of opportunity to work around the basketball team through his degree program and says that he had the chance to talk to Shaka a few times and doesn't believe at all that Shaka wants to leave Richmond.
VCU gives Shaka everything he wants, see the 25 million basketball pratice facility.
The University Texas Athletic department generated $165.7M in revenue in '13.
If they want him, and he's for sale, they'll get him.
They also have a football team to pay for and which gets the most attention. Shaka IS the face of VCU right now, his wife is the face of a changing young Richmond.
I don't disagree with that, but I was responding to your point that VCU will give him everything he wants.
I get both points. He's got a very comfortable situation right now with a city and fan base that loves him and a school that will do what he wants to make the program competitive. He's turned down interest from elite programs, which makes me think he may stay forever.
However, VCU's budget is minuscule compared to Texas' not to mention the shift of power towards the Power 5 conferences. UT Austin loves its football team for sure but its not like the basketball team is a total afterthought like Bama.
VCU is the dominant party of the Atlantic 10 a well respected basketball league. VCU did not come close to winning the conference during the season but was locked into the NCAA big dance due to the reputation that Shaka and VCU have built.
Unless Texas offers him more than 5 million a year, I don't think Shaka even blinks.
Don't be so sure about that.
Wonder who VCU will go after if Shaka leaves. Tough to not see them not take a big step back if Shaka does in fact leave.
I guess they could just hire Anthony Grant back.
The AD who made the good basketball hires is gone so it will be interesting.
Ricky Stokes
I wouldn't wish that hire on anyone.
Not even UVa or UNCheat?
We wouldn't have to worry about losing a recruit to VCU.
I am available.
So am I
I can vouch for both, great coaches and they are really cheap!
Wait, so we only ever hire bald basketball coaches?
yes
I don't know how many of you read the book "Turn Up The Wick" by Frank Beamer and Chris Colston, but it was basically about Frank Beamer's career as the Tech football coach up until the later Big East years.
Basically, as one would imagine, Beamer's first several years in Blacksburg sucked. He didn't have much fan support, the team wasn't very good, the program was given sanctions because of some stuff Bill Dooley did, and his seat was hot up until the 1993 season.
I see a similar story evolving for Buzz. The only difference is that Buzz is proven. We believe in Buzz. Nobody really believed in Beamer.
Anyway, Buzz took on the role of turning around a train wreck of a basketball team, and if you look past the record, this team overachieved in more ways than some. Sure, fan attendance wasn't that great and the team still finished last in the ACC, but things can only get better.
And, Buzz took this job almost as a challenge. He saw the Big East (now American Athletic Conference) declining and ran to Tech to see if he could turn the program around. I think he's committee, and I'm not too worried about him leaving, even for a job in Texas.
i agree with much of this. I don't believe he will be lured away for money and established program, unless he doesn't have the support here or truly cannot find success.
His support at Marquette was waning due to whatever reasons. Big East was waning due to being the Big Least. I think Buzz was there to legacy build but those factors pushed him out. Basketball at VT is going to take time but it can happen with Whit, Buzz and Dr Sands. Being in ACC and not a strong tradition at basketball means we have money and opportunity for him to build a legacy. I believe that's what he he wants to do.
then again, he may take a job somewhere else tomorrow...
http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/4/2/8336001/richmond-strip-club-recr...
Richmond is rolling out all the stops to get Shaka to stay. Free lap dances from the strip clubs!
Now Buzz and Ned's is offering him unlimited BBQ.
https://twitter.com/buzandneds/status/583681238801715200
sounds like a pretty good night.
This would get me to stay. I never understood Jeff Lebo leaving UT-Chattanooga when one of their restaurants made him that offer.
Meh. I for one believe that there are far better options for bbq around here. That being said, Buz and Ned's aren't offering their best cuisine, in offering brisket instead of their ribs. The ribs are what made that operation what it is now.
Also, the vcu people have become insufferable during the last few years. I honestly wouldn't mind them taking a punch to the gut with losing Coach Smart to UT. #NoHavoc
Agreed. Their ribs are #1
Texas' AD arrives in Richmond at 4 PM, then this...
How long does it take to say goodbye?
He gone.
it's kinda sad really
And... Shaka is gone.
The meltdown in Richmond will be awesome.
Good timing by Shaka, assuming its true. Stay one step ahead of the posse. A couple more years at VCU of not advancing in the tourney and he would be hearing about it (I don't agree with that mentality but that's the way things work). Plus, it sets him up nicely to win at UT then be a prime candidate for Duke when K retires.
Yeah, it was a great move by him. He had that great tournament run in 2011 which sparked all the VCU hype and hype around him and since then they haven't gone past the second round. His stock is at a huge turning point right now. Another year or so of not getting to the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 and it will plummet and he'll either be "stuck" at VCU or have a fire under his ass.
Now he is probably going to get paid a metric shit ton of money and have Texas resources and will either do great or flop but still have more money than I'd know what to do with until I had it. There's no way that VCU could afford what Texas could pay him and money talks, big time.
I disagree, VCU is not Duke or some of these other schools that value only a NC run, VCU has gone to the dance 5 years, the longest streak in the state. I think the fans an admin would be happy with winning the conference and getting at least to round of 32/16 every other year.
Maybe for 2 more years then the heat would get turned up.
Gonzaga basketball is. Great example of a mid major where a coach has stayed for a very long time and has not won a NC.
The thing is, Gonzaga did what they did while the major power schools of the state floundered badly and allowed them to take over. With Bennett at UVa and Buzz at Tech, VCU doesn't have that luxury, and now they have to find a replacement for the best coach in their program's history. It's a lot to ask in a state with its 2 biggest schools entrenched in the best basketball conference in the country who are poised to significantly widen the revenue gap in the coming years.
If you ask me, Buzz going to VT from Marquette and Shaka going to Texas from VCU.... Quietly we're beginning to see the shift where the big boys separate themselves from the mid majors. Big picture, with autonomy passed, the landscape of collegiate sports are about to be drastically altered, and luckily, we are positioned well to come out better on the other end than we are going into it.
VCU was third in their conference this year. Dayton, URI, then VCU.
Buzz's job just got a little easier, and that's a good thing.
Yep, less recruiting competition always helps.
VCU 2015 Commits
Tevin Mack and Kenny Williams would look great in maroon and orange...I'm just saying
Not sure if we have a connection to Mack, but we obviously do with Williams. Not only is he in-state, but he played for Boo Williams AAU which means he was most likely teammates with Justin Robinson and Chris Clarke. Plus he goes to L.C. Bird so he might know Shawn Payne of our football team.
With only one scholarship spot open, I rather use it on a true Center so we at least have 2 with Pierce, but if another person leaves (I've seen Wilson and Muller's names pop up a few times in these forums) , then Replacing them with a 4 star guy wouldn't be bad imo.
"he goes to L.C. Bird so he might know Shawn Payne of our football team."
Deon Clarke also went there. It's like someone took a plane, and dumped all the best athletes in Chesterfield county at Bird
Ah, this makes me a little sad. I would have loved to have seen Shaka turn VCU into a mid-major destination program for high school talent in the long term, a la Georgetown, Villanova, or Gonzaga