After lengthy negotiations, Shaka Smart has opted to stay at the helm of Virginia Commonwealth’s men’s basketball program, leaving Illinois athletics director Mike Thomas to continue his search for former head coach Bruce Weber’s replacement.
According to sources, Smart denied an Illinois offer Wednesday that would have paid him in the range of $2.5 million per year. Money was not the main factor in Smart’s decision, as he turned down multiple attempts from Thomas to land Smart in Champaign, the sources said.
“I am very grateful for the support and belief in the coaching staff and basketball program that comes from the very top of our university’s leadership … as well as our phenomenal fans,” Smart said in a press release. “There are great things to accomplish at VCU and I’m looking forward to building on the successes of our program and university.”
According to multiple reports, Smart was Thomas’ first choice to replace Weber after firing him on March 9. The 34-year-old Smart has accumulated an 84-27 overall record in three seasons with the Rams, including a run to the Final Four in 2010-11 season when VCU became just the third team ever to make it to the national semifinals as a No. 11 seed.
The Oregon, Wisc., native earned $1.285 million last season, leading the Rams to a program-best 29-7 record and their second-straight NCAA tournament appearance as a double-digit seed. VCU upset No. 5-seed Wichita State to advance to the Round of 32 last week before falling to Indiana for the right to play in the Sweet 16.
According to sources, Thomas will most likely continue his pursuit of African-American candidates. This comes after two members of the Board of Trustees voted against the hire of Illinois head football coach Tim Beckman at its January meeting, citing race as the reason. Illinois has never had a minority head men’s basketball coach, and the hiring of Smart, an African-American, would have changed that.
Thomas met with the trustees behind closed doors last week to discuss contract provisions of the new men’s head basketball coach. Board chairman Christopher Kennedy told reporters that diversity was a point of discussion during that meeting.