When Shaka Smart discusses the upcoming 2016-17 hoops season, it’s hard not to notice the excitement in his voice. Even for Smart, who has an endless amount of energy and enthusiasm about anything that has to do with his team, there’s a level of excitement with his basketball team that’s above normal.
But at the same time, it’s hard not to consider - and Smart isn’t afraid to acknowledge this – that in a lot of ways it feels like the Texas head coach is having to start all over again after his first season at Texas.
“It does,” responded Smart when asked if it feels like he’s almost starting over with this year’s group. “Last year we were starting over with everyone and we didn’t know anything about Texas. We just hadn’t been here. This year, we have a year under our belt as a coaching staff, we’ve got, including two walk-ons, seven returning guys that have been here that have a decent understanding of the things that we want as a coaching staff and our core values. And we have these six new guys, so we’re certainly starting over with them like you would with any other new guys.”
After just really getting to know and truly connect with the group of six players that departed his program after a soul-crushing half-court heave in the NCAA Tournament ended his team’s season, Smart now faces a similar challenge to the one he inherited as the Texas head coach. Just as Texas exemplified best one of the key aspects it worked on most all year, the season ended in shocking fashion and six pivotal pieces said goodbye.
“Well, that was obviously a really, really disappointing ending. I was really pleased with the way our guys fought back and battled back in that game. If you remember, we got down as much as 16 and our guys showed a lot of fight. One of the things we knew early on in the year that we needed to improve on was our ability to respond to adversity and our ability to come together as a group when things weren’t going great,” said Smart earlier this offseason about the NCAA Tournament loss to Northern Iowa. “And I actually feel like that was the best example of that in that game. That’s probably why the loss hurt so much in addition to for our older guys it being their last game.”
Gone from the Texas program are key senior contributors Javan Felix, Prince Ibeh, Cameron Ridley, Connor Lammert, and Demarcus Holland and junior point guard Isaiah Taylor. Those six players combined to start 148 games last year (out of a possible 165) and averaged 141.5 minutes per game, or 70.7 percent of the available minutes. Over their entire careers, the six Longhorns accounted for 459 starts, and, obviously, a ton of minutes, points, rebounds, blocks, steals, and assists.
Leading the charge for Smart now will be a trio of players that represent his first class at Texas. Sure, two of those players – Kerwin Roach and Eric Davis – weren’t recruited by Smart, but that duo played a pivotal role last season and showed a genuine connection with the coach and the system. Ironically, those two are quickly emerging as the leaders. Seniors Kendal Yancy and Shaquille Cleare absolutely need to play their part as well in order for Texas to be successful, and both showed down the stretch last season they understood their roles and how to be productive in them.
But Texas’ 2016-17 journey will likely be most defined by its sophomores.
“We need those guys to take a big jump because we lost a lot of guys. Last year at this time we had 12 scholarship guys and between one transferring at the semester, five of them being seniors, and one foregoing his last year of eligibility, we lost seven out of those guys. So the five returners of that 12 - those guys are really going to need to make progress,” said Smart. “I look at is as exciting. I’d certainly love to have Isaiah, Connor Lammert or Cam or those guys back, but this is college basketball. In college basketball, guys graduate. Nowadays in the some of the upper-level programs guys leave early, and if they don’t play, guys transfer. So it’s exciting for me the opportunity we have.”
The opportunity those returning players have is take ownership, from a player side, of the program. But in order to do that Texas’ sophomore trio will need to improve in all areas at a quicker rate compared to most sophomores at a big-time hoops program.
“I think Kerwin Roach, Eric Davis, Tevin Mack, our two returning seniors Shaq and Kendall, those guys have a chance to take a real jump,” said Texas’ head coach. “Now the question is how much are they willing to understand and own their part of that? So far they’ve been really good. They had a terrific spring, they really worked in the month of April. They came back here. They’ve really worked hard. What we’re trying to do is really accelerate their growth because when a guy goes from a freshman to sophomore, typically they take a big jump. But with those sophomores, we’re trying to accelerate that because they’re going to have to play not like sophomores; they’re going to have to play like juniors or seniors.”
And they're going to need to act like juniors and seniors too.
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Of course, a reason why Smart is excited is because his roster boasts talent, athleticism, skill, versatility and length. In addition to those five returning players, three of which were top 50 overall-types of recruits in the 2015 class, the Texas head coach signed a four-man freshmen class that included two five-stars and McDonald’s All-Americans, one underrated 6-10 big that was a member of the Team USA 18U team, and a Rivals150 guard with deep hoops roots and a deep jumper. Plus, Texas added senior graduate transfer Mareik Isom from Arkansas-Little Rock, a stretch-four that led his conference in three-point percentage back-to-back seasons, and Tulane transfer Dylan Osetkowski (has to sit out this season), who some on the 40 Acres believe is a future pro in the making.
But similar to Charlie Strong this upcoming football season, Smart’s Texas roster is heavily weighted in freshmen and sophomores. Of the 10 scholarship players that can compete this upcoming year, seven are sophomores or younger, and eight are in their first year at Texas.
Like Ibeh did to the Big 12 on his way to Defensive Player of the Year honors in the league, Smart rejected the idea that he only coached one way and one style by building an inside-out attack that featured the strengths of his roster. Smart spent an entire year doing what was best for Texas, and most importantly for the roster he inherited.
Now, the way he’s building has changed.
Think of last season for Smart as taking the "fixer-upper" house project in the nice neighborhood on a huge, valuable lot of land, and bringing out the best in it. That project is done, and he’s started on his dream house mansion to go beside it. The foundation comes first.
Sure, the excitement in Smart’s voice has something to do with the talent and other aspects previously mentioned. But probably more than anything, the elevated energy in the young head coach’s voice is a result of being able to now truly establish the culture of Texas basketball through a foundation this year. His culture. The kind of culture that led to VCU going 163-56 (74.4 winning percentage) overall in six years, and 79-28 in his final three years there against three top 100 strength of schedules (Per KenPom.com; 78th, 66th, 48th). Because now Smart isn’t coaching and developing a roster dominated by players that learned under a different regime, and spent years in a different culture.
“The returning guys are even in such a different role, and it’s such a different dynamic on our team because the dynamic is no longer dominated by Isaiah (Taylor) and last year’s seniors; those guys set the tone for who we were,” Smart stated about the roles his returning players are in now compared to last season when the veterans led the charge. “I thought they did a really good job of being receptive to the things that we asked of them when we came in. At the same time, those guys had been here two, three years and sometimes when guys have been around, certain things kind of are what they are. So yeah, in a lot of ways we are starting over.”
No matter what a new coach does, he can’t completely erase the way the veteran players he inherited are programmed.
Last season, Smart enhanced the skill and confidence of those veteran players, and was able to get an increased, collective production out of them that looked, sounded, and played differently. As a whole, the group played, easily, its highest level of basketball in a Texas uniform, and enjoyed doing it. Still, he coached a roster that spent as much time getting to know him and understand what he wanted as he did them, which could take a full year.
“Oh definitely,” responded Smart when asked if getting to coach James Banks and Jarrett Allen for Team USA is a valuable time that helps him better understand who they are as people and players. “It's another great opportunity in that I'm still learning those guys and what they're about, how they like to be coached, where they need to improve. That takes usually a full year, and then by the end of their freshmen year you kind of realize, ‘Okay this is what this guy is all about.’ Hopefully this will accelerate that a little bit.”
So he enters his second season at Texas, but his first when the vast majority of the roster either comes to him from high school, or spent a year under him already. This is the beginning of a valuable cycle.
Because it does take so long for a coach to truly know a player inside and out, there’s a great amount of value in returning players knowing, fully understanding, and implementing the process that the coach and program are about; there’s a great value in new players showing up and becoming infected by a program’s established culture, which starts to become passed down from players to players each year until it’s a continuous cycle.
“When you get a coaching job, that’s how it is. It’s going to take some time to get the program to the point where, ‘Alright now when you go from one year to the next everyone understands and there is a smooth transition.’ We’re still going to have some growing pains, but I’m excited about it,” stated Smart about the upcoming season. “I think we have a chance to really make some progress.”
What kind of culture is being established? Smart and his staff will always search for ways to enhance the connection of the team, and also to develop key traits like, to name a few, competitiveness, enthusiasm, confidence, work-ethic, and, of course, skill. If you’re looking for Texas players when they’re not in class or in their dorms or apartments, chances are you’ll find them in the gym.
“Guys are always in the gym. Guys are always in Cooley (practice facility) getting up shots, guys are always working out in the weight room,” stated Banks after a Team USA practice in July. “Everyone wants to get better. Everyone is watching film. It’s a great environment right now, especially with all the young guys. We have four freshmen and everyone wants to be in the gym. We have three sophomores and everyone wants to be in the gym. Shaq and the seniors are really working hard. Everyone is really working hard. Coach is always challenging you whether it’s one-on-one, your own workout, guys are always trying to get better.”
When players are in the gym on their own or as a part of team summer workouts, those in attendance won't find any semblance of entitlement lurking in the shadows.
“When you get here not only are we a young team, but nobody is really feeling themselves so much that they can’t take a little you know what I’m saying? Most of it is just talking – being that floor general or anchor on defense,” Banks, who is one of the most energetic and loud players you’ll find, replied when asked if he felt comfortable talking and leading when he arrived at Texas. “Guys really encourage it.”
This summer, the Longhorns have taken part in a lot of team-building activities like bowling and sand volleyball and have been active in the community, including visits to Dell Children’s Hospital. Those activities, and the time players spend together hanging out off the court can provide the types of valuable experiences that lead to better production on the hardwood.
“It builds culture. It starts off the court being able to trust your teammates, being able to love your teammates. Because these are your brothers. This is who you’re going to go through war with. This is who you are going to struggle with like the volleyball. This is who you’re going to have fun with, like the bowling,” stated Banks about the value of the team-building activities. “It’s fun. It's building character and culture so it doesn’t feel like you step on the court and it’s not your family; this is somebody you want to throw it up to and someone you want to see. So wanting everyone else to succeed. Coach says this all the time, ‘When you want to win and you want to see others do well, that’s when great things happen for everyone, including yourself.”
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Although Smart will aim to completely develop what Texas basketball will be under him as quick as he can, the value of the basketball played before him at Texas, which includes a lot of very successful college and pro players, isn’t lost on him. Connecting with those former players too has a special place on the Texas coach’s agenda list.
“They mean a great deal. I think the connection with former players in general, and former players that are playing professionally specifically is huge.… I think we’ve gotten off to a good start in terms of our first year and change in terms of building those relationships," said the Texas head coach. "We still have a way to go. We want to help those guys understand they’re always welcome here. This program was built by them in addition to the coaches that came before us and they’re always welcome. And they’re a huge part of what we’re doing.”
During Smart’s first year, former Texas basketball players started to show up around the basketball facility and at games more and more, including some that were hardly ever seen years before. Texas’ turnout during its Alumni Weekend last September was strong, and came on a weekend when key recruits were visiting.
“Brad Buckman was at the team workout yesterday, and he was just so excited he was wanting to jump off his chair and run out on the floor. And I told him I said, ‘Hey man, you’re always welcome here. You’re a huge part of the success that’s occurred here in the past.’ And just being around people like that in the past is huge, and specifically the guys in the NBA like Tristan (Thompson) just winning a NBA championship,” Smart stated earlier this offseason. “Let’s face it when kids are coming out of high school are looking at different programs they want to see what program can they go to where guys have gone on and had success. Well, we’ve only been here a year with our coaching staff, but if you look at the last 15, 16 years there’s been close to 20 guys that have played in the NBA out of this program. A lot of the credit for that goes to coach (Rick) Barnes and his staff for the job they did in recruiting and developing those guys. But those are guys that we want to point to as examples as, ‘Hey if you come to Texas, if you’re successful and you can make the team be successful, you’re going to be able to turn that into success at the next level."
Make no mistake about it, Smart will always be building at Texas. Rebuilding? That won't be a part of Texas basketball as long as Smart is in charge.
“According to who? You’re asking me? I don’t really know what that means,” responded Smart, passionately, when asked if the 2016-17 season is a rebuilding year. “I think you’re always building. I think we were building last year. We are going to be building this year. We’re going to be building next year. What are you building towards? I don’t really like the word ‘rebuilding’ because that kind of makes it sound like you took everything and you threw it in the trash, and now you’re starting from scratch. But we’re always building. You can make no mistake about that. I don’t care if we win every game; we’re still going to try to build, and we’re still going to try to grow. And that’s how it works when you’re dealing with guys that are 18 to 22-years-old. These guys are at a formative stage. We are trying to help them become the best version of themselves. Everybody in the media or from the outside wants to focus on just the basketball component of that. That’s fine. That’s what I’m evaluated on. But we’re trying to build them as people and as players and students so that they can do something special.”
And make no mistake about it, Smart’s constant building goes beyond basketball. The Texas head coach, who routinely spends time on the 40 Acres participating in academic groups and picking the brains of UT’s professors, is genuinely and deeply interested in the academic and personal growth of his players. In a perfect world, each player that Smart coached at Texas would go to the NBA. But the world isn’t perfect, and there is life beyond basketball.
“Nobody here has brought up the special day we had a month ago when five guys graduated from this program. That’s as big of a deal to me as anything,” Smart intensely stated during an offseason media session in response to a question about rebuilding. “We talk about building. And I know that’s not what you’re talking about, but that’s what I’m talking about. Yeah, I want to build on the court, and I want to build these guys up as people and for our coaching staff, that’s our emphasis every day. You want to call that rebuilding? You can. I don’t call it that. We’re going to have big goals this year so I guess if you’re referring to that, our goals are going to be just as big as they ever are knowing that we have a young group that’s going to need to continue getting better and better in the offseason and more importantly as the season starts.”
The goals will be just as big.
However, the challenges will be more youthful and different. Again, although Texas is talented, and Smart is understandably excited about that, it is going to experience the constant bumps and bruises young teams experience. The Longhorns are going to lose a game here or there they shouldn’t this upcoming season because that’s what young teams often do, especially against a tough schedule. They're also going to win a game here or there they shouldn’t because they don’t know any better.
Potential is a loaded word, maybe the most loaded word in college athletics. If it gets realized, though, the results are often uniquely special. That's why the Texas coaching staff will constantly focus on growth.
“It should be, but you never know until you get in the fire. The good thing about young guys is typically they think they’re really good you know what I mean? Because they don’t know any better. That’s a good thing. I want these guys to be confident,” responded Smart when asked if this team will be more naturally confident than his last team. “This is going to be a real interesting season from the standpoint of just growth. And I’m really focusing on with our staff, and it starts with me, us relentlessly pursuing where are areas where we can grow and where are areas where we can find progress in our guys? I’m really excited about that, but this is going to be a different team in August than it is right now; it’s going to be a different team in October than it is in August; and throughout the year we’re going to really emphasize growth because when you have young guys, that’s what it has to be.”
And at the end of the season, the Texas program will be much different than it is right now.
Who knows what the end result will be, especially with a young team competing in the Big 12? It could be a Sweet 16 and it could be a struggle on the bubble. After all, freshmen are still freshmen that encounter challenges and a learning curve they’ve yet to experience before no matter how talented they are, and Texas will definitely depend on its freshmen class.
What Smart can control most, though, is that at the end of the season, the foundation for Texas basketball’s culture under him is firmly established. So in the future, there’s no sense of starting over, and when new players enter the Texas program, they’ll enter it surrounded by other players that have graduated his culture course. That’s what has him so excited, and maybe others are sensing it too.
“It’s definitely growing. The excitement is growing,” said Banks. “Everyone stops you around campus and Austin, ‘Oh you play basketball? I can’t wait to go watch. I’m excited about this year.’ It’s a lot of excitement. The coaches are excited. The team is excited. We’re trying to build on that days on top of days and weeks on top of weeks.”
That’s Texas under Smart, always building. The foundation comes first.
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