Shaka Smart is set to leave VCU for the head basketball coach job at Texas, according to multiple published reports.
Smart, 37, had a 163-56 record in six seasons at VCU, leading the Rams to a surprise Final Four appearance in 2011, and five straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Texas had parted ways with long-time head coach Rick Barnes over the weekend. Barnes, who quickly landed a new job as the head man at Tennessee, had led the Longhorns to 16 NCAA Tournaments in his 17-season run in Austin before being let go.
Texas was 20-14 this past season and was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 64 by Butler.
VCU went 26-10 this season, and also lost in the Round of 64 in an upset loss to Ohio State.
Smart had resisted overtures from a long list of Power 5 conference schools in recent years, the suitors including UCLA, N.C. State, Marquette, Minnesota and Illinois.
Along the way, Smart’s compensation package increased from $325,000 a year when he took the job at VCU in 2009 to more than $1.3 million a year when he signed an extension with the school in 2012.
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