Following is a statement from Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao, Ph.D., on the resignation today of VCU men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart:
Since 2009, Shaka Smart has been the face of VCU basketball and, to some, the face of VCU. He has been a loyal and proud Ram and has helped elevate our university onto the national stage. While his departure is disappointing, it also allows us to reflect on his remarkable contributions.
At VCU, we ask all of our people to use their talents to make a difference in the lives of others and to be leaders in their fields and communities. Coach Smart has been an outstanding example of this ideal, winning basketball games in record numbers, graduating 100 percent of his student-athletes and serving as a father figure to the young men he coaches.
Coach Smart has been much more than a basketball coach at VCU. He has been an exemplary and first-class representative of our university, our city and our commonwealth. We thank him and wish him well.
Meanwhile, we will search for our next men’s basketball coach with full confidence that we will attract nationally renowned candidates who will ensure that we continue to perform among the nation’s elite programs. VCU is on the rise and offers a rare opportunity to win big, win often and win now – and continue to do so in a first-class way.
VCU’s program is defined by more than its coach and will continue to be among the nation’s very best.
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