Shaka Smart, Head Coach For Marquette Men's Basketball

Alrighty, off and running on a Monday. This is at Gelb Show on the Infinity Sports Network. You can hit us up on our new phone lines 888-710-4ISN.

That's 888-710-4476. I got a chance to see this guy's basketball team play on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. And the Marquette Golden Eagles are back in the NCAA tournament for a four straight year under our next guest.

They will be going up against New Mexico later in the week in a 7-10 matchup in Ohio in the South Region. And that's the head men's basketball coach of the Marquette Golden Eagles and that is Shaka Smart. Coach, appreciate the time as always.

Thanks so much for doing this. How you been? I've been good, man. Good to see you, Zach.

I appreciate you coming on and good to see you as well. So, fourth year at Marquette as the head coach there. You guys are back in the NCAA tournament for a four straight year. Just what was the reaction when you heard your name called nice and early last night? It's always exciting selection Sunday as long as you're on the right side of it. We've been fortunate the last four years to know that our name was going to get called. And once your name gets called, the first thing that comes into your mind is the opportunity that you have ahead of you. And so, like you said, we were one of the first teams called so we didn't have to wait very long, figured out where we were going and who we're playing and what day we were playing on. And now it's all about the preparation and getting ourselves ready to play.

Right. When we look at your career, obviously when it comes to this tournament, everyone's going to mention what you did at VCU. We saw some good moments and some bad moments at Texas, but the last four years have done very well for you clearly.

And obviously, okay, you know, there's some years where you're number two seed and it didn't go as far as you wanted to last year, you get to a sweet 16. Just with the last four years, what are they kind of met you and how do you kind of reflect on where the program is headed? Well, most importantly, the players, the guys I've had the opportunity to be around, the growth that they've made. That's why I coach. That's what my coaches did for me. Obviously, we're judged on wins and losses and particularly how you do in March.

I get that. That's kind of comes along with the territory. But at the same time, you know, we're just grateful to have been able to coach guys like Tyler Colic, guys like Osawigodaro, Omax Prosper, who are now playing in the NBA. And it's not like those guys were household names when they got here. Guys like Cam Jones, Stevie Mitchell, who are two seniors on our team this year.

Just grateful for the growth they've made first and foremost as people. And then the way that they've impacted Marquette and impacted our program. You know, it's kind of funny because college basketball changes all the time and there's different eras.

Now, when you see a team that has juniors and seniors that have been at that same school for three or four years, it's unique with NIL and the transfer portal. You are building and sometimes, right, trust can be taken away if another school offers more money. Just how do you kind of get your guys to stay and continue to be focused on what you guys have been able to build the right way at Marquette? We just try to bring in the right people. I think if you have the right people and you have great relationships, that's not necessarily a cure all, but it's going to take you a long way towards what you're going after. Our way isn't for everybody.

It's just the way that we choose to do it. I think it fits our institution here at Marquette. Like I said, coaches change my life. So for me, you know, the young guys that we bring in here and we start developing relationships with them while they're young.

I mean, sophomores and juniors in high school. There's real roots there between us and them. And that's why, you know, fortunately, most of the time they stay and they want to be here.

And then our job every single day is to get them better. I always wonder with the experience of the NCAA tournament, if you could put a value on it, because we've seen some teams come out of nowhere. We've seen really experienced teams get upset in the first round.

Other teams go all the way to cutting down the net. Do you guys have experience, you know, in positive ways and then also some tough times that you're hoping to overcome? Is experience important this time of the year in your opinion?

Well, I think it can help you if you're willing to really get close to it. And you said it. I think it's winning experience, but also learning what goes into losing in the NCAA tournament. I think when you lose a game like we did last year in the Sweet 16 to NC State, of course, they were on a magic carpet ride and probably would have beaten anyone that day.

But it's more looking internally. OK, what could we have done better? And we have quite a few players on our team this year that were part of that game. So I think, again, the willingness to learn from the games that we've won and the games that we've lost over the last few years. Getting back to the Big East tournament, we all know the emotions that go into that and the unbelievable stage at Madison Square Garden. I saw you guys were up when I was watching the game 24 to 9 and then St. John's just goes on one of their surges and there as one of the best, if not the best team in the country with the way that they're playing right now with their defense. Is it nice that you have like basically a week off to kind of be able to flush it, or would you wish that you rather be able to play a few days after what occurred in the semifinal?

Really neither. I mean, just because it's not determined by us. So, you know, we knew we'd play on a Thursday or Friday.

So, you know, so one day difference. And I think when you lose, if you lose in the conference tournament, you know, it's kind of a balance of quickly what can we internalize from that game? But then also very, very quickly, you know, moving on to the next opportunity, because, you know, I think most coaches will tell you the NCAA tournament trumps the conference tournament in terms of importance.

And the difference between the two is, once you get to this week, it's win or go home. You go from one Patino to the next. You'll be going up against Richard Patino's squad with New Mexico. I know you guys have some mutual connections. And when you're in the coaching fraternity, as long as you've been, obviously, you've had conversations throughout the years. Just what is your first thought on the job he's done this year and also the squad that they have? Richard's done a terrific job, you know, obviously winning an incredible league out there in the Mountain West.

The group that he's put together are obviously very connected. They've got tough, experienced older guys that play really well together. Defensively, they're one of the best teams in the country. You know, interesting, not the same as us, but in their own way, very, very disruptive and steal the ball from people and take people out of what they're trying to do with their pick and roll coverage.

So it'll be a fun challenge for us. I've known Richard forever. He actually replaced me at the University of Florida when I left to go to VCU and got a ton of respect for him. When we get to your team and we take a look, you know, when I always think of you, I think of defense and I always love when I watch your coach like on Friday night when your team's trying to get back in the game or they're going on a run and you're slapping the court on the sideline. It's got to be fun for you to coach Stevie Mitchell, especially with the defense that he brings to this team.

Yeah, he's awesome. We're going to miss him a lot next year and in the future because he's special, one of a kind. I would put him up there with a guy coached at VCU named Briante Weber as the best, you know, defensive guards I've ever been around. He just has great energy, gets his hands in the basketball, and we're going to need him to be at a high level because Donovan Dent is one of the best guards in the country. He's got a real burst to him, does an awesome job getting in the paint and then making decisions for his team. I know you're hoping this thing goes for a few more weeks, but with the season and, you know, a senior player like Cam Jones that he's had for you, how do you kind of describe what Cam's been able to do for this team this year? He's been terrific. He's been so much fun to coach, really proud of his growth as a person in the last four years. He came in here as a guy that really was unsure and not as good at communicating as he is now. And, you know, now he's flat out our leader and, you know, he's the one that speaks at the end of every huddle. He's the one that, you know, sets the tone for us in terms of our philosophy and our approach. And yes, his college career has, you know, maximum three weeks left, but he's going to be playing this game for a long time. Well, coach, we always appreciate you jump on board with us. Good luck later on the week up against New Mexico. We thank you for doing this. You got it, Zach. Thank you.