By Adam Roberts – 3/26/2021
The search to replace Steve Wojciechowski appears to be over at Marquette.
According to several sources including CBS Sports’s Jon Rothstein, the Golden Eagles men’s basketball program is close to hiring Texas head coach Shaka Smart. The Longhorns were dispatched in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Abilene Christian this year, but Smart has guided the program to three NCAA tournaments in six seasons and had coached Texas to a Big 12 Conference tournament title before their tourney upset.
Smart graduated from Oregon High School near Madison, Wisconsin in 1995, and is most remembered for leading the Rams of Virginia Commonwealth to the Final Four back in 2011. He has a career W-L record of 272-142 that includes eight 20-win seasons. This season was seen by many as a disappointment, however, with Texas ranked as high as fourth in the country at one point but finishing outside the Top 25.
Wojciechowski was fired by Marquette last week. One other bit to note about the hire: Smart would the first black head coach in program history if he does indeed join the Golden Eagles.