Shaka's 2024-2025 Season Accomplishments

[DoctorV]

https://twitter.com/John_Fanta/status/1623009300200271874?t=fAky70XdH03fPezH6_QpMw&s=19

I'd be ready to run through a wall for Shaka Smart in a second.

Coach gets it. We are so lucky to have him at Marquette.

Let's go now.

[GoldenEagles03]

I'd be ready to run through a wall for Shaka Smart in a second.

Coach gets it. We are so lucky to have him at Marquette.

Let's go now.

Agreed

[JakeBarnes]

I'd be ready to run through a wall for Shaka Smart in a second.

Coach gets it. We are so lucky to have him at Marquette.

Let's go now.

100%. That's probably the thing that I like the most: Shaka is a great teacher and motivator first.

[muwarrior69]

Shaka hasn't accomplished the winning close games skill set

Shaka's Goals:

Win more than 2 Big East Tournament and NCAA Tournament Games.

[CrowdOf5]

Can we add a new one- beat every team in the league? Happened last night for the first time for Marquette in a Big East season. 

https://twitter.com/mattnorlander/status/1626049118547107842?s=46&t=K--rUeZAR3U0arbL3g-mOg

[1SE]

Can we add a new one- beat every team in the league? Happened last night for the first time for Marquette in a Big East season. 

https://twitter.com/mattnorlander/status/1626049118547107842?s=46&t=K--rUeZAR3U0arbL3g-mOg

Good one - done!

[BallBoy]

Just pointing out Shaka cannot lose 7+ in a row in this season.

[MarquetteMike1977]

Shaka Smart has been named as a Naismith Award Late Season Finalist for the Coach Of The Year Award

[wadesworld]

Shaka Smart has been named as a Naismith Award Late Season Finalist for the Coach Of The Year Award

Somebody alert GoldenEagles.

[lawdog77]

Shaka Smart has been named as a Naismith Award Late Season Finalist for the Coach Of The Year Award

Does that mean they only include late season games? Somebody better alert them of our impending February Fade

[Newsdreams]

Does that mean they only include late season games? Somebody better alert them of our impending February Fade

Nope, he finally won the close game.

[DoctorV]

Shaka Smart has been named as a Naismith Award Late Season Finalist for the Coach Of The Year Award

Who else is on the list?

[dgies9156]

Brother Goose et al

As a probable member of SOFA, I began following Marquette at the ripe old age of 10. My Dad would have been 91 this year. He was a 1955 Engineering graduate. Marquette could do nothing wrong in his mind and he made a habit of supporting the university, notably its basketball team, which he loved. Four of us ended up at Marquette and, including spouses, there were/are eight of us who were graduated from MU.

With that background, here's what I see about this team:

1) It's not a particularly talented team. There are good players, don't get me wrong, but none of these guys are going to have more than a quick cup of coffee in the Show. They're not that good! Like it or not, the modestly better than average talent of this team is both its strength and weakness. It's why we were picked ninth this year in the Big East. And when we have a bad shooting night, we have problems.

2) What makes this team special is coaching and character. Coach Smart has done an unbelievable job of getting buy-in and motivating everyone to fill out their roles. He reminds me of the college professor we all had who you knew was an outstanding professor because, besides teaching, he or she genuinely enjoyed bring around students. That's Coach Shaka. He's a teacher, motivator and a coach who gets the best from his team. I've never seen anyone get as much out of a team as Coach Shaka.

3) The character issue focuses on the team leading themselves, understanding how they fit into an organization and pulling not just for themselves but for each other. They stand out that way and they're people that I'd love to have in my organization. I've rarely seen a college basketball team come together the way these guys have. They know their place. They know how to motivate each other and they play team ball. If you're on the floor, you're expected to contribute and you darn well better be ready for the ball. Mostly,  THEY DON'T GIVE UP!!!

4)  To compare them to another Marquette team is, candidly, futile. I've seen just about all their games in person or on television and I can honestly say in more than 55 years of listening to or watching MU basketball, I've never seen a team like this. The commitment  to winning and giving 100 percent is like nothing I've ever seen before. Our best teams in 2003 or in the 1970s wanted to win every bit as much, but for those guys, it was a heck of a lot easier. They were, candidly, comparatively more talented. These guys have to fight and scrap for everything -- and they do it! I've seen very few basketball teams from any college that were quite like this edition of our Warriors.

We're blessed to have Shaka and to have the kind of basketball players who "fit" into program.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Brother Goose et al

As a probable member of SOFA, I began following Marquette at the ripe old age of 10. My Dad would have been 91 this year. He was a 1955 Engineering graduate. Marquette could do nothing wrong in his mind and he made a habit of supporting the university, notably its basketball team, which he loved. Four of us ended up at Marquette and, including spouses, there were/are eight of us who were graduated from MU.

With that background, here's what I see about this team:

1) It's not a particularly talented team. There are good players, don't get me wrong, but none of these guys are going to have more than a quick cup of coffee in the Show. They're not that good! Like it or not, the modestly better than average talent of this team is both its strength and weakness. It's why we were picked ninth this year in the Big East. And when we have a bad shooting night, we have problems.

2) What makes this team special is coaching and character. Coach Smart has done an unbelievable job of getting buy-in and motivating everyone to fill out their roles. He reminds me of the college professor we all had who you knew was an outstanding professor because, besides teaching, he or she genuinely enjoyed bring around students. That's Coach Shaka. He's a teacher, motivator and a coach who gets the best from his team. I've never seen anyone get as much out of a team as Coach Shaka.

3) The character issue focuses on the team leading themselves, understanding how they fit into an organization and pulling not just for themselves but for each other. They stand out that way and they're people that I'd love to have in my organization. I've rarely seen a college basketball team come together the way these guys have. They know their place. They know how to motivate each other and they play team ball. If you're on the floor, you're expected to contribute and you darn well better be ready for the ball. Mostly,  THEY DON'T GIVE UP!!!

4)  To compare them to another Marquette team is, candidly, futile. I've seen just about all their games in person or on television and I can honestly say in more than 55 years of listening to or watching MU basketball, I've never seen a team like this. The commitment  to winning and giving 100 percent is like nothing I've ever seen before. Our best teams in 2003 or in the 1970s wanted to win every bit as much, but for those guys, it was a heck of a lot easier. They were, candidly, comparatively more talented. These guys have to fight and scrap for everything -- and they do it! I've seen very few basketball teams from any college that were quite like this edition of our Warriors.

We're blessed to have Shaka and to have the kind of basketball players who "fit" into program.

The Vero Beach Babbler gets paid by the word but there is some good stuff in here.

[dgies9156]

The Vero Beach Babbler gets paid by the word but there is some good stuff in here.

Just write me the check, Doc! Write me thew check!

[Dr. Blackheart]

Just write me the check, Doc! Write me thew check!

I don't pay for drunk posting.

[dgies9156]

I don't pay for drunk posting.

It's the only way to take Scoop.

[Shooter McGavin]

It's the only way to take Scoop.

I agree with your take.  But as Goose has said numerous times these early teams are just the foundation and this is only the beginning of what could be very special if Shaka sticks around and the NIL money rolls in. Recruiting the talent necessary to win it all will come easier because of the current players and team success.  Looking forward to the rest of this season and the seasons to come.  Go MU!   

[THRILLHO]

4)  To compare them to another Marquette team is, candidly, futile. I've seen just about all their games in person or on television and I can honestly say in more than 55 years of listening to or watching MU basketball, I've never seen a team like this. The commitment  to winning and giving 100 percent is like nothing I've ever seen before. Our best teams in 2003 or in the 1970s wanted to win every bit as much, but for those guys, it was a heck of a lot easier. They were, candidly, comparatively more talented. These guys have to fight and scrap for everything -- and they do it! I've seen very few basketball teams from any college that were quite like this edition of our Warriors.

There's certainly no D Wade on this team. But this year, and the recent coaching transition, has really made me rethink what it means to say you have "talent" at this level. Shaka and his staff just have a knack for getting the best out of these guys. And in the end, more of them will have pro success than we would've predicted at the beginning of the year. And then when we look back on this team maybe we'll say, "of course they were good, they had so many future pros!" But it will be because of what this staff got out of them and molded them into.

[brewcity77]

Who else is on the list?

Randy Bennett - St Mary's
Jeff Capel - Pittsburgh
Chris Collins - Northwestern
Mick Cronin - UCLA
Dennis Gates - Missouri
Pat Kelsey - Charleston
Dusty May - FAU
Sean Miller - Xavier
Nate Oats - Alabama
TJ Otzelberger - Iowa State
Matt Painter - Purdue
Kelvin Sampson - Houston
Shaka Smart - Marquette
Jerome Tang - Kansas State
Rodney Terry - Texas

I think a number of these are in the "just happy to be mentioned" category. Painter seems like the front runner, though recent results don't help him. Oats, Smart, & Terry are viable alternatives. I think Tang is probably fading, while Collins is the guy who could swoop in late.

[MU90620]

It's really hard for a coach at one of the elite schools to win that award because as the guy on Field of 68 said, it has turned into the who coaches the team we were most wrong about award. But I don't see how Bill Self didn't even make the list. He's done an amazing job this year.

[rocket surgeon]

Brother Goose et al

As a probable member of SOFA, I began following Marquette at the ripe old age of 10. My Dad would have been 91 this year. He was a 1955 Engineering graduate. Marquette could do nothing wrong in his mind and he made a habit of supporting the university, notably its basketball team, which he loved. Four of us ended up at Marquette and, including spouses, there were/are eight of us who were graduated from MU.

With that background, here's what I see about this team:

1) It's not a particularly talented team. There are good players, don't get me wrong, but none of these guys are going to have more than a quick cup of coffee in the Show. They're not that good! Like it or not, the modestly better than average talent of this team is both its strength and weakness. It's why we were picked ninth this year in the Big East. And when we have a bad shooting night, we have problems.

2) What makes this team special is coaching and character. Coach Smart has done an unbelievable job of getting buy-in and motivating everyone to fill out their roles. He reminds me of the college professor we all had who you knew was an outstanding professor because, besides teaching, he or she genuinely enjoyed bring around students. That's Coach Shaka. He's a teacher, motivator and a coach who gets the best from his team. I've never seen anyone get as much out of a team as Coach Shaka.

3) The character issue focuses on the team leading themselves, understanding how they fit into an organization and pulling not just for themselves but for each other. They stand out that way and they're people that I'd love to have in my organization. I've rarely seen a college basketball team come together the way these guys have. They know their place. They know how to motivate each other and they play team ball. If you're on the floor, you're expected to contribute and you darn well better be ready for the ball. Mostly,  THEY DON'T GIVE UP!!!

4)  To compare them to another Marquette team is, candidly, futile. I've seen just about all their games in person or on television and I can honestly say in more than 55 years of listening to or watching MU basketball, I've never seen a team like this. The commitment  to winning and giving 100 percent is like nothing I've ever seen before. Our best teams in 2003 or in the 1970s wanted to win every bit as much, but for those guys, it was a heck of a lot easier. They were, candidly, comparatively more talented. These guys have to fight and scrap for everything -- and they do it! I've seen very few basketball teams from any college that were quite like this edition of our Warriors.

We're blessed to have Shaka and to have the kind of basketball players who "fit" into program.

   bother dog!  this should be written in to a synopsis for MUBB 2023 and handed out to every fan and potential recruit.  as long as we have shaka, which better be for a long-long time-who doesn't want to play for this guy??  i saw a docu on shaka back when he was with VCU (leading to his final four appearance 2011), showing his relationship building with his players.  they started the season by going on a retreat.  it was about more than basketball.  actually basketball during this time was only a small part of it.  it was like a man-treat.  they got to know each other.  if shaka had them running over hot coals, he ran over them with the team. 

  shaka is one humble man.  humility opens doors to success.  success breeds success.  once you experience the feeling of walking thru the threshold, there is no turning back.  if this is what shaka is able to bestow upon his recruits and players, enjoy the ride

[Goose]

dgies

I agree with your thoughts on this year's team and Shaka, across the board. This season has evolved because of a great leader and chemistry. There will me much more talented teams in the Shaka era, but it will be virtually impossible to replicate the chemistry.

[DoctorV]

Great post Dgies

Thanks for the list Brew

I agree with Brews take that Painter, Oats, and Smart are the front runners, especially if Purdue holds on and wins the B10 and Marquette wins the BE.

As for Terry, I'd be surprised since he wasn't the head guy all season. He's done great, but that one would surprise me.

As for the "who surprised us the most" part of the award and what it has become- if that's the case Coach Shaka might have a much better chance than any of us think.

[brewcity77]

I actually think Terry taking over halfway through helps him. Essentially keeping the team at a Chris Beard level when they easily could've folded is really impressive.