Shaka Smart Is the Right Coach to Turn Around Illinois Basketball

According to a report by the Chicago Sun Times, Illinois will make every attempt possible to hire Shaka Smart as their next head basketball coach, and money will be no obstacle.

This is very good news for Illinois fans, after one of the most disappointing seasons in recent history.

Smart inherited a program on the rise when Anthony Grant left for Alabama. Since then, he's won the most games in a three-year period in VCU history, and he led the school to it's first Final Four appearance in 2011.  

Smart also won the Colonial Athletic Association conference tournament this year to lead VCU back into the NCAA tournament and beat Wichita State in the Round of 64, a team that was considered a dark horse Final Four team.

Much scrutiny will be placed on the new head coach's ability to recruit from the fertile basketball recruiting ground of Chicago.

Smart is a charismatic and energetic young head coach that will be able to connect with the top recruits of not only Chicago and the state of Illinois, but across the nation. His presence will stop the state of Illinois from being a recruiting hotbed for the rest of the nation.   

Shaka Smart's style of play also would benefit Illinois. His emphasis on aggressive, turnover-inducing defense will fit in well with Big Ten basketball.

VCU's teams have never been anything special offensively, relying on three-point shooting and running transition basketball off turnovers created by their defense. That should not be viewed as a negative, though, because at Illinois, Smart will have the opportunity to recruit better athletes.  

Players like Brandon Paul, Tracy Abrams and DJ Richardson are well-suited to play in a running-style offense.

Smart will also hold players like Paul accountable when they take bad shots and fail to play within his system. The talent is already on the roster for Illinois to make a tournament run, and once Smart can bring in his own recruits, Illinois will be a program that remains competitive year in and year out.

Before Bruce Weber, Illinois made two strong hires in Lon Kruger and Bill Self. The problem was, both coaches used the position as stepping-stone jobs.  

First Kruger left for the riches of the NBA, and Self parlayed his Illini success into one of the top five jobs in college basketball when he accepted the Kansas head coaching job.

Smart grew up in Wisconsin and his wife went to Northwestern—his midwest roots are no secret. Therefore, it is thought that he will be willing to stay at Illinois even if he achieves success.   

Illinois fans have demanded that the basketball program be one that is considered one of the top 20 programs in the nation.

However, Illinois basketball has headed towards irrelevance ever since they lost the 2005 NCAA Championship to North Carolina. The hiring of Shaka Smart would set them back towards the right direction.