Shaka Smart, Texas Agree to New Contract: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The Texas Longhorns announced they agreed to a contract extension through the 2022-23 season with men's basketball coach Shaka Smart on Thursday.

In his first season with the Longhorns, Smart led the program to a 20-13 record and an NCAA tournament appearance.

He originally signed a seven-year, $21.7 million deal with Texas in May 2015, per Matthew Watkins of the Texas Tribune. The extension will add an extra year to his deal and $100,000 to his base salary, per the school's release.

Texas men's athletic director Mike Perrin spoke about the extension:

"

Shaka has done a terrific job in all facets of building our basketball program. On the court, despite facing a lot of challenges and adversity in his first year, we showed steady progress and produced a lot of exciting moments. His outstanding recruiting, talented class of newcomers and overall development of our team in the classroom and the community has been exemplary. I'm excited about what Shaka's accomplished and look forward to seeing him lead our program in the years to come.

"

Smart, 39, made his name in coaching at VCU, developing the school into a mid-major powerhouse in the Colonial Athletic Association and Atlantic 10.

In 2011, he led the Rams to one of the most unlikely Final Four runs ever as a No. 11 seed that competed in the NCAA tournament's inaugural First Four:

When VCU joined the Atlantic 10 ahead of the 2012-13 season, the Rams didn't miss a beat with Smart at the helm.

Smart's teams recorded 26 or more wins in each of his six years at the school, earning five NCAA tournament berths while accruing a 163-56 record overall.

He had some big shoes to fill at Texas, though, taking over for Rick Barnes, who spent 17 seasons with the Longhorns.

Last year, Smart's job became even more difficult when he lost senior center Cameron Ridley to a foot injury for nearly three months. Regardless, the new coach set a school record with four regular-season wins over Associated Press Top 10 schools in 2015-16.

Based on his track record of success, Texas and its fans should feel secure knowing Smart is going to be the big man on campus for the next seven years.

Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.