Shaka Smart and Texas celebrate NIT championship at Madison Square Garden. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)
NEW YORK — Shaka Smart arrived in the media room, his nicely tailored white dress shirt soaked.
The Texas coach constantly roams the sidelines during games. Intensity and concentration are his traits as he works every single possession. In this case, the shirt was not bearing the effects of perspiration. Smart had been given an impromptu shower by his team.
“I got into the locker room and my guys soaked me with water,” the 41-year-old coach remarked after his Longhorns defeated Lipscomb, 81-66, in Thursday’s National Invitation Tournament championship game. “I am just so happy for them. It’s great to win a championship in any type of tournament you get in. There are 32 really good teams in the NIT, so to be the last team standing and be able to win a championship is big.”
With his signature Havoc scheme, Smart garnered a reputation as a defensive coach during his tenure at VCU. During his time at Texas, Havoc has been employed judiciously in stretches, not the full game as it was at VCU. Schemes may change, but the emphasis on the importance of defense has not wavered. Texas started slow, then built a 14-point halftime lead as its offense perked up. During the second half, the Longhorns buried eight three-pointers, negating any chance for Lipscomb to stage a serious run, but make no mistake, this was about defense.
Garrison Matthews, Lipscomb’s prolific scorer, posed a concern for Texas. Matthews had scored 44 in the quarterfinals at NC State and 34 in the semis against Wichita State. He was on a roll. Smart decided to put freshman Courtney Ramey on the senior Matthews.
“All year I have drawn a tough defensive assignment,” Ramey said outside the victorious Texas locker room. “I love the challenge, it’s what I do.”
Ramey knew Smart had no help in the defensive scheme. The two studied tape of Matthews to get a look at his tendencies and come up with a plan.
“We had a short turnaround,” Ramey said. “We saw how he liked to come off screens, catch and shoot. My goal was to beat him to the spot and deny that.”
Mission accomplished. Matthews scored a pedestrian 15 points, missing eight of his ten field goal attempts, his struggles and lack of consistent scoring from the supporting cast spelling doom for Casey Alexander’s Bisons.
In 1978 Texas claimed the NIT championship, rolling over NC State in the final. The Longhorns were coached by Abe Lemons. Known for his wit and one-liners, Lemons could coach. At any rate, in typical Lemons fashion, he lit up a victory cigar on the sideline as the clock ticked off its final seconds. Times have changed. They have changed quite a bit in Austin as well.
Back in 1978, the Texas SID sent his assistant to New York for the NIT as he stayed home to work on the football media guide. Football ruled. Basketball was a pleasant diversion to fill the time between the bowl game and start of spring practice. Today, the Longhorn basketball program is considered a major player on the college basketball scene. Expectations are lofty. While the administration undoubtedly takes pride in bringing the NIT trophy home from New York, make no mistake, the ultimate goal is to be in contention for games played on a Saturday and/or Monday in April.
Texas finished 16-16 in a regular season many would consider a disappointment. Inconsistency was the enemy. Then the NIT called. Smart’s group took the opportunity and ran with it.
“I think our young guys made a lot of progress,” he said. ‘But our seniors stepped up and played like you want seniors to play down the stretch. Those guys had their ups and downs, so it’s great to see them finish the season and their careers on such a high note, winning the championship and winning their last five games.”
The championship will be savored. Smart, thinking ahead, is adamant on not resting on his laurels. His focus is building on the momentum.
“I told our young guys, ‘You have experienced here what goes into winning,’” he noted. “Teams have won the NIT and used that as a springboard into a more successful season the next year.”
The Texas mentor also cited teams that did not build off their NIT success. For Smart, his aim is to have his group take the experience and translate this into a NCAA Tournament bid and prolonged run.
“Our guys got that chance to realize what they need to do to win more championships,” he observed.
While grabbing the title in the process.
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