Sports coaches can make or break a team. Lovers of the game think of them as the alphas of the pack; if they don’t lead their team right, there’s little chance they’ll dominate the field.
Basketball head coach, Shaka Smart, has proved to his followers time and time again that he’s more than capable of leading any pack to victory—effectively winning himself the title of the second-youngest coach with more than 100 wins under his belt.
But what makes Shaka the legend that he is in the game? In this post, I cover his early life, his impressive beginnings in basketball, and his coaching journey. Ready?
Shaka Smart: Early Life & Humble Beginnings
Shaka was born on the 7th of April, 1977 in Madison, Wisconsin. His zodiac (sun sign) is the fiery and passionate Aries. Smart was born into a mixed family as well. His father, Winston Smart, is African-American and his mother, Monica King, is white.
Being from Wisconsin, one of the states notoriously known for the increasingly high percentages of hate crimes against ethnic people, Shaka had a hard time growing up.
Some people saw him as ‘too black’, which led to racial prejudices and bullying. Others saw Shaka as ‘too white’, calling him hurtful names because of it and shunning him from the community.
Further, Shaka was bullied for his ‘strange’ name. Since he was African, Shaka’s father believed in bestowing conceptual names to his kids. He named his son Shaka after the Zulu word for ‘Power’. Smart also gave Shaka the middle name of ‘Dingani’, meaning ‘one who is searching’ or ‘what do you need’.
Despite his challenging beginnings, Shaka Smart didn’t let his rough start in life dictate his path. Now one of the younger head coaches, he boasts a net worth of $15 million.
Shaka Smart: Education & Early Sports Career
Shaka attended Oregon High School in Oregon, Texas. There’s no record showing how outstanding of a student he was at that time.
However, I do know that the bullying he faced there pushed him to lead a student organization with the sole purpose of addressing racist and homophobic acts among high schoolers. Later, Shaka would look back and confirm that it was the fight for equal rights that fired up his competitive nature.
Shaka would take that competitiveness and play for the school’s basketball team, the Oregon Panthers. He was the team’s starter for the three years he spent there and their point guard, too.
The stats Smart managed to accumulate during those years are rather impressive as well! They included:
- 20 assists in a single game
- Highest score of 291 assists in a season
- A total of 458 assists in 3 years
To no one’s surprise, many colleges approached Shaka. Rumor has it he turned down a scholarship from Harvard itself! The young man instead attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio—an establishment known for its commitment to academic excellence.
In college, Shaka continued to shine, balancing both his academic and athletic prowess quite well. He decided to major in History due to the hard times he faced growing up because of his heritage.
Even more impressive, the then 22-year-old graduated with honors (magna cum laude). His academic project tackled issues he cared about, such as racial matters and the Great Migration.
Shaka Smart: College Basketball Career
While crushing it in the academic field, Shaka did the same on Kenyon’s basketball court.
He would continue to be a starter, only this time for the Kenyon Lords. He would also go on to break the college team’s highest records. Take a look at his equally impressive college stats:
- A high record of 184 assists in a season
- A total record of 542 assists in 4 years
- Was awarded the NCAC (North Coast Athletic Conference) Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- Was selected to join the 1999 USA Today All-USA Academic Team
Fun fact: Unlike most athletes who drop their academic studies after college, Shaka went on to obtain a master’s degree as well. With the help of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, Shaka was able to earn an MA in Social Sciences from the California University of Pennsylvania.
Shaka Smart: The Journey Into Coaching
Despite his incredible career as a basketball player, Shaka knew in his heart that coaching was meant for him (which later proved to be the right call!).
After earning his MA, Shaka trained under the California University’s coach, Bill Brown, as his assistant. Interestingly, Brown was also Shaka’s coach during his college years.
He stayed with Brown for a few years, learning about the intricacies of the game, before moving on to be the University of Dayton’s director of basketball operations.
Shortly after, the University of Akron approached Shaka with another assistant coaching position. Shaka stayed in that position from 2003 to 2006 before taking a similar position at Clemson University (2006-08) and the University of Florida (2008-09) respectively.
Here’s another fun fact: Shaka was once an assistant to none other than the now Bull’s coach, Billy Donovan during the 2008-09 season.
Shaka Smart: From VCU to Texas to Marquette
Once the ‘09 season ended, VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) offered Shaka the chance to be their head coach. Shaka had big shoes to fill as his hiring came after the departure of the great Anthony Grant.
Luckily, Shaka performed well. He proved that he was up to the task despite being one of the youngest basketball coaches in the NCAA division. He led his team (the Rams) to a CBI championship and a record-high of 27-10—all in the first season!
During the second season, he coached the team to their second appearance at the Coastal Athletic Association championship. Without his star forward, Larry Sanders (who got drafted for the NBA), however, the Rams lost.
Perhaps the most remarkable achievement of Shaka’s six years with the VCU is becoming the second-youngest coach to win 100 games.
Smart was head coach at the University of Texas back in 2015. Before signing a contract, he signed on for one season, in which he led the Longhorns to a 20-13 record. This made the university offer him a contract that would extend through until the 2022-23 season.
Smart didn’t stay on for the whole contract duration, however. He left in March 2021 switching to Marquette University in 2021. He’s still the head coach there as of writing.
Most recently, he won the Henry Iba Award for the Year’s National Coach as a reward for his efforts in the 2022-23 season.
Shaka Smart: Personal Life
Shaka got married while working as an assistant coach at Clemson University in 2006. His wife, Maya Payneon Smart, is a former Marquette professor (talk about full circle!) and an author.
Not much is known about their love life before getting hitched, though it’s safe to assume their passion for helping colored youth brought them together. Maya is a respected literacy advocate too, and even talks about it in her recently published book Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six.
More recently, the Smarts made an exceptional donation to Marquette University, demonstrating their commitment to helping ethnic students facing financial troubles. In his own words, Shaka stated:
“In higher education, we need to continue to do more and do better for students of color.”
The couple also has a beautiful daughter together, named Zora. Shaka doesn’t post many pictures of his family, though. His Instagram is flooded with pictures of his basketball players.
Takeaway
Shaka Smart is one of the few celebrities who are more than just a well-known face. They’re also a testament to true perseverance and ambition. I bet you’ve learned a lot about Shaka today that has made you appreciate and respect the renowned basketball coach more.
