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Would you rather have Shaka or Gregg?

Would you rather have Shaka Smart or Gregg Marshall as the next HC of Wake Forest?

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RedSoxFaithful

RedSoxFaithful

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We have a thread to discuss second tier coaching options, and we have a general next coach thread. Everyone seems to be in agreement that Shaka and Gregg are, in some order, #1 and #2.

Set aside their likelihood of coming to Wake for a moment. Assume you can have your pick between the two. Which one would you prefer?
 
While there is no "wrong" answer here, I would prefer Gregg Marshall based on a greater track record of success & proven ability to turn programs around. There's no doubt that Shaka has elevated the VCU program, but he inherited a good situation from Anthony Grant.
 
CumberlandDeac said:
While there is no "wrong" answer here, I would prefer Gregg Marshall based on a greater track record of success & proven ability to turn programs around. There's no doubt that Shaka has elevated the VCU program, but he inherited a good situation from Anthony Grant.
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Agreed!
 
I'd probably vote Gregg. I'm a little concerned about Shaka's half court offense and the ramifications of using "Havoc" to speed up teams as skilled and athletic as we see in the ACC. I'm sure Shaka could adjust however, and I think he'd be a bigger regional and national story and attract better recruits. But I'd be ecstatic with either.
Strangely, I think we'd have Gregg longer as well. A move to Wake would probably be his last job, but he still has a good ten years left. I'd fear losing Shaka to an elite job in 5-6 years.
 
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Marshall hands down. Shaka's half-court offense is a bit suspect at times. Would still take him in a heartbeat obviously.
 
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Slightly agree with Marshall as to who would be the better coach. Shaka would be the better representative and face of the program - dude oozes charm and magnetism. At this point in my life, I prolly would give either a right or left nut for either.
 
Obviously both would be great, I just think that Shaka would be more likely to embrace the uniqueness of Wake and be the face of the program for a long time.
 
Shaka is clearly #1 for me. There's always an inherent risk when a coach takes over at a new school, regardless of his track record. With these guys, that risk is small but I think Shakas is a lot smaller because I have almost no doubt he would recruit great players to WFU. I'm not as sure about Marshall. Guys who will recruit great talent always have a smaller risk than guys who partially rely on other factors, imo.

Then you throw in Shakas personality and general demeanor vs Marshall who's a bit prickly, as well as Shaka's youth, and I think it's a no brainer. I was ShakaWaitAndSee at first because his initial success was based primarily on Grants players, but VCU Has maintained their level of play throughout graduation of their best players, which is hard to do. Marshall is obviously impressive there too.
 
VaDeac said:
I'd fear losing Shaka to an elite job in 5-6 years.
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If Shaka came to Wake, a top 25-30 program, and was successful enough to have interest from elite programs, it would be because he has Wake at an elite level and he'd be worth an elite salary from Wake as well. Despite the last 4 years, in the decades preceding, Wake was one of the top jobs in the country. It's not an elite job, but it's also not a stepping stone job IMO. There's only so much higher you can go in college basketball, and to get interest from those programs, a coach would already have a team competing toe to toe with the elites anyway.
 
Yeah, I do think Shaka will jump to the NBA at some point, which is a legit concern.
 
IAppreciateIt said:
Shaka is clearly #1 for me. There's always an inherent risk when a coach takes over at a new school, regardless of his track record. With these guys, that risk is small but I think Shakas is a lot smaller because I have almost no doubt he would recruit great players to WFU. I'm not as sure about Marshall. Guys who will recruit great talent always have a smaller risk than guys who partially rely on other factors, imo.

Then you throw in Shakas personality and general demeanor vs Marshall who's a bit prickly, as well as Shaka's youth, and I think it's a no brainer. I was ShakaWaitAndSee at first because his initial success was based primarily on Grants players, but VCU Has maintained their level of play throughout graduation of their best players, which is hard to do.
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I voted Gregg because that dude hates losing and works his ass off to make sure that his teams are ready to play (which I'm not sure you can really say about Shaka's teams 100% of the time), but I really agree with this take. Obviously, either guy would be an awesome fit and would probably find pretty immediate success.

It's also worth reiterating that Shaka is an outstanding recruiter who has really overachieved at a mid-major and has experience and a good track record as a recruiter at Clemson and Florida.
 
RacerDeac said:
Yeah, that would be the only worry should Shaka come to Wake and be wildly successful.
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Definitely possible, but idk. We convinced Skip to stay and Shaka's wife is an academic, which doesn't really grant the same mobility options as a typical case. Shaka could be our K if he were to come.
 
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