VCU to A-10 Billboard
Shaka Smart, Virginia Commonwealth University’s men’s basketball coach, has the potential to be a well-dressed, well-paid member of the Division I college coaching fraternity through 2028 should he choose to stay in his current job.
Smart’s new contract with VCU, signed Oct. 11, keeps his base salary at $450,000 per season.
But his supplemental income increases in the first year to $950,000, up from $800,000 in his previous contract.
In the second year of the new contract, Smart’s supplemental income increases to $1 million.
Smart’s contract is for 10 years, from 2013 through 2023. But in the first five years of the deal, the contract automatically extends by one year, taking it to 2028.
In addition to his base salary and supplemental income, the contract states Smart will receive $25,000 per year for university sponsored radio and television appearances.
Smart can be required to speak at or attend events or functions sponsored by the university, the university development office and other affiliated organizations that benefit the university directly or indirectly.
He will receive $25,000 annually for such appearances.
That brings Smart’s guaranteed compensation to $1.45 million in the first year of the contract and $1.5 million in subsequent years.
If VCU, ranked No. 15 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ preseason poll, wins the NCAA tournament championship in six games, Smart would get $356,250 in bonuses.
Other potential compensation includes $6,500 for every VCU game broadcast nationally and $3,500 per game broadcast outside the VCU or Atlantic 10 package.
VCU is a member of the A-10.
Smart will receive $5,000 for a victory over a member of the ACC — four are on VCU’s schedule this season — and $2,000 for defeating Old Dominion.
Smart also receives compensation for season-ticket sales and average fans per home game. He receives a $10,000 annual clothing allowance and the university will provide a car for his use and receives housing benefits and country club memberships.
If the Rams miss the NCAA tournament but are selected for the NIT, Smart will receive $2,000. He can make as much as $31,000 if VCU wins the NIT.
If the Rams win 20 or more games in a season, Smart receives a $20,000 bonus.
There also are incentives for players’ academic performances. Smart receives $4,000 for each player who graduates by the summer of the completion of his athletic eligibility and $2,000 per player for any who graduate within one year of the completion of their eligibility.
Smart has deferred compensation of $60,000 per year.
If Smart takes another job before April 30, 2014, he will owe VCU $600,000. That amount decreases $100,000 per year.
A school that lures Smart from VCU is obligated to play a home-and-home series with VCU or buy out the games for $250,000.
Smart cannot be fired for failing to win a particular game or a particular number of games. He can be dismissed by the university president without cause, but Smart would receive $1.3 million for each year remaining on his contract unless he finds other employment. Then, he would receive the difference between his new salary and the $1.3 million owed by VCU.
http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/files/2013-14_VCU_Men-s_Basketball_Schedule.pdfGreat to be partnering with @CSNwashington for six MBB games this year. Every game (home and away) this year will be on live TV #LetsGoVCU
There are two non-BCS schools in the country that have every MBB game on live TV. Gonzaga and VCU. #Havoc #LetsGoVCU
'Havoc' as a program philosophy
A lot of coaches secretly dream of playing the way VCU plays, but few want to give up the control of the game when it's played at a frenetic pace, especially offensively. And frankly, others haven't taken the time to learn the nuances of pressing and trapping on defense because it has always been unconventional.
While VCU often looks as though it plays loose and undisciplined, it is anything but. To get players to play with the amount of energy, enthusiasm and communication that Smart's team plays with takes incredible discipline and basketball intelligence. In fact, despite playing at their frantic pace, the Rams' 17 percent offensive turnover rate ranked 21st in the country last season.
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One last thing: In addition to making fatigue a factor, havoc makes depth a factor, which makes recruiting easier for Smart because the more guys who can contribute in the system, the better team morale is. Few opposing coaches trust their bench the way Smart does.
'Havoc' as a disruptive defense
Think of Havoc's three pressure defenses as being like three devastating pitches of a baseball pitcher: " Pitch 1 is "Fist," the Rams' fastball: VCU's man-to-man full-court press is designed to put uncomfortable pressure on the opponent's ball handlers with the general idea of creating unforced turnovers. It is relatively straightforward.
Pitch 2 is "Double Fist," the Rams' cutter: This is Smart's bread-and-butter defense. It starts as a full-court man-to-man press but morphs into a double-teaming scheme with two trappers, two interceptors and a safety protecting the basket. It is often used to trap the ball out of an opponent's best ball handler's hands to force a weaker ball handler to dribble it.
When the trap is executed correctly, the two interceptors can guard three offensive players in outlet positions. They are looking for the errant pass and steal forced by a hard double-team of the ball.
Like a Mariano Rivera cutter, the "Double Fist," is the most devastating weapon in the Rams' arsenal. It can create a flurry of turnovers quickly, which often lead to easy scores that can demoralize an opponent. In last season's 84-52 thrashing of well-schooled No. 20 Butler, the defense accounted for most of the Bulldogs' 22 turnovers, which led to 34 Rams points.
Pitch 3 is "Diamond," the Rams' changeup: As if "Fist" and "Double Fist" weren't enough, VCU's third pitch is a "Diamond" press, an old-fashioned 1-2-1-1 full-court zone press with maniacal pressure on the inbounds passer. The object of the "mad dog" who is on the ball is to deflect the pass in or set up a trap in the deep corners of the court where the end line and sideline act as extra defenders.
As in Double Fist, Diamond's alignment ideally should become a "two trappers, two interceptors and safety" look. Once the trap is broken, all five defenders sprint back to the other end of the court to set up the Rams' half-court defense.
The past two seasons, the Rams defense has been particularly devastating to opponents, leading the nation in both turnover rate and steal rate in back-to-back seasons. And the defense has fueled the offense. The Rams' adherence to this fast-paced style is an advantage for their athletic roster, as forcing turnovers creates easy scoring opportunities in transition, including open 3-point attempts. Last season, VCU scored 1.12 points per possession, according to kenpom.com; only 20 teams in college basketball were more efficient.
That talented and experienced rotation, along with its adherence to Smart's vision for creating "havoc" every day in practice and in games, has the Rams set up for success this season. Not only is this team the clear favorite to win the Atlantic 10, but I think VCU has the same potential to reach the Final Four as the 2010-11 team.
Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg break down VCU here:14. VCU
The Rams, as we all know, went to the Final Four in 2011. This team might be better. Juvonte Reddic(14.7 points per game) and Treveon Graham (15.1) could be on the verge of national breakout seasons and will get loads of help from a talented backcourt, anchored by Briante Weber. But forget about offense; lets talk about defense. The Rams truly created HAVOC last year, averaging a nations-best 11.9 steals per game. With the length and quickness on this roster, not to mention the aggressiveness, Shaka Smart has exactly the sort of team he loves to coach. -- Dana O'Neil
VCU comes in at #14 in ESPN's 2013-2014 Preseason Power Rankings: http://espn.go.com/ncb/feature/video/_/page/preseason-power-rankings-2013-2014/power-rankings-2013
Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg break down VCU here:
ESPN Power Rankings: VCU #14 - YouTube
It would be fascinating to know what they really think, but we are unlikely to know for many months. Being at 10 they are naturally all going to say 10 is the best. Saying anything else makes them look like they don't know what they are doing.The per school payout doesn't increase for the Big East if they add 2 programs, so there's no real incentive for them to add anyone right away.
Ram fans got a taste of what’s to come as the Rams downed Division II Cal U (PA), 92-54 in their exhibition opener this evening.
VCU displayed a deep bench with 11 players seeing double digits and no Ram getting over 24 on the night. Freshman Doug Brooks led all scorers with 14 points in just 13 minutes of play, going 5-9 from the field while hitting two of his four 3-point attempts.
Juvonte Reddic chipped in a quiet double-double posting 12 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes for the Rams.
Briante Weber got the start at the point for VCU, dishing 9 assists in the win to go along with 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals for VCU. Freshman JeQuan Lewis usually ran the point when Weber wasn’t adding 5 assists himself for the Rams.
Treveon Graham and redshirt freshman, Jordan Burgess, both finished with 11 points.
The Rams will open their regular season this Friday against the Missouri Valley Conference’s Illinois State Redbirds at 7PM at the Siegel Center. That game will air live on MASN for those without tickets.