Texas Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart has been selected to lead the USA Basketball Men’s Under-18 National Team, as announced by USA Basketball on Wednesday. Joining Smart as assistant coaches will be Connecticut’s Kevin Ollie and Mark Turgeon from Maryland.
Here’s what Shaka Smart had to say about his selection as head coach.
“It’s a tremendous honor to coach the USA U18 National Team and represent our country in international play,” Smart said. “The opportunity to work with Kevin Ollie and Mark Turgeon is something I’m extremely excited about. They are two of the best coaches in the country, and I’m looking forward to learning a great deal from each of them.”
The Men’s U18 National Team has won three championships in a row and looks to defend their title at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship on July 19-23 in Valdivia, Chile.
What does this mean for Texas?
It helps build Coach Smart’s recruiting prowess and build relationships not only players for the next recruiting class, but for future recruiting classes. This won’t affect the team’s development over the summer as the strength and conditioning coaches will be in charge, ensuring that the players hit the weight room with diligence in preparation for next season. This also builds Texas’s credibility as a basketball power moving forward. Coach Smart is 14-0 as a US assistant coach and if he can win a gold medal this summer, he will be able to use that experience to convince recruits to join the Texas Longhorns. This won’t be a deal breaker by any strectch of the imagination – 17&18 year-olds make their decisions based on a number of factors. This would just add to the recruiting arsenal that Coach Smart would have.
None of this matters if he does not perform well in the FIBA championships.
