Texas Basketball: 3 most painful Shaka Smart recruiting misses

Head coach Shaka Smart didn’t miss all that much on key targets of past Texas basketball recruiting classes, but there were a few guards that spurned him.

The biggest problem for head coach Shaka Smart in his five years with the Texas basketball program has not really revolves around success on the recruiting trail. Texas has done fairly well for itself on the recruiting trail, at least as far as the men’s hoops program goes. Translating that recruiting success into success in the win column and on the hardwood is the biggest problem for Smart with Texas.

In the season that was prematurely ended due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Texas finished up with a record of 19-12 (9-9 Big 12). They didn’t get to play a single game in the Big 12 Tournament and sat on the bubble for Selection Sunday prior to the cancellation.

However, we should still expect Smart back for a sixth year as athletic director Chris del Conte has openly supported him. Smart did prove that it was worth keeping him around for at least a bit longer as he landed a commitment from elite five-star Vandegrift power forward and Austin, TX, native Greg Brown for the 2020 recruiting class.

Brown is the lone commitment for Texas in the 2020 class, but it is surely a big one to get.

What other commitments did Texas actually miss out on during Smart’s tenure as head coach on the Forty Acres that would cost them in the end?

While recruiting misses aren’t the most problematic storyline for Smart with Texas men’s hoops, it could’ve helped him get to postseason prominence more often than he has.

Here’s a look back at the three most painful recruiting misses for Smart as head coach of the Texas Longhorns basketball program.