Texas Basketball: 3 head coaching candidates to avoid at all costs

It is still too early in the coaching search for the Texas basketball program to really tell who will emerge as the true options as to who could replace Shaka Smart this offseason. Texas looks to still be in the early stages of identifying and interviewing coaching candidates to be their next head coach after Smart bolted to take on the same role with the Marquette Golden Eagles.

The news dropped in the public eye that the now former Longhorns sixth-year head coach Smart would be hired to be the next Marquette head coach on March 26. Smart will replace the former Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski, who was fired more than one week ago.

Smart saw his seat really heat up entering the offseason after the Longhorns early exit in March Madness two weekends ago. The three-seed Longhorns fell short in a tough one-point Round of 64 loss at the hands of head coach Joe Golding and the 14-seed Abilene Christian Wildcats back on March 20.

The doom for Shaka Smart with Texas basketball

That loss to upset-minded ACU meant Texas would see their season come to a premature end, and move Smart’s postseason record during his six years as the program’s head coach to a dismal 0-3. Texas finished up the 2020-21 season as a whole with a record of 19-8 (11-6 Big 12).

Despite having a mostly successful regular season and winning the Big 12 Tournament crown for the first time in program history, the Longhorns still enter the offseason on a disappointing note. And with that, Texas athletic director Chris del Conte has to get the next hire correct.

On the other hand, here’s a look at three coaching candidates that the Longhorns should avoid at all costs this offseason.