All About Together: An Interview with Shaka Smart on the Eve of the NIT Final Four

Earlier today, at the NIT Press Conference, Texas Head Coach Shaka Smart was kind enough to give me a few minutes of his time. Here’s a transcript of the full conversation, on the eve of Smart’s first NIT Final Four appearance as a head coach:

Note: The following transcript has been lightly edited for readability.

NIT Stu: Coach. Nice to meet you. I’m Stu. First question, what’s the emotion for the team going into the NIT Final Four?

Shaka Smart: Excited. We’re excited to play. Looking forward to the opportunity to get on the floor at Madison Square Garden—I think Matt (Coleman)’s the only guy on our team that’s played there, and that was in an all-star game, so it’ll really be great for our guys to have that experience. But we want to win, too. We want to play well, we want to advance to the championship. We’re playing TCU, who we know really really well, and they know us really well, so it’ll be a great opportunity.

Stu: Definitely. How has the defense had to change without Jaxson Hayes’ presence inside?

Smart: Well, Jaxson blocks a lot of shots. So it’s definitely been an adjustment for us on both ends of the floor. We’ve just had to have other guys step forward and play even better positionally on defense, because you’re taking the shot blocker and the erased mistakes out of the equation. But these guys have done a real good job of covering for each other.

Stu: Nice, nice. Are you guys having fun right now, would you say? Is the team having fun?

Smart: I think so. I mean, you have the most fun when you’re winning. You have the most fun when you kind of lose yourself in something bigger than yourself. I think our guys have done a good job of coming together. As I told them coming into this week, I said, “Guys, you know, either way this is going to be our last week of the season, so let’s really enjoy and embrace the experience we have together.”

Stu: Absolutely. It seems like you guys are having fun—I’m in Austin, have been at the last couple games. How has it been playing in front of that…it’s a unique crowd situation where it’s a smaller crowd, but very into it, still postseason basketball…

Smart: They’ve been great. They’ve been great. Especially the last two games, Xavier and Colorado. I really like having everyone in the lower bowl, and there’s just been an added energy in the building. I don’t know if it’s because of the different makeup of the crowd, but it’s really seemed like they’ve enjoyed the game. And even, you know, the Xavier game was obviously back and forth, it was a close game down to the end, went to overtime…but it seemed like the people in the building were so invested and alive in the game. And our guys feed off of that.

Stu: Totally, totally. That’s awesome. Last question: So I’m a, uh…I’m the world’s biggest NIT fan.

Smart: *laughs* Really?

Stu: Yeah, kind of a dumbass on the internet, trying to get people to love the NIT.

Smart: Yeah.

Stu: Can you give me a quote about how this Final Four compares to that other one you went to, in 2011?

Smart: *laughs* You know, I got a chance to come here when I was an assistant coach at Clemson, in 2007, and the thing about it is: Number one, it’s New York. So there’s no grander stage in terms of a city, just being in the city. Being here just gives you a level of excitement. If you’re not on edge and excited, then this place can certainly make you into that. And then you’ve got Madison Square Garden, the most famous arena in the world, and, you know, the fact that you’ve got three other really good teams you’re playing for a chance to win a championship. I don’t think it’s so much about comparing it, because obviously there’s nothing like (the other Final Four) experience, but when I was here with Clemson in 2007, one thing we tried to do was embrace the joy of the experience together, being in New York, playing in the Garden, trying to advance to the championship game, and that’s what we’re trying to do here.

Stu: Awesome. Hey, thank you so much. Good luck tomorrow night.

Smart: Thank you. Thanks for coming.