A flabbergasted Jim Nantz walked up to Shaka Smart. He’d just watched VCU’s fiery, second-year head coach participate in the “Iron Man Drill”, a jarring exercise normally reserved for players, at the Rams’ carefree Final Four open practice.

The Iron Man requires participants to take a charge under the basket, dive on the floor for a loose ball, then leap out of bounds to save the ball to a teammate. As he completed the drill before a crowd of more than 9,000 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Tex., Smart was mobbed by his team. Nantz, CBS’ veteran NCAA Tournament play-by-play man for more than 20 years, thought he had seen it all. He was wrong.

“Are you out of your mind?” A bemused Nantz asked.

Nantz was joking, of course. He, like most of the country, knows that the 34-year-old Smart is a rising star in the college coaching ranks, one with a firm head on his shoulders. In two short seasons, Smart has gone from an under-the-radar hire to one of the most talked-about sideline generals in the country.

That was bound to happen after VCU’s magical 2010-11 campaign, in which Smart’s Rams turned college basketball on its ear.

The 11th-seeded Rams scored a series of NCAA Tournament upsets, five in all, to reach the Final Four for the first time in school history. Many have called it the greatest run to the Final Four ever. Along the way, VCU dispatched “BCS Conference” schools Southern California, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and finally, mighty Kansas, the Southwest Region’s No. 1 seed. The Rams’ 71-61 victory over the Jayhawks sent shockwaves through the sports world. It was later named the “Best Upset” of 2011 at ESPN’s annual ESPY Awards.

Along the way, VCU tied a school-record with 28 wins, while Smart received the Fritz Pollard and Clarence Gaines National Coach of the Year Awards. The Rams finished the year ranked sixth in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, the highest in school and conference history.

VCU’s 2010-11 was so incredible it managed to completely overshadowed Smart’s 27-win, CBI Championship season in 2009-10. That squad produced Larry Sanders, who was selected in 15th overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, the highest draft pick ever from VCU and highest from the CAA since the Rams joined the conference in 1995-96.

The Shaka Smart File

Coaching Experience:
1999-2001 Assistant Coach, California University (Pa.)
2001-03 Director of Basketball Operations, Dayton University
2003-06 Assistant Coach, Akron
2006-08 Assistant Coach, Clemson University
2008-09 Assistant Coach, University of Florida
2009- Head Coach, Virginia Commonwealth University

Playing Experience:
1995-99 Kenyon College

Education:
1999 Kenyon College, magna cum laude, bachelor’s degree in history
2001 California University (Pa.), master’s degree, social science

Date of Birth:
April 8, 1977

Family:
Married to the former Maya Payne

Employing a philosophy he calls “Havoc”, part aggressive, full court offense and defense and part psychological warfare, Smart has led VCU to 55 wins in his first two seasons, the most victories over any two-year span in school history.

Smart’s Havoc philosophy took shape while working with notable coaches Billy Donovan (Florida), Oliver Purnell (Clemson, Dayton) and Keith Dambrot (Akron) early in his career and is clearly paying dividends at VCU.

Smart was introduced as VCU’s 10th head coach on April 2, 2009. Two years later, to the day, Smart led the Rams onto floor at Reliant Stadium, in front of a crowd of more than 75,000 for a Final Four matchup with Butler.

“Through the vetting process of hiring someone to lead our program, we spoke with some of the nation’s top head and assistant coaches, men who came highly recommended from the biggest names in college basketball,” said VCU Athletic Director Norwood Teague. “Shaka stood out amongst all of them. In Shaka, we have found someone who we knew without a shadow of a doubt could continue the excellence established by VCU basketball.”

Smart didn’t just continue that excellence. He broke the mold.

Known as a high-caliber recruiter, Smart has lived up to his billing with the Black and Gold, landing back-to-back highly-touted recruiting classes. Both classes have gained national attention from ESPN.com, Scout.com and Rivals.com.

Prior to his arrival at VCU, Smart spent one season as an assistant with Donovan’s Florida Gators. He helped lead the program to a 25-11 season, the fifth-most wins in school history, and a berth in the NIT Quarterfinals.

Before Florida, Smart served as an assistant coach under Purnell at Clemson from 2006-08. During his tenure, Smart helped the Tigers to 49 wins and consecutive postseason appearances, including an NCAA Tournament berth in 2008.

Smart had a positive effect on Clemson in his first year, aiding the Tigers’ 25-11 record and NIT Championship game appearance. The 25 victories and 17-0 start tied 20-year old Clemson records. The Tigers appeared in the top 25 of the USA Today coaches’ poll for eight consecutive weeks.

Additionally, Smart played a significant role in the Tigers’ landing of top 100 recruits Catalin Baciu, Terrence Oglesby and Milton Jennings. While at Florida, he helped the Gators land the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class, according to ESPN.com, including McDonald’s All-American guard Kenny Boynton.

From 2003-06, Smart served as an assistant at the University of Akron. In 2005-06, he helped the Zips to a 23-10 record, the school’s highest victory total since it became a Division I program in 1980-81.

The Zips also defeated Temple in the first round of the NIT for the school’s first Division I postseason triumph. In two seasons working under Dambrot, Smart helped Akron to a 42-20 record.

Smart worked for Purnell at Dayton as director of basketball operations from 2001-03. During that time, the Flyers posted a 45-17 record and won the 2003 Atlantic 10 Championship. The 2002-03 squad finished 24-6 and earned an NCAA bid.

Smart began his coaching career as an assistant at California University (Pa.) from 1999-2001. The school had a 40-16 combined ledger those two seasons. During that time, Smart earned his master’s degree in social science.

Smart played his college basketball at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio and graduated magna cum laude in 1999 with a degree in history. A four-year starter and three-year captain, he holds Kenyon single-season (184) and career (542) assist marks. As a senior, he was an All-North Coast Conference selection and was the NCAC Scholar Athlete of the Year. He was one of 20 students selected for the 1999 USA Today All-USA Academic team and received a NCAA postgraduate scholarship.

A native of Madison, Wis., Smart married the former Maya Payne on May 20, 2006. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Zora Sanae Smart, on Sept. 25, 2011.