Michigan Basketball: Shaka Smart not part of coaching search yet

After rampant speculation about Michigan basketball being interested in Shaka Smart, his attempt to hire Luke Yaklich put an end to that.

The rumors about Shaka Smart and the head coaching job at Michigan basketball were picking up steam Thursday as some other big-name coaches reportedly aren’t interested.

Guys like Brad Stevens, Billy Donovan and Greg Marshall all want to stay in their current location according to Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider ($), which fed the idea that Smart could be a viable candidate.

While Smart has spent the past four seasons at Texas, the Longhorns have made the NCAA tournament only twice and things haven’t exactly gone as planned. That fueled speculation that if Michigan basketball came calling, Smart would be willing to leave. There was also a report that Texas would be willing to negotiate when it comes to his buyout.

Michael Spath, a local sports personality, was told by his sources at Michigan that Smart and Juwan Howard were the favorites. And after others, including Mike White of Florida, indicated they wanted to stay in their current job, Smart and Howard made sense.

Howard has his proponents as a former Michigan basketball player and long-time NBA assistant. He has interviewed for multiple NBA head coaching positions, however, Warde Manuel said he wants someone with experience and Juwan, a member of the Fab Five doesn’t have it.

It’s certainly too early to count out guys like LaVall Jordan of Butler or another candidate like Steve Prohm of Iowa State, but after top-50 signee Jalen Wilson asked to be released from his scholarship, it had to impress upon Manuel the need to act quickly.

Yet, just when fans were debating whether smart would be the next great hire or the next Rich Rod, Brian Davis of hookem.com, a Texas website, reported that Smart was interviewing Michigan basketball assistant Luke Yaklich for a position on his staff.

This obviously caught Michigan fans off guard. For one, many thought Smart was a candidate for the Wolverines job and now, after seeing him trying to hire away a Michigan staff member, he’s clearly not under consideration.

Additionally, it would lead you to believe Yaklich doesn’t believe he is a candidate or has been led to believe he isn’t. Otherwise, why would he interview for an assistant job somewhere else?

(Update: Nick Baumgardner of the Detroit Free Press also reported that the top two candidates as of now were Howard and Jordan, making no mention of Yaklich of Saddi Washington).

It doesn’t mean Washington or Yaklkich won’t be looked at or interviewed down the road, along with some other potential candidates. As we have seen, in college sports, you never say never. Still, it seems like a good bet that Smart, as Brendan Quinn notes in his tweet, hasn’t been contacted.

While some fans that didn’t want Smart may have been relieved, if Yaklich accepted the position, it would be yet another blow to a program that lost its all-time wins leader and top incoming recruit in a manner of days, as well as three NBA talents earlier this month.

If there is no interest in Smart, then Howard would seem to be one of the top candidates. (Baumgardner’s report confirms this) His work under Erik Spoelstra and Pat Riley, as well as his playing experience as an NBA All-Star and college All-American, makes him a viable option.

There are questions about how well Howard can recruit. But let’s be honest, Beilein wasn’t the world’s best recruiter either. Howard does have some connections and as an NBA guy, who was part of the Fab Five, he should do fine.

We are still in the early stages of this search and a lot can still happen. But as of now, Smart doesn’t seem to be a candidate, which shows again just how quickly rumors can spread at a time like this.