RICHMOND, Va. (April 2) – Former California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball assistant coach and 2001 graduate Shaka Smart was officially named head men's basketball coach at Division I Virginia Commonwealth University on Thursday.

Smart inherits a VCU program that has made two NCAA Tournament appearances in the last three years and won three conference tournament tiles since 2004. The Rams finished the 2008-09 season with a 24-10 overall record after losing to UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Smart served on the Vulcan coaching staff under head coach Bill Brown from 1999-2001. During his time with Cal U, Brown and Smart guided the program to a 40-16 overall record and a tie of the PSAC West title in 2000.

“Shaka had a feel of the game and he has made great decisions in life to get to where he is,” said Brown, the all-time winningest coach in Cal U history. “He is a tremendous role model and I know Cal is a dear place to him since it is the place he started coaching.”

Prior to his hiring with the Rams, Smart worked with the University of Florida and head coach Billy Donovan in the 2008-09 season. A native of Wisconsin, he also has served stints as a Division I assistant coach at Akron University (2003-06) and Clemson (2006-08).

After completing his master's degree from Cal U in social science in 2001, Smart worked for two seasons at Dayton University as the Director of Basketball Operations.

Smart earned his undergraduate degree from Kenyon College in 1999, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in history.

The tie between Brown and Smart dates back to the mid-1990s when Smart was the starting point guard as a freshman for Kenyon and Brown coached the Lords to the Division III Sweet 16 before accepting the head coaching job at Cal U.