Fire back: Shaka Smart shoots back at Blaine Taylor’s comments

Adam Stern
Executive Editor
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Shaka Smart does everything for a reason.

So as the final buzzer sounded Saturday night after VCU’s 61-48 win over Old Dominion, and Smart strolled down the sideline and cordially shook hands with ODU head coach Blaine Taylor, everything seemed business as usual between the two.

Yet when Smart sat down at his post-game press conference and formed his opening statement, it became clear that wasn’t the case. Instead, it became clear that Smart – ever the motivator and never one to forget – had a bit of a bone to pick with Taylor.

Taylor had told a Commonwealth Times reporter at CAA Media Day before the season started that “the Tournament can make rock stars out of average people.” The quotes – published in this CT story – stimulated a large amount of buzz among Ram fans who perceived the comments as thinly veiled shots at VCU, who famously rose to national acclaim last season when they made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

Apparently, the story must have made its way to the head honcho of the program itself.

That’s because Smart’s opening statement at his press conference Saturday night went like this, “I don’t know if we were rockstars tonight or if we were average people, but I was really proud of the way we battled; great team win.” No media members in the room picked up on the line at the time – or if they did, they didn’t follow up on it. But in retrospect, the comment was surely a rebuttal to Taylor’s polarizing assertion.

The coaches’ semantical sparring adds yet another notable story line to an already intriguing rivalry. And, it helps underscore one more time an undeniable characteristic of the head coach of VCU’s program.

Smart does everything for a reason.