'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Marquette coach Shaka Smart's time with the Golden Eagles has been one for the record books.
Since taking over in 2021, he has led the team to its first Big East Tournament title in 2023, a first since 1997 along with two NCAA Tournament appearances.
In his first stint as a coach at VCU, Smart led the Rams to their first Final Four appearance during his second year. Since then, Shaka Smart has moved to the Texas Longhorns and now, Marquette, where he gained recognition for turning the team's fortunes around completely.
Trending
While his on-court exploits are well known, let's take a look at Smart's life off it.
What is Shaka Smart's ethnicity?
Smart was born in Madison, Wisconsin, to Winston and Monica King. Smart is of mixed ethnicity, as his father is of African-American descent, while his mother is Caucasian.
Smart is one of five children and went to school in Oregon, Wis. where he was one of a few students of color and experienced racism.
However, Shaka Smart did not let that bring him down, as he led a student group that held multicultural events and seminars on homophobia and racism.
Know more about Shaka Smart's personal life
After graduating from Oregon High School, Smart played college basketball at Division III Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, having turned down offers from Harvard, Yale and Brown.
In 1999, he graduated from Kenyon magna cum laude with a degree in history, focusing on issues of race and the Great Migration.
Later, Smart received an NCAA postgraduate scholarship and earned a master's degree in social science from the California University of Pennsylvania.
That was also where Shaka Smart's coaching career began, as he worked as an assistant coach under Bill Brown, his former coach at Kenyon.
Smart was named after the Zulu monarch and military strategist Shaka kaSenzangakhona. The 46-year-old is married to Maya Payne Smart, an author and professor at Marquette University, with whom he has a daughter, Zora.
Coach Smart is known to be a relationship builder, as a scroll through his Instagram account shows how he spends time with his players off the court.
This approach has been noted to increase team camaraderie and help players read each other better when playing.
In the 2024 Big East Tournament, the Golden Eagles lost the title game to the UConn Huskies and will be preparing for the Big Dance.
Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey - who is NCAAW's highest-paid coach? Find out here
