Rece Davis gives strong suggestion for Texas during coaching search

No matter how the 2022-2023 season ends for Texas, they will have a coaching search on their hands. Chris Beard was let go in the midst of the year and since then, Rodney Terry has done a great job with a tough situation. While Terry could wind up getting the full-time job, all options will be considered in Austin.

Rece Davis gave out some advice to athletic director Chris Del Conte during the latest ESPN College GameDay podcast. He believes Texas should go after someone from a smaller school and invest in them. Even if recent hires have not worked, Davis believes this would be the best course of action.

“The one thing I wouldn’t be afraid to do,” Davis said. “I know it didn’t work with Shaka Smart. They tried to find the next big thing with Shaka. Go ahead and do that in basketball again and hope it works this time. Or find the one you’re most sold on.”

Smart replaced Rick Barnes at Texas but no national level of success ever came from his tenure. A Big 12 Tournament championship was achieved in 2021 but the program never made it out of the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

Before getting hired by the Longhorns, Smart had made five consecutive tournament appearances with VCU. Two Sweet Sixteens and a Final Four were part of the run, making him one of the hottest names on the coaching market.

Even so, Davis believes that should be the route Texas takes. Find someone with success outside of a Power Six conference and let them run a big-time program.

“I would find the next guy that you completely believe in,” Davis said. “Probably had some success at a lower level and not be fixated on trying to take Kentucky’s coach or another sitting SEC coach or whatever that might be.”

John Calipari was a popular name when Texas first fired Beard. Kentucky possibly not making the NCAA Tournament has added fuel to the fire as well. Names within the SEC such as Eric Musselman, Bruce Pearl, and Nate Oats have been mentioned as well.

And based on the prior moves of Del Conte within the Texas athletic department, poaching a big name will be the goal. Looking at the women’s basketball program, he was able to pull Vic Schaffer from Mississippi State after having major success.

If that ends up being the move for Del Conte, Davis will not particularly agree. He wants to see a slow rise after the Beard disaster.