VCU head coach Shaka Smart is leaning towards becoming the next head coach at Illinois, this according to Dan Wolken of The Daily.
“Sounds like Shaka is going to take Illinois or is leaning that way, from what I hear," Wolken tweeted on Friday.
Wolken later added that though the job is Smart’s “if he wants it,” these things tend to change on a daily basis.
Smart has been one of the hottest names in college basketball since leading VCU to the 2011 Final Four. He turned down several higher-profile jobs during the offseason, and just led the Rams to the Colonial Athletic Association championship.
Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas worked at Akron during the same period Smart was serving as an assistant coach for the Zips.