The night after the national title game, Shaka Smart opted not to take up an offer from NC State and instead chose to stay at Virginia Commonwealth.

“A lot of people have asked me why didn’t I leave,” Smart said last week, the day before VCU continued its post-Final Four season with an intra-city rivalry win over Richmond. “And my simple answer is: why not? Why not stay? It’s a great place to be.

“People talk about a window of opportunity being there last year, and what if that window closes? Well, it’s not like a window that’s in a burning building. I’m in a really good place.”

VCU players were always of the belief that Smart would return to the Rams.

“One thing he said (last season) was, after all we did, he wouldn’t get a chance to see us finish up, to see the vindication of last year and of all our successes, if he left to go to another program,” said senior swingman Bradford Burgess, the only returning starter from the Final Four team. “And after he said that, we weren’t worried about him.”