Longhorns Basketball Coach Shaka Smart Tests Positive For COVID-19

Texas Longhorns men's basketball head coach Shaka Smart has tested positive for COVID-19

Matt Galatzan | Jan 25, 2021

Texas Longhorns men's basketball head coach Shaka Smart has tested positive for COVID-19, prompting his immediate quarantine and isolation from the team.

Smart revealed his positive diagnosis via a statement on Monday morning, ahead of the Longhorns' Tuesday matchup with Big 12 rival Oklahoma.

“I tested positive for COVID and am in isolation away from our team and my family," Smart said. "I am working remotely and look forward to rejoining our team in person when it is safe to do so.”

The Longhorns, who have had their last two games postponed due to COVID-19 issues within their opponents' programs, have not played since their January 16 blowout win over the Kansas State Wildcats in Austin.

Following the positive test result, Smart figures to miss at least the Longhorns' next three contests, which include the aforementioned matchup with Oklahoma in Austin, a trip to Lexington to take on the Kentucky Wildcats on January 30, as well as their Big 12 showdown again the No.2 ranked Baylor Bears in Waco on February 2.

The next game after that stretch would be the team's February 6 matchup with Oklahoma State in Stillwater, which sits 12 days away.

So far this season, Smart has the Longhorns playing their best basketball since his tenure as head coach began in 2015, with Texas at 11-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12 as the No. 5 ranked team in the nation.

Published Jan 25, 2021

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.