BEVO BEAT Men's Basketball Texas coach Shaka Smart close to hiring Iowa State assistant Neill Berry Posted May 21st, 2018


Texas men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart is close to hiring Iowa State assistant Neill Berry and fill the vacancy on the Longhorns’ coaching staff, two sources confirmed to the American-Statesman.

The hiring and formal announcement could be later this week, one source said. Horns247 first reported the news on Monday.

Berry has spent the last four seasons at Iowa State under coach Steve Prohm. He began as a special assistant to the head coach and was elevated to assistant coach in May 2016.


During the coaching search, Smart said he wanted to find someone who could integrate quickly. Berry worked at South Carolina under current UT assistant Darrin Horn from 2009-12.

Berry joined the Iowa State staff after spending three seasons as an assistant at High Point, a Big South conference school.

The vacancy on Smart’s staff was created when Mike Morrell, one of Smart’s trusted lieutenants, got his first head coaching job at North Carolina-Asheville.

Contact Brian Davis at 512-445-3957. Email bdavis@statesman.com.

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