Big news today for Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, and for most of Twitter that Coach Shaka Smart would stay with the Rams and the River City.
VCU released a statement to confirm Smart’s decision Wednesday afternoon.
All media outlets were pushing the message that Smart was not pursuing any coaching offers.
But the so-called “Twitterverse” was also pushing out the message as fans learned the news of Smart’s decision.
In fact, Shaka Smart was a Twitter trend in both Richmond and Chicago.
Twitter uses an algorithm to determine which topics are the most discussed via Twitter users at any given time. The most popular topics are known as "trending topics," and are displayed on the sidebar of the site.
Significant world events, international sports results, and news about popular celebrities--like Shaka Smart--are among the items that commonly "trend" on the Twitter site.
Smart allegedly turned down the $2.5 million, or double the amount he makes at VCU, that the Illinois program offered.
VCU athletic director Norwood Teague said Smart has agreed in principle to some changes in his current contract. Teague said some of those contract details are still being finalized.
Read more about Shaka Smart's decision here.
