Men's basketball coach Shaka Smart refuses to take full credit for VCU's move to the "premier" Atlantic 10, but he recognized his team's success -- a Final Four appearance in 2011 and another NCAA tournament bid this past season -- boosted the entire athletic program's stock in the eyes of its new conference. "I do think basketball played a significant role," Smart said during a Friday teleconference. "I think it made us a popular candidate for the Atlantic 10. The success that we have certainly is critical to the athletic program, and we know the expectations on us will be even greater than they were before this move." Speaking with reporters for the first time since VCU announced the move earlier this week, Smart said he backed the university's decision to leave the CAA this summer, as opposed to 2013, because of the conference's rules on tournament participation for members exiting the league. The Rams would have been excluded from the league tournament this upcoming season had they decided to leave the conference in 2013. Read more: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...83/team-success-key-part-vcu-move-atlantic-10
