MILWAUKEE — Shaka Smart paused for applause from the few dozen Marquette fans at the Al McGuire Center Monday when he noted he was born in 1977. The Madison native said he grew up hearing legends about Marquette’s championship triumph in McGuire’s final game as coach. Now 43, the new Golden Eagles head coach said his new job is much more than just a homecoming.

“I spent my whole childhood in Wisconsin” Smart said. “It’s phenomenal being back, but the reason I came back was Marquette.”

Smart left the University of Texas after six seasons for this new challenge in his home state. Shaka and his wife Maya arrived in Milwaukee Sunday, and the coach said he is ready to get to work. Smart said he will spend the next couple weeks meeting with current Marquette players before connecting with the deep roster of alumni anxious for another March Madness run.

“I want all those former players and former coaches to know that I take the responsibility very seriously of being your basketball coach,” Smart said during his introductory news conference.

Smart became a household name in 2011, when he led Virginia Commonwealth on a Cinderella run from the First Four to the Final Four as an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Ten years later, he makes history at Marquette, becoming the program’s first Black head coach.

“I take a lot of responsibility and pride in being the first Black head coach here, especially because this is Doc’s school,” Smart said, referencing Marquette alum and coaching mentor Doc Rivers. “If I’m the 18th head basketball coach at Marquette, hopefully down the road there’s another Black coach, not just at Marquette but all around the country.”

Smart opened his remarks discussing his emphasis on relationships within his programs. He concluded expressing excitement to cultivate a strong relationship with the entire Marquette community, in Milwaukee and beyond.

“The best programs separate themselves from other programs in that there’s a very, very distinct, special relationship between the players and the fans,” Smart said.

The biggest step toward building that relationship, once health regulations allow for it, would be thrilling Marquette fans with a signature win before a packed crowd at Fiserv Forum.