Believe it or not, Shaka Smart's presence didn't always loom so large on the recruiting trail.

While he's made a habit of out-recruiting high-major programs in recent years, that was hardly the case when he first arrived at VCU, and in the case of senior guard Briante Weber, it was anything but the case.

Weber may be the reigning two-time defensive player of the year in the Atlantic 10 and a preseason pick for the league's all-conference team, but he didn't have a single Division I scholarship offer to his name when he finished his senior season at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia.