Chris Mack News / Xavier Coaching Search

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Xavier 7-Year Basketball Recruiting Scholarship Chart – Verbal Commits

Xavier’s HS Class of 2018

Total No. of Scholarships for HS Class of 2018: 6
Commitments: 3
Spots Left: 3
Open Offers: 2

Xavier 2018 Basketball Prospects – 247 Sports

Xavier’s HS Class of 2018 Commitments

# 188 Dontarius James (PF, 6’-7”, 215 lbs.)
# 197 Keonte Kennedy (SG, 6’-4”, 175 lbs.)
# 222 Jake Walter (C, 7’-0”, 270 lbs.)

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Louisville 7-Year Basketball Recruiting Scholarship Chart – Verbal Commits

Louisville’s HS Class of 2018

Total No. of Scholarships for HS Class of 2018: 3
Commitments: 0
Spots Left: 3
Open Offers: 2

Louisville 2018 Basketball Prospects – 247 Sports

[stever20]

By all accounts, we did all we could to keep him. It’s widely rumored that X offered him 3M a year to stay. Apparently it wasn’t enough.

Wow, big kudos to Xavier if this is true. Losing Mack to Louisville doesn't look good for the league, but Xavier is officially "big time" in my eyes if they're willing to pay $3M to keep the coach. That's top 15 salary, and more than what Nova's paying Jay. Nothing personal against Mack, but I hope Louisville gets hit hard by sanctions and he comes to regret leaving Xavier.

Is 3 million top 15 now? I kind of don't think it is any longer. One of those times where the ACC football money probably made a big difference.

Also, I wonder if it was an immediate jump to 3 million. I know Rhode Island was going to make Hurley wait a year before the jump up to 2 million.

[cu blujs]

He will regret that decision, except for the paycheck I am guessing it will bring. IMO, he will not find the success at UL he had at X. Perhaps he has decided having a good bag man will take a lot of stress out of recruiting. And, perhaps I have misread him, but I do not think he has the sleaze skills needed to succeed there.

[xusandy]

A small part of me is still in denial, as I really don't understand Mack's apparent decision, and until an announcement is made, I'll continue to hold on to that denial because this just makes no sense to me. Chris Mack coaches at his alma mater, where he was a 2-year team captain. He runs a program that can clearly compete for and maybe someday win a national championship; he has never seemed particularly money motivated; he already makes more $$ than he'll ever need; he's a family man with really deep family roots in Cincinnati, and he does not have external pressure to win, win, win EVERY year. So I've always thought Mack is already in his dream job.

And yet he will apparently give it all up in order to try to drain the Louisville swamp! I get that his wife is from there; I get that Louisville is desperate to turn the page, and that they have almost certainly offered him silly money to do so. I even get that in order to succeed as a top bball coach, a guy has to keep challenging himself to prove (to himself?) how good he really is -- the "bigger mountain to climb" mentality.

But to make a lateral career move to a lousy university with a football dominated athletic program -- choosing that over staying at X? I just don't get that at all!

Staak, Gillen, Prosser, Matta, Miller, and Mack. Pretty darn good string of coaches over the past 28 years, huh? Looks like we're gonna have to make another great hire, but this time relevance means "staying nationally competitive." GULP!

[nickpapagiorgio]

But to make a lateral career move to a lousy university with a football dominated athletic program -- choosing that over staying at X? I just don't get that at all!

Louisville is a top 10 program. They have the most profitable program in basketball, great facilities, ridiculous fan support and are also in the ACC. It will probably be years until we see any penalties from the NCAA for the Adidas/Pitino/Bowen stuff and who really knows how stiff those penalties will be. I hate Mack leaving, but it's not really a lateral move.

[stever20]

A small part of me is still in denial, as I really don't understand Mack's apparent decision, and until an announcement is made, I'll continue to hold on to that denial because this just makes no sense to me. Chris Mack coaches at his alma mater, where he was a 2-year team captain. He runs a program that can clearly compete for and maybe someday win a national championship; he has never seemed particularly money motivated; he already makes more $$ than he'll ever need; he's a family man with really deep family roots in Cincinnati, and he does not have external pressure to win, win, win EVERY year. So I've always thought Mack is already in his dream job.

And yet he will apparently give it all up in order to try to drain the Louisville swamp! I get that his wife is from there; I get that Louisville is desperate to turn the page, and that they have almost certainly offered him silly money to do so. I even get that in order to succeed as a top bball coach, a guy has to keep challenging himself to prove (to himself?) how good he really is -- the "bigger mountain to climb" mentality.

But to make a lateral career move to a lousy university with a football dominated athletic program -- choosing that over staying at X? I just don't get that at all!

Staak, Gillen, Prosser, Matta, Miller, and Mack. Pretty darn good string of coaches over the past 28 years, huh? Looks like we're gonna have to make another great hire, but this time relevance means "staying nationally competitive." GULP!

Like it or not, it's not a lateral move. Only 6 programs have been to more final 4's than Louisville has. Might have heard of them- UNC, UCLA, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, and Ohio St. 76 wins in the NCAA tourney- only 5 better than them. Xavier is 28-28 in the tourney all time. Louisville is 76-43- with 28 tourney wins in the last 15 years. There's a difference there. Louisville is despite it's current condition(which is an elite 8 just 3 years ago) is a top 10 program, right up there with your Duke, UNC, UCLA, etc.

In a way, for Xavier, it's good that if he leaves, it's for a Louisville. It's not a lateral move, so it's not as big of a hurt as if he had left for even last year Ohio State.

[GoldenWarrior11]

Mack has also been at Xavier for over 14 years, between as an assistant and as a head coach, in addition to another two as a player. I don't necessarily think that this is "Oh, Louisville is miles better than Xavier." What it is, IMO, is a coach deciding he has accomplished all that he can at his current school, and is looking ahead to his next challenge and chapter of his life. The fact that Louisville is so close to Cincinnati, where he is from, and the fact his wife is from there, I think should speak volumes as to why he would accept this job.

I've stated numerous times, but Xavier (like other programs) is a school not defined and built by one coach. Between Mack, Miller, Matta, Prosser and others, you have a remarkable collection of coaches that have all elevated the program in their own ways. Xavier will be fine. Xavier is bigger than Chris Mack. I, for one, would be very excited to see who Xavier hires as a replacement, because it looks like all the assistants are going with him.

[FDS]

it looks like all the assistants are going with him.

The Holtmann Gambit

[DudeAnon]

I for one am excited. Mack did a good job but 9 years is a long time for a single system/style-of-play. Bring on the change.

[GoldenWarrior11]

Pat Kelsey.