Everyone Is Forgetting Chris Mack Is a Very Good Coach
Chris Mack was supposed to be Louisville’s clean-up guy. Rick Pitino left the Cardinals program in a mess after a series of scandals throughout his tenure. After a successful stint at Xavier, Chris Mack came in to pick up the pieces. He was then caught up in his own NCAA violations investigation, followed by an extortion scandal involving his then-assistant Dino Gaudio. After a rough start to the 2021-22 season, Louisville parted ways with Chris Mack.
Chris Mack With Xavier
Most people seem to focus on the Dino Gaudio incident or the current season’s failures, forgetting that Chris Mack is a very good basketball coach. His first head coaching job was for his alma mater Xavier. Mack led the Musketeers to eight NCAA Tournaments over nine years, compiling two A-10 regular season titles, a Big East regular season title, and a program record 215 wins along the way. Under Mack, Xavier reached three Sweet Sixteens, an Elite Eight, and was a No. 1 seed in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. He wasted no time in guiding them to sustained tournament success.
Chris Mack With Louisville
When he inherited a messy Louisville program, the success continued. Louisville reached the 2019 NCAA Tournament and then was the No. 1 team in the nation at one point during the 2019-20 season. Had the 2020 NCAA Tournament not been cancelled, maybe the Cardinals go on a run and Mack gets more job security. Even though this season was a lost cause, it may have been a little shortsighted to let go of him after a winning season where they missed the tournament and a poor start to this year. Coaches have certainly kept jobs with far more scandal than what the Louisville program was enduring under Chris Mack.
With a settlement from Louisville paying out $4.8 million over the next three years, Mack does have a hefty incentive not to take another coaching job for a little while. But that doesn’t mean programs shouldn’t be picking up the phone to see if he’s available. Even though things didn’t work out at Louisville, his track record reflects that he is an effective coach who would be an asset to most programs.
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