OT: Xavier Basketball Coach Chris Mack to Louisville
Hmmmmm...go from a team that earned a one seed to a team that could get cratered by the NCAA due to the FBI investigation. Okay.
....don't forget the blow, plenty of blow. So in louisville when the strippers come out they "make it rain" and when the blow comes out they "make it snow".
March 27th, 2018 at 10:33 PM ^
But if banging waitresses in back rooms and paying for their abortions is his thing then Louisville is the place for him.
March 27th, 2018 at 10:46 PM ^
Dumb decision.
And Xavier is Mack's alma mater, too. I figured he was going to ride it out there.
March 27th, 2018 at 10:06 PM ^
I think this and the Capel hire is pretty good evidence that nobody thinks the NCAA is going to do anything and the FBI stuff is overblown.
Given the impending sanctions, is that not a lateral move at best for Mack?
Shocking that Louisville somehow got Mack and Pitt ended up with Capel.
you can win National Titles there. Yearly games against UK, Duke and UNC. Top 10 program historically. THE show in town.
Xavier basketball has had a HELL of a run the last 25-30 years (they were on par with Detroit in the MCC before Pete Gillen found his way to Victory Parkway and Dana), but they are still #2 in popularity in their own city.
Money talks and Chris Mack walks.
Louisville is only 80 miles southeast of Cincy. His Ohio connections aren't going to dry up at Louisville.
There's a part of me that sees this as intriguing despite the sanctions because of what you could potentially do and who you get to play in the conference to maybe build your resume. Then there is this part of me that wonders why you would go somewhere that was probably about to suffer some enforced inferiority due to sanctions, which makes it a push on good day from Xavier....at least for a while.
Mack: I want a new job but don't want to leave the banks of the Ohio River.
Agent: Let me see what I can do.
Sanctions or not, if you think it was stupid for him to leave Xavier, well…
had to offer an unusually long term deal. A couple of bad seasons and a coach's stock goes way down, even at their alma mater.
I wouldn't be surprised if he has some outs if the sanctions are too severe. I'm curious what happens if Xavier gets caught up in the corruption scandal. It's a treacherous time to hire a new coach.
had to offer an unusually long term deal. A couple of bad seasons and a coach's stock goes way down, even at their alma mater.
I wouldn't be surprised if he has some outs if the sanctions are too severe. I'm curious what happens if Xavier gets caught up in the corruption scandal. It's a treacherous time to hire a new coach.
;-)
Enjoy those sanctions (that are actually probably going to just be a slap on the wrist because ncaa)
But, but, but.....There is no Jungle Jims in Louisville! This is a terrible move.
Frankly, I am rather surprised at this move. I suspect he has assurances from UL that sanctions will be relatively mild as they shit-canned Pitino and will hope to pile all the wrong-doing onto his already sizeable heap of slimey dealings.....Or, as was mentioned already, he likes hookers and blow.
I'm surprised Xavier was so frugal with his salary. And it will be interesting to see if Capel continues his one-and-done recruiting at Pitt...
but how much money does the Xavier athletic department make? They have 16 sports and the only one which is probably a money maker is men's basketball. While the Big East isn't a mid major when it comes to the quality of the basketball they play, it's probably a mid major in terms of athletic department revenues. The power 5 conference schools make their money from the football TV contracts. The Big East doesn't have D1 football.
Looking at the list in the link below, he was one of the highest paid coaches not in a power 5 conference.
http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/mens-basketball/coach/
...remember the NCAA is the one handing out punishment. They might get dinged a scholarship or two, but the NCAA isn't banhammering them unless they take down over half the Division 1 schools.
More money is more money for sure, and sanctions aside, Louisville is a far more prestiguous program than Xavier. It just is. That being said, I wonder if he has any "outs" in his contract if any incoming sanctions just cripple the program for a few years.
Hard to also beat getting to compete in the ACC, easily the deepest and most consistent conference in basketball. Going against Duke, UNC, Syracuse and UVa every year. Talk about proving yourself among the best in the nation.