The college basketball coaching carousel has begun now that only 16 teams remain in the NCAA Tournament. It has continued to move with Providence firing Kim English and opting to replace him with South Florida basketball head coach Bryan Hodgson. The move left the Bulls with an opening, and they opted for a very experienced head coach in Chris Mack, who will try to stay atop the American Conference.
South Florida is a big school and has proven it has money to spend on athletics. Hiring Chris Mack is a big move on their part and shows they want to stay atop the American Conference by any means necessary and have the money to show for it. Chris Mack had a great run at Xavier and then left for Louisville, but it did not work out with the Cardinals. Now, he's back in coaching with the Bulls.
He coached Xavier for nine seasons, from 2009-18, taking the Musketeers to the NCAA Tournament eight times. Mack won 215 games to 97 losses during his time with Xavier and used that success to land Louisville’s head coaching position from 2018 to 2022. However, Mack only led Louisville to one NCAA Tournament appearance and was let go in 2022.
However, Mack is not done coaching and, after some time off, returned to the profession in 2024, leading the College of Charleston to two 20+ win seasons in the last two years, including 21 wins this season.
“Bulls basketball has incredible momentum, and we've found an outstanding coach and leader to elevate our program to the next level,” USF AD Rob Higgins said.
“Chris Mack has reached 20 or more wins in 12 of his 15 seasons as a head coach and guided teams to nine NCAA Tournaments, including several Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight. He brings elite experience in roster building through the portal and transforming programs in a short time frame. We couldn't be more excited to welcome Chris and his family to Bulls Nation. With Chris and Kristy (Curry) leading our men's and women's programs, Tampa Bay's Home for Hoops will be rocking and poised for an incredibly bright future.”
