Chris Mack is MY coach!

[D-West & PO-Z]

Really could make a strong case Mack outcoached Miller last night.

Did you guys read that that Stain 3 pointer to open the game was a designed play? Mack said it was to basically mess with Miller/confuse them. He said he told Stain if he made the first to shoot another. I found that fascinating.

[Milhouse]

Did you guys read that that Stain 3 pointer to open the game was a designed play? Mack said it was to basically mess with Miller/confuse them. He said he told Stain if he made the first to shoot another. I found that fascinating.

Loved it. Mack with the mind games.

[xu82]

Did you guys read that that Stain 3 pointer to open the game was a designed play? Mack said it was to basically mess with Miller/confuse them. He said he told Stain if he made the first to shoot another. I found that fascinating.

I love that! And I take back some of the things I may have uttered after witnessing it.

[Wheelhouse]

I thought Mack did a great job as the season went on and had this team peaking at the right time. The implementation of the 1-3-1 fueled our turnaround on the defensive end. Major props to Coach Mack for a job well done this year.

I hope he is Xavier's coach for a long time but I think you're fooling yourself if you think he's definitely here for the long haul. He might very well be but it sure isn't a lock. Like it or not, we can't match the money that some of the big schools can throw at a coach. The amount we can offer has increased a bunch, but the lure of the almighty dollar will always be there to possibly lure away our coach. And again, I hope he's here for the long haul!

[GreatWhiteNorth]

I like Mack from the time he became our head coach mostly because he is a Xavier guy, throught and through. I believe that his feeling for X is genuine. How many schools can say that about their head coaches? This has been a tough season but a rewarding one. Congrats to our BB team and all its fans. I am happy.

[Wheelhouse]

Did you guys read that that Stain 3 pointer to open the game was a designed play? Mack said it was to basically mess with Miller/confuse them. He said he told Stain if he made the first to shoot another. I found that fascinating.

I saw that in the press conference. I loved it. I think that kind of thing shows a level of ease with the magnitude of that game and probably helped calm the players as well. Good stuff by CMack.

[xavierj]

Chris out coached Sean for 34 minutes but Sean won the last 6. Sean had left Stain alone with one guy for 34 minutes but started doubling him the last 6 minutes. He also had his guards start to drive and find the open guy vs the zone. Oh and the refs decided to call touch fouls the last 6 minutes as well so that played a part.

[MADXSTER]

Chris out coached Sean for 34 minutes but Sean won the last 6. Sean had left Stain alone with one guy for 34 minutes but started doubling him the last 6 minutes. He also had his guards start to drive and find the open guy vs the zone. Oh and the refs decided to call touch fouls the last 6 minutes as well so that played a part.

Agree. Stain picked up 3 fouls in 60 seconds. Also note that UA made their last 17 free throw attempts.

[xudash]

I love the positive sentiment on this board today, and am not happy with the result last night, but happy with the effort nonetheless.

Throughout this past season, Mack came under fire for a lot of different reasons, some deserved, others a bit unfair. I think it is important to keep in mind how fortunate we are to have what we have in Mack. We have to keep it in perspective.

Mack has taken his lumps on the recruiting trail for sure, and I think it took him a couple years to understand what type of player he was looking for. Because of that, we were left with some barren recruiting classes with players transferring and Dez and Semaj leaving early for other reasons.

Chris Mack has taken XU to 3 Sweet Sixteens in 6 years. Yes, I know - we want more than that. So do I. And I can guarantee you none of us want it more than Mack.

One of the issues with Xavier over the decades has been our coaches leaving for "bigger" or "better" programs once they find sustained success in the Queen City. In my opinion, this has kept XU from achieving its ultimate goal of reaching a FF and getting a championship.

Sometimes it is hard to keep our expectations of coaches in check. Look what we have become accustomed to over the years? We have found INCREDIBLE basketball coaches time and time again to lead our program. Instead of looking at Mack's weaknesses, I think people need to focus more on his strengths. By all accounts, Mack is here for the long haul. He LOVES Xavier University and his family loves Cincinnati. I love how proud he is of our history, our tradition and our program. He gets it. These are intangible qualities that you CAN'T find in other coaches! How many programs have an alma mater determined to take his program that he loves to the next level? It really is something special, something I don't think we focus on enough.

Mack's personal history aside, I think this year was a bellwether season for him from a coaching standpoint. There were a lot of moving pieces this year, and while we were talented, I don't think we were quite as developed as we would have liked. Our offensive efficiency was one of the best in the country, and more importantly, our defense made ENORMOUS strides throughout the year. Mack had us playing the best basketball when we needed to.

Mack can recruit.

Mack can coach.

He actually does both of them at a very high level.

His players LOVE playing for him.

I love Xavier basketball - some would say too much. And watching Miller all week with his AZ gear on reminiscing about his time at X, I began to realize something. Miller loved it here, he did. But it was just a school for him. It was another city. He's a Pitt guy. Cincinnati was no different to him when he got here than any other city.

Mack is a Xavier man. He loves his alma mater, which just so happens to be mine.

Mack hates UC.

Mack hates Butler.

Although he wouldn't publicly admit to either.

Chris Mack is MY COACH. And I can't wait for him to take us to the promised land. He will enjoy more than anyone knows.

I am going to raise a glass to Coach Mack tonight while watching the NCAAs and get all kinds of jacked up thinking about Mack leading another group of young, coachable Muskies to another run at the title next season and for many years to come.

Public reps to go with the private ones. Excellent post.

We may have to bronze this one and bring it out during next season from time to time (pardon me while I whip this out) when there are instances of a lack of, shall we call it, sufficient perspective.

[xudash]

I thought Mack did a great job as the season went on and had this team peaking at the right time. The implementation of the 1-3-1 fueled our turnaround on the defensive end. Major props to Coach Mack for a job well done this year.

I hope he is Xavier's coach for a long time but I think you're fooling yourself if you think he's definitely here for the long haul. He might very well be but it sure isn't a lock. Like it or not, we can't match the money that some of the big schools can throw at a coach. The amount we can offer has increased a bunch, but the lure of the almighty dollar will always be there to possibly lure away our coach. And again, I hope he's here for the long haul!

You may be right, but I'll offer the following as reasons why we need to be careful about comparing Chris possibly leaving to those who left before him:

1. He is a Xavier guy, and that counts, especially since he also is a Cincinnati native, which counts in its own way.

2. The previous coaches did not have the Big East as part of their arsenal. If you don't think that's a big deal, then I can't help you - the general "you", not you specifically Wheelhouse.

3. We can throw more money at him now as direct compensation. Sean was being taken to low 7 digits with Xavier in the A10. We can get Chris into 7 digits now for his base salary, if he isn't already.

4. Hey look at that: we now have an endowed coaching position; we've never had that before.

Aside from his nexus to Xavier and Cincinnati and aside from the money, I suspect Chris has had conversations with Sean about Sean's experience moving to Arizona.

Bottomline: What increment of money is required on the left side of the scale to tip the balance for a change of venue from what sits on the right side of the scale, which includes:

Big fish in a basketball-focused pond.
Alma Mater.
Home.
7-digit total package over a multiple year period (i.e. it's about annual number times the number of years you survive in a position, with any P5 job that could be considered carrying a higher performance risk factor than what exists at a known like Xavier).