TAMPA, Fla. — The University of South Florida moved quickly in hiring its next men’s head basketball coach. Three days after Bryan Hodgson left for Providence College, the Bulls brought in Chris Mack.
Mack comes to Fowler Avenue with an impressive resume that includes four appearances in the Sweet 16 and a trip to the Elite Eight.
WATCH: Chris Mack introduced as USF men's basketball coach
“We wanted somebody that’s not only been to the stages where we want to be, but has also won on those stages,” CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins said. “He checks all those boxes in a really profound way.”
Mack spent the last two seasons at the College of Charleston, with prior stops at Xavier and Louisville. He’s taken notice of this USF program that has won conference championships in two of the last three seasons.
“Absolutely, there is so much to love about the region, the history, the resources, the facilities,” Mack said. “There is a lot that goes into it. When you see a coach, a couple of coaches, do it within a year, what they did. You can’t do that if you don't have an administration aligned. You can’t.”
Higgins selected Mack out of a pool of well over 50 candidates. For Mack, there was a reason for so much interest.
“I think it’s national news. The fact that it’s a fully-funded, revenue sharing, with a forward-thinking CEO of athletics is way different,” Mack said. “Rob has done it at the highest level for the biggest sporting events in the world.”
The next step for Mack is to fill out his roster with the transfer portal opening next week.
“I think the first thing you have to have in a player is that they have to be competitive. We use the term in basketball, 'dogs.' We need some 'dogs,'” Mack said. “I love guys that can shoot, pass and dribble. The more skills we have on the floor at all five positions, the better.”
Among Mack’s accolades, he’s coached 10 NBA players.
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