Sources: Mack to return as coach at Charleston

Pete Thamel, ESPNMar 30, 2024, 01:05 AM ET Veteran college basketball coach Chris Mack is headed back to the sideline.Mack is anticipated to end up being the next head coach at Charleston, sources validated to ESPN on Friday night. Mack is the previous head coach at Louisville and Xavier and has actually led his teams to 9 NCAA competition looks in 13 years.Mack hasn’t coached since being fired by Louisville in January 2022, a departure that resulted in that school’s unfortunate hiring of Kenny Payne.Mack’s finest work came at Xavier, which he resulted in 5 successive NCAA tournaments during the school’s first 5 years in the Big East to close his tenure there. He led Xavier to eight NCAA appearances in 9 overall seasons as head coach.Editor’s Picks 1 Related He’ll take over a Charleston program that has been at the top of the Coastal Athletic Association the past 2 years and reached the NCAA competition in

each of the

past two years under head coach Pat Kelsey. who previously this week was called Louisville’s coach.Charleston has 7 NCAA looks in school history and its coaching lineage consists of Bobby Cremins and John Kresse.Mack’s hiring is a bold one for Charleston, which has been atop the speculation for the Atlantic

10 in the wake of UMass’upcoming departure to the Mid-American Conference. If Charleston is contributed to the conference in the coming months, Mack would offer the A-10 a proven and consistent winner. He is 278-133 in 13 years as a head coach. He won a pair of A-10 regular season titles and one Big East routine season title while at Xavier.Mack’s history of bringing groups to the NCAA competition does not include his 2019-20 team at Louisville. Mack had Louisville No. 1 in the nation in the Associated Press poll that season and projected as a No. 4 seed that year when the NCAA tournament was canceled.Mack reached the NCAA competition in nine of his first 10 seasons as a head coach. He has authored 10 20-win seasons.The Field of 68 first reported Mack’s expected return at Charleston.