South Florida reels in Chris Mack as new coach

Former Xavier and Louisville coach Chris Mack was hired Thursday as the new head man at South Florida.

Mack went 45-20 over the past two seasons at College of Charleston.

"I am truly excited for the opportunity to lead a South Florida basketball program that's on an exceptional trajectory and to join a university and athletic department defined by strong leadership, shared aspirations, and tremendous alignment," Mack said in a news release.

Mack replaces Bryan Hodgson, who guided the Bulls to a 25-9 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his lone season. South Florida lost 83-79 to Louisville in the first round and Hodgson subsequently departed for Providence.

Mack, 56, has a 323-153 career record and has reached the NCAA Tournament nine times during 15 seasons as a head coach. He has not advanced his teams to the NCAA Tournament in any of his last five seasons as coach.

Mack led Xavier to eight NCAA Tournament berths in nine seasons from 2009-18, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2017. The Musketeers were a No. 1 seed the following season before they were upset by No. 9 seed Florida State in the second round.

After leaving for Louisville, Mack's team made the 2019 NCAA Tournament and reached No. 1 during the 2019-20 season. But by the middle of the 2021-22 season, Mack was fired with the Cardinals sporting a 6-8 record.

Now Mack arrives in Tampa just after Hodgson matched the school record for victories in a season.

"Bulls basketball has incredible momentum, and we've found an outstanding coach and leader to elevate our program to the next level," USF athletic director 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."