Mack wastes little time setting expectations as USF's men's basketball coach

On the job less than a week, it took less than a minute to see the “relentless obsession” Athletics CEO Rob Higgins wanted in South Florida’s next men’s basketball coach.

Even when his new bosses call, work comes first.

“To the chair of the Board of Trustees, Will Weatherford, I appreciate your phone call this morning,” Mack said. “I didn't answer it, but I appreciate it. We were watching film of transfers. It was a little bit more important.”

Mack, 56, comes to USF after two years at College of Charleston, where he went 45-20 over the past two seasons. He has a career record of 323-153 over 15 seasons, including a dozen 20-win seasons and nine NCAA Tournament appearances at Louisville and Xavier.

“Listen, I'm damn excited to be the head coach here at the University of South Florida,” Mack said during his introductory news conference Tuesday in Tampa. “Unbelievably excited. Our teams are going to compete for championships each and every year. We’re going to do it with great representatives of this university.”

He wants "everyday guys" to help build that success: “It may not bring the same result every day, but they're going to bring the same effort, the same attitude, the same energy. You win with those type of guys – all day, every day.”

ALSO READ: USF Bulls hire coaching veteran Chris Mack to lead men's basketball team

To get there, Mack explained his players will be taught four main principles: mental and physical toughness, resilience, unity and energy.

“We're going to be unified. Basketball's a team game. You want an individual sport, be a swimmer. You want an individual sport, be a golfer. This is a team sport – pass the ball, share the ball, glorify your teammates.”

It was an approach he used at his alma mater Xavier, from 2009 to 2018, when the Musketeers made four trips to the Sweet 16 and one Elite Eight appearance. In Year 1, he took Louisville to the NCAAs and a year later had the Cardinals atop the AP poll before COVID-19 interrupted the season. Along the way, he’s coached 10 NBA players.

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Two weeks ago, when Coach Bryan Hodgson jumped from USF to Providence College after one very successful season, the search for a replacement began in earnest.

It was USF’s fifth time filling the position in five years. But many coaches and athletes have been swayed by the university’s publicly stated approach to fund a successful athletics program.

ALSO READ: 'Trailblazer' coach Kristy Curry opts for USF's vision and investment in women's hoops

Higgins said “well over 50 candidates” contacted USF. “The incoming interest that we received was mind-blowing,” he said. “It was impressive, and it was unprecedented. If you saw or heard a name out there, it's highly likely that we talked to them.”

Mack’s resume and reputation immediately stood out from the rest, said Higgins, who was hired by USF in September.

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“We needed to go proactively to get him,” he continued. “The more we talked to him, the more we understood he was the perfect leader for our next chapter. While others were recruiting us, we believed in him and went to work on recruiting him.”

Hodgson led the Bulls to a 25-9 record, American Conference title and NCAA bid. He replaced interim coach Ben Fletcher, who was 13-19 after taking over days before the 2024-25 season because of the unexpected death of Amir Abdur-Rahim.

Abdur-Rahim turned around the program in one season (25-8, regular-season American title) after taking over for Brian Gregory, who went 79–107 over six seasons.

“A lot has been made about five coaches in five years,” Mack said. “We all know that a big part of that was an unbelievable tragedy. You all lived that. Amazing coaches, like Amir Abdur-Rahim, like Bryan Hodgson, brought a great spotlight to this program and to this university. That light is about to get a whole lot brighter.

“You ain't seen nothing, yet. Bulls fans, buckle up.”