Louisville, head coach Chris Mack officially agree to mutually part ways
And just like, it’s all over. Chris Mack is officially out as the Louisville Men’s Basketball head coach after three and a half seasons at the helm.
After news began to circulate on Tuesday night that Mack and UL would go their separate ways, it all became official not even 24 hours later. On Wednesday afternoon, Louisville announced through a press release that the school has decided to mutually part ways with Mack, effective immediately.
Assistant coach Mike Pegues will take over as the interim head coach for the rest of the 2021-22 season. Pegues served as acting head coach while Mack served a six-game suspension at the beginning of the season that stemmed from his role in the Dino Gaudio extortion case.
“Coaching transitions are always difficult, especially during the course of the season, but Chris and I agreed that it is in the best interests of our student-athletes that he step aside immediately,” UL interim athletics director Josh Heird said in the school’s press release. “We will always prioritize our student-athletes and do all that we can to ensure that they have an incredible experience at Louisville. I want to thank Chris and his family for their service to the University and we wish them the very best in their next chapter.”
The timing of the firing was a bit of a shock considering the college basketball season is currently in the middle of intraconference play. However, with how poorly the vibes around the program were playing out in recent weeks, this decision felt inevitable. It was time to rip off the bandaid.
Mack finished his final season at UL with an 11-9 record, including a 5-5 mark in the ACC. The Cardinals had just lost five of its six previous outings and the players were clearly disinterested in playing under Mack. Hired ahead of the 2018-19 season, Mack will leave Louisville with an overall record of 68-37 and zero NCAA Tournament wins.
Just hours before the news became official, Mack met with reporters where he recognized that he was out as the head coach at Louisville.
“To wake up every day these last four years as the head coach of the University of Louisville has been an opportunity that I will cherish,” Mack wrote in the press release. “Over the past 50 years, this position has been among the most coveted in all of college sports and I count myself lucky to have been a part of this university’s storied history.
“It is with that sense of appreciation that I have made the decision to no longer be your coach. I know that I will miss the daily interactions with our student-athletes, coaches and my university colleagues, but after 25 years of coaching, including the last 13 as a head coach, it is time for me to focus on my family and spend more time being a dad. I don’t know what my future holds, but I do know that I take away from here only the cherished memories and friends we have made in this community and this university.
“Any of us who is given the opportunity to represent this great university knows that we are only in this position because of the passion, support and pride of Cardinal Nation, and I know that the University of Louisville basketball program’s best days remain ahead of it. Coach Pegues is ready to lead this program through the home stretch of the season, and I encourage everyone to pack the KFC Yum! Center to show our players how much the Louisville community cares about Cardinal Basketball.
“With all of our hearts, my family and I thank you for your passion and support and wish Cardinal Nation and the University of Louisville nothing but the best moving forward. Go Cards!”
Now someone tell Louisville to stay the hell away from Kenny Payne…
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