Charleston’s Chris Mack has been announced as the new head coach at South Florida. Mack went 45-20 in two seasons with the Cougars and has amassed 323 total wins in fifteen years as a D-I head coach, most notably at Xavier (2009-18).
“Bulls basketball has incredible momentum, and we’ve found an outstanding coach and leader to elevate our program to the next level,” AD 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. With Chris and Kristy (Curry) leading our men’s and women’s programs, Tampa Bay’s Home for Hoops will be rocking and poised for an incredibly bright future.”
Mack, 56, is a respected member of the coaching community who has been to nine NCAA Tournaments as a head coach in his career. He successfully led the program at Xavier, his alma mater, in a transition up from the A-10 to the Big East and eventually won the latter outright in 2018 in route to a 29-6 season. He won 21+ games in all but one of his nine seasons at X and later spent 3+ seasons at Louisville trying to right the ship after scandal struck the program. He got the Cards to the NCAA Tournament in his first year and likely would have gone in 2020, as well, but ultimately struggled in the following years and was let go midway through the 2021-22 season. He got back onto the sidelines in 2024 with Charleston and led the Cougars to 3rd and 2nd place finishes in the CAA, respectively.
“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. “The exceptional vision and commitment Rob outlined are inspiring, and I am grateful for his trust and belief in my leadership of Bulls basketball. I’m eager to connect with Bulls Nation, the students in the SoFlo Rodeo, and the passionate fans who make the Yuengling Center such a special home court.”
USF is hiring a head men’s basketball coach for the fourth consecutive year, as Mack will replace Bryan Hodgson, who left Tampa for Providence after an incredibly successful season in which the Bulls won the American regular and Tournament titles to reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2012. Before that, the team was led by interim head coach Ben Fletcher, who took over after the tragic passing of previous coach Amir Abdur-Rahim.
credit to South Florida Athletics for the image