Moving On

[xudash]

If you're still mad and bitter, I get it. I understand it.

Chris Mack was supposed to be "our guy." We had just ascended to a BE Regular Season Championship and a 1-Seed. Major, impressive accomplishments for the Xavier program. Mack himself had racked up an impressive list of accomplishments while at Xavier. Yes, no F4's and no NC, but a resume that most schools would love to parade around. He was our guy. One of us. A Cincinnati guy. A former Xavier basketball player. He was our Mark Few. And then the - to many - unthinkable happened: he decides to bolt to another program. Worse yet, there was a lot of noise about meetings taking place in NYC during the BET and perceptions of Chris being mentally checked out before he was out the door.

He left. He left after a flameout in the BET and on top of an unexpected (by many) NCAAT result. Worse yet, he leaves for what he says is his dream job - a school that, shall we say, has a less than impressive reputation.

I was rather mad and bitter myself, attempting to process what I perceived could and should have been moving forward versus having to process the unknown that we presently find ourselves in right now.

This is the hardest part, btw: right now. It's tough right now, because we simply don't know where we're headed yet with respect to the new staff. Uncertainty is risk. Uncertainty for a fan base going through a transition such as this is hell. And the stakes are higher now, because we're no longer in mid-majorville. We have to navigate waters that require us to respond in a manner that will allow us to sustain performance at a level sufficient to keep us highly competitive in one of the top basketball conferences in the U.S. Regardless of what anyone anywhere says or thinks, we know that we're beyond the Buick/Lexus bull now. There is no reason Xavier can't win a NC. We're not in the rarified air of the blue bloods, but we continue to reduce the gap we experience between them and us.

WITH ALL THAT OFFERED, HERE'S THE THING: When I woke up today, and after my first few sips of coffee, I looked out a window and thought to ask myself a question:

WAS CHRIS MACK THE XAVIER PROGRAM OR IS THE XAVIER PROGRAM BIGGER THAN CHRIS MACK?

It's a simple question. It has an obvious answer. But, if you start to make yourself process the answer, I think you'll begin to come to the realization that we at least now sit here with some absolute truths in force:

1. The Xavier University basketball program has become a major program, and it is a very attractive program to coaching talent who want to excel. I'm making this point with not just the HC position in mind. I'm making this point because I believe we'll end up with some extraordinary assistant coaches through this process as well. We've done that traditionally, but primarily through the A10 years. Imagine our ability to attract talent now as a member of the BE.

2. Xavier has a national reputation for reloading when it comes to coaches. Yes, there are no guarantees that we'll always get it right or get it right this specific time around, but I like our chances. Again, we're a very different program now from when we did this the last time in replacing Miller with Mack. The key players have changed - Bobinski to Christopher in this case - but it's in our culture. It's in our DNA. I like our chances for moving forward successfully.

3. To amplify the second point above, I'll state here that I know Greg Christopher well enough to know that we have a very solid executive at the helm of the ship. He is very talented and very well organized. He is totally up to this challenge. I believe we'll end up with the right guy. I believe that guy will be structured into a deal that makes sense for him and for Xavier.

4. Greg won't be doing this alone anyway, as I imagine that a BoT member or two and other key individuals around the nation will help with the evaluation process (i.e. maybe primarily with evaluating the prospects' plans for advancing the program, etc.).

The Xavier administration could not be more serious when they refer to the Xavier Basketball Program as the FRONT PORCH of the university. We'll get this right.

Chris Mack: thank you for all that you did for X. I wish you and your family well. I do not care to wish you continued success in coaching. My door with you is now closed.

I now look forward to Xavier continuing on a successful path in NCAAM's hoops. The program is bigger than any one coach. We're about to prove that all over again.

[94GRAD]

If you're still mad and bitter, I get it. I understand it.

Chris Mack was supposed to be "our guy." We had just ascended to a BE Regular Season Championship and a 1-Seed. Major, impressive accomplishments for the Xavier program. Mack himself had racked up an impressive list of accomplishments while at Xavier. Yes, no F4's and no NC, but a resume that most schools would love to parade around. He was our guy. One of us. A Cincinnati guy. A former Xavier basketball player. He was our Mark Few. And then the - to many - unthinkable happened: he decides to bolt to another program. Worse yet, there was a lot of noise about meetings taking place in NYC during the BET and perceptions of Chris being mentally checked out before he was out the door.

He left. He left after a flameout in the BET and on top of an unexpected (by many) NCAAT result. Worse yet, he leaves for what he says is his dream job - a school that, shall we say, has a less than impressive reputation.

I was rather mad and bitter myself, attempting to process what I perceived could and should have been moving forward versus having to process the unknown that we presently find ourselves in right now.

This is the hardest part, btw: right now. It's tough right now, because we simply don't know where we're headed yet with respect to the new staff. Uncertainty is risk. Uncertainty for a fan base going through a transition such as this is hell. And the stakes are higher now, because we're no longer in mid-majorville. We have to navigate waters that require us to respond in a manner that will allow us to sustain performance at a level sufficient to keep us highly competitive in one of the top basketball conferences in the U.S. Regardless of what anyone anywhere says or thinks, we know that we're beyond the Buick/Lexus bull now. There is no reason Xavier can't win a NC. We're not in the rarified air of the blue bloods, but we continue to reduce the gap we experience between them and us.

WITH ALL THAT OFFERED, HERE'S THE THING: When I woke up today, and after my first few sips of coffee, I looked out a window and thought to ask myself a question:

WAS CHRIS MACK THE XAVIER PROGRAM OR IS THE XAVIER PROGRAM BIGGER THAN CHRIS MACK?

It's a simple question. It has an obvious answer. But, if you start to make yourself process the answer, I think you'll begin to come to the realization that we at least now sit here with some absolute truths in force:

1. The Xavier University basketball program has become a major program, and it is a very attractive program to coaching talent who want to excel. I'm making this point with not just the HC position in mind. I'm making this point because I believe we'll end up with some extraordinary assistant coaches through this process as well. We've done that traditionally, but primarily through the A10 years. Imagine our ability to attract talent now as a member of the BE.

2. Xavier has a national reputation for reloading when it comes to coaches. Yes, there are no guarantees that we'll always get it right or get it right this specific time around, but I like our chances. Again, we're a very different program now from when we did this the last time in replacing Miller with Mack. The key players have changed - Bobinski to Christopher in this case - but it's in our culture. It's in our DNA. I like our chances for moving forward successfully.

3. To amplify the second point above, I'll state here that I know Greg Christopher well enough to know that we have a very solid executive at the helm of the ship. He is very talented and very well organized. He is totally up to this challenge. I believe we'll end up with the right guy. I believe that guy will be structured into a deal that makes sense for him and for Xavier.

4. Greg won't be doing this alone anyway, as I imagine that a BoT member or two and other key individuals around the nation will help with the evaluation process (i.e. maybe primarily with evaluating the prospects' plans for advancing the program, etc.).

The Xavier administration could not be more serious when they refer to the Xavier Basketball Program as the FRONT PORCH of the university. We'll get this right.

Chris Mack: thank you for all that you did for X. I wish you and your family well. I do not care to wish you continued success in coaching. My door with you is now closed.

I now look forward to Xavier continuing on a successful path in NCAAM's hoops. The program is bigger than any one coach. We're about to prove that all over again.


100%

[Lamont Sanford]

Well said Dash.

Very much agree with this statement..."Chris Mack: thank you for all that you did for X. I wish you and your family well. I do not care to wish you continued success in coaching. My door with you is now closed."

There's no denying that CM had checked out after the BET loss to Providence. I too have heard confirmed reports that the deal with UofL was struck in the late hours of that night in NYC. That still bothers me most. He bailed on his team.

All that said, I think I'm finally on the Steele train. He is our best bet to keep this thing together in the short term, but I have ZERO faith he will stay at X forever.

[paulxu]

What Mack and those before him have created is adequately noted in Dash's post.
I can also imagine it places an additional amount of pressure on whoever comes next.
It's one thing to come into a program headed into the crapper (losing seasons, NCAA problems, legal problems, etc) and turn it around. You'll get a lot of leeway.
You follow Gillem, Prosser, Matta, Miller, Mack...you're following an ever ascending program with no major hiccups. You don't want to be the one to break that virtually unbroken string of success.

[Cheesehead]

Great post, Dash. I am moving through my stages of grief and I also second that I will not root for Mack or Louisville. He had this deal done in NYC and they recruited for Louisville while still employed by Xavier.

That's just wrong!

[paulxu]

He had this deal done in NYC and they recruited for Louisville while still employed by Xavier.

That's just wrong!

I certainly have no way of knowing about this. But is there rock solid evidence?

I can't imagine Christopher would have allowed the Athletic Department to put out the very public thank you note to him, all over the media, if that was the case.

[Caveat]

A good part of the fan “angst” is the realization many are coming to that rising high also means you have a long way to fall.

[xu82]

Well said. As you stated, this moment in time is the hardest part. The fear of the unknown is often far worse than any reasonable outcome.

[SemajParlor]

Dear Chris Mack,


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz8LK3Dum84

[sirthought]

You follow Gillem, Prosser, Matta, Miller, Mack...you're following an ever ascending program with no major hiccups. You don't want to be the one to break that virtually unbroken string of success.

Hard to say if they were MAJOR hiccups——not sure what that would entail——but both Miller and Mack had some tough seasons early on. They turned things around and won (sometimes against the odds). The scariest part is what if they hadn't turned it around so well? And was that turn around made easier by being in the A10?

I look at the Big East and see there are some storied programs who have struggled to find the right stuff. I expect a challenging season next year, but let's hope the program doesn't slide too much due to recruiting or coaching changes. I'm optimistic, but you can never know when calamity strikes.

[Masterofreality]

I certainly have no way of knowing about this. But is there rock solid evidence?

I can't imagine Christopher would have allowed the Athletic Department to put out the very public thank you note to him, all over the media, if that was the case.

Enough *sources* have indicated to me that there WERE New York meetings, but that this thing was going on waaaaay before NY.

But, screw it. I've moved on. We are now The Men of Steele!!

[xu koop scoop]

I would love to see the Men of Steele Smack Mack in a future XU-Louisville NCAA Tourney Game. How could we expect Mack to get us to a Final 4 when he was having an affair with Louisville.

[whopper]

at this level the slightest lack of focus will be fatal. My DVR of the game has us up by 2 70-68 with 1 minute to go and Tyrique then drew an offensive foul so we had the ball. That ended up with the Tre cross court pass and the 3 point play by FSU..that is how close it was! GOd only knows. Love the team and loved coach Mack but...

[gladdenguy]

I would love to see the Men of Steele Smack Mack in a future XU-Louisville NCAA Tourney Game. How could we expect Mack to get us to a Final 4 when he was having an affair with Louisville.

Bingo. Beating Mack would be so much better than beating Sean. In fact, if Xavier was to get to a final four I would hope Sean would too. As for Mack, I hope he never gets to another Elite 8.

[MarvAlbert]

Twitter handles: Generic "CoachChrisMack" vs "CoachSteeleXU"...he's a lifer! Provided Twitter remains relevant and someone takes the time to register every variation of "Coach," "Travis," "Steele, and every major d1 school

[X Factor]

https://twitter.com/CoachChrisMack/status/980135898099707904

This tweet from Mack about Steele has some nice responses...:munch:

[GIMMFD]

https://twitter.com/JasonRileyWDRB/status/979806107475628032

Lol honestly, he's making it easier and easier to hate him with each passing comment.

[mohr5150]

So, the past couple of weeks have sucked pretty hard as a Xavier fan. From the loss in the Big East Tournament, to the loss in the second round to FSU, to then a home-grown alumnus turning his back on his alma mater for a situation that is up in the air at best due to some really dirty happenings, it has definitely brought this fan down to earth and reality has set in about the state of our beloved basketball program. I had a pretty good inkling that Mack was going to leave for Louisville before this season started. In fact, this was the one job that really worried me for the past couple of years, even before Pitino did whatever he did that caused U of L to finally say, "Enough is enough." By the way, how did what he did this time around actually get them to that point? The other things he did weren't enough? Anyway, this whole situation has caused me to reflect on what is a truly realistic expectation for this program going forward.

Everyone involved with the program seemed to have put all their eggs in the Mack basket as the person who was going to make this a destination job. It made sense. Hometown guy. Graduate. Roots in the community. Why not? It now seems everyone was, somehow, completely duped by a guy who had no interest in being that guy. Did he lie his way through the last nine years with those who thought they knew him? I have no idea. It blows my mind to think this was a surprise to anyone who truly knew him. I don't know Mack from Adam, only running into him a handful of times when we were in school together. I wasn't impressed with him then but was convinced by people who knew him in later years that he was a changed man, a man who was a straight shooter and a family man. I took those people at their word. Now I'm not sure they knew what they were talking about. It seems to me that he had a plan to leave, especially for U of L, the entire time. Whatever the reasoning is for the move, it doesn't matter, really, or is it really what we should be focused on?

It seems there are several avenues that can be taken as to why this move was made, and his words seem to be making it more and more obvious as to why. Was it money? I don't believe so. Xavier was going to be pretty competitive in their compensation. It may not have equaled what U of L was going to give him, but it was fairly close. Was it his wife and her family? That may have had something to do with it, but I don't buy that was the main reason. To me, it seems like Mack has gone down the same road that our previous two coaches went down in believing there really isn't any way for him to reach the promised land at X. I don't think he believes it is possible to reach a Final Four or win a national championship at X. Or, maybe more clearly, he believes it will be easier at U of L than at X. He has put in nine very long years of tough recruiting, trying to convince young men who want to win it all that it is possible to do so at X. How many of those top tier guys was he able to convince that it was possible? One? Bluiett? Maybe Scruggs? And did he really convince Bluiett, or did he just luck out in landing him like Miller did Tu Holloway and Jordan Crawford? How many top 50 recruits picked us over other schools without other extenuating circumstances being a factor during his time here? The past off-season had to be really tough because he seemed to really try to sell the idea of bring the 4-star guys here. Or did he? Is it possible that what occurred with our recruiting was all part of his plan to convince himself that the move he was making was the right one? Is it possible that he overshot for recruits, knowing that we probably wouldn't land them, then giving himself a solid excuse as to why he should leave? And if we possibly landed one or two of these top studs, all the better for X, right? No matter what the thought process was, I believe it was a no-brainer for him that he was leaving once Pitino did whatever slimy thing that was slimier than all the other slimy things he did to get canned. And I'm sure that many of those he was recruiting had a pretty good idea of Mack's plans as well.

So, where does this leave us as a program? I think many of us need to come to the realization that we are a very nice program that has had some amazing success, especially for the size of our school. We don't have the endowment, we don't have the number of graduates, we don't have the number of donors to compete with the big, big boys. We may be able to continue to be competitive in the Big East and across most of the country, but it is going to take some serious luck, some Loyola of Chicago luck, in order to get to what many consider the "promised land." Can we, as a fan base, be happy with making the tournament most years, reaching the sweet 16 every few years, and maybe making an elite 8 every decade or so? Most programs would die for that. Find another school our size and ask if they would like that. It is a deflating realization, to be sure, but that is where I am right now. I hope Travis Steele is a great hire. I hope he is able to do some amazing things with this program and get us to the "promised land." Unfortunately, I'm not counting on it. Instead, I believe that, if he does succeed, he will follow the path of the other cast of characters we have had in that head coaching seat and will head out the door as soon as success leads him to take his "dream job." And we will be doing the same thing that we have done in the past with Gillen, Prosser, Matta, Miller, and now Mack. It is a very sour pill to swallow, especially after a season like what we just experienced.

[Xville]

[QUOTE=mohr5150;622395]So, the past couple of weeks have sucked pretty hard as a Xavier fan. From the loss in the Big East Tournament, to the loss in the second round to FSU, to then a home-grown alumnus turning his back on his alma mater for a situation that is up in the air at best due to some really dirty happenings, it has definitely brought this fan down to earth and reality has set in about the state of our beloved basketball program. I had a pretty good inkling that Mack was going to leave for Louisville before this season started. In fact, this was the one job that really worried me for the past couple of years, even before Pitino did whatever he did that caused U of L to finally say, "Enough is enough." By the way, how did what he did this time around actually get them to that point? The other things he did weren't enough? Anyway, this whole situation has caused me to reflect on what is a truly realistic expectation for this program going forward.

Everyone involved with the program seemed to have put all their eggs in the Mack basket as the person who was going to make this a destination job. It made sense. Hometown guy. Graduate. Roots in the community. Why not? It now seems everyone was, somehow, completely duped by a guy who had no interest in being that guy. Did he lie his way through the last nine years with those who thought they knew him? I have no idea. It blows my mind to think this was a surprise to anyone who truly knew him. I don't know Mack from Adam, only running into him a handful of times when we were in school together. I wasn't impressed with him then but was convinced by people who knew him in later years that he was a changed man, a man who was a straight shooter and a family man. I took those people at their word. Now I'm not sure they knew what they were talking about. It seems to me that he had a plan to leave, especially for U of L, the entire time. Whatever the reasoning is for the move, it doesn't matter, really, or is it really what we should be focused on?

It seems there are several avenues that can be taken as to why this move was made, and his words seem to be making it more and more obvious as to why. Was it money? I don't believe so. Xavier was going to be pretty competitive in their compensation. It may not have equaled what U of L was going to give him, but it was fairly close. Was it his wife and her family? That may have had something to do with it, but I don't buy that was the main reason. To me, it seems like Mack has gone down the same road that our previous two coaches went down in believing there really isn't any way for him to reach the promised land at X. I don't think he believes it is possible to reach a Final Four or win a national championship at X. Or, maybe more clearly, he believes it will be easier at U of L than at X. He has put in nine very long years of tough recruiting, trying to convince young men who want to win it all that it is possible to do so at X. How many of those top tier guys was he able to convince that it was possible? One? Bluiett? Maybe Scruggs? And did he really convince Bluiett, or did he just luck out in landing him like Miller did Tu Holloway and Jordan Crawford? How many top 50 recruits picked us over other schools without other extenuating circumstances being a factor during his time here? The past off-season had to be really tough because he seemed to really try to sell the idea of bring the 4-star guys here. Or did he? Is it possible that what occurred with our recruiting was all part of his plan to convince himself that the move he was making was the right one? Is it possible that he overshot for recruits, knowing that we probably wouldn't land them, then giving himself a solid excuse as to why he should leave? And if we possibly landed one or two of these top studs, all the better for X, right? No matter what the thought process was, I believe it was a no-brainer for him that he was leaving once Pitino did whatever slimy thing that was slimier than all the other slimy things he did to get canned. And I'm sure that many of those he was recruiting had a pretty good idea of Mack's plans as well.

So, where does this leave us as a program? I think many of us need to come to the realization that we are a very nice program that has had some amazing success, especially for the size of our school. We don't have the endowment, we don't have the number of graduates, we don't have the number of donors to compete with the big, big boys. We may be able to continue to be competitive in the Big East and across most of the country, but it is going to take some serious luck, some Loyola of Chicago luck, in order to get to what many consider the "promised land." Can we, as a fan base, be happy with making the tournament most years, reaching the sweet 16 every few years, and maybe making an elite 8 every decade or so? Most programs would die for that. Find another school our size and ask if they would like that. It is a deflating realization, to be sure, but that is where I am right now. I hope Travis Steele is a great hire. I hope he is able to do some amazing things with this program and get us to the "promised land." Unfortunately, I'm not counting on it. Instead, I believe that, if he does succeed, he will follow the path of the other cast of characters we have had in that head coaching seat and will head out the door as soon as success leads him to take his "dream job." And we will be doing the same thing that we have done in the past with Gillen, Prosser, Matta, Miller, and now Mack. It is a very sour pill to swallow, especially after a season like what we just

Really? Villanova is in our league...a school not.much bigger than ours, facilities not as nice as ours and they are about to be cutting down the nets 2 out of 3 years. It can be done and we don't need Loyola luck...we just need a better coach. What we need to accept as a fanbase is that mack wasnt anything special...good but not great. I'm hoping Steele is a great coach. We will get there and we don't need the ridiculous notion of Loyola luck.

[mohr5150]

[QUOTE=mohr5150;622395]So, the past couple of weeks have sucked pretty hard as a Xavier fan. From the loss in the Big East Tournament, to the loss in the second round to FSU, to then a home-grown alumnus turning his back on his alma mater for a situation that is up in the air at best due to some really dirty happenings, it has definitely brought this fan down to earth and reality has set in about the state of our beloved basketball program. I had a pretty good inkling that Mack was going to leave for Louisville before this season started. In fact, this was the one job that really worried me for the past couple of years, even before Pitino did whatever he did that caused U of L to finally say, "Enough is enough." By the way, how did what he did this time around actually get them to that point? The other things he did weren't enough? Anyway, this whole situation has caused me to reflect on what is a truly realistic expectation for this program going forward.

Everyone involved with the program seemed to have put all their eggs in the Mack basket as the person who was going to make this a destination job. It made sense. Hometown guy. Graduate. Roots in the community. Why not? It now seems everyone was, somehow, completely duped by a guy who had no interest in being that guy. Did he lie his way through the last nine years with those who thought they knew him? I have no idea. It blows my mind to think this was a surprise to anyone who truly knew him. I don't know Mack from Adam, only running into him a handful of times when we were in school together. I wasn't impressed with him then but was convinced by people who knew him in later years that he was a changed man, a man who was a straight shooter and a family man. I took those people at their word. Now I'm not sure they knew what they were talking about. It seems to me that he had a plan to leave, especially for U of L, the entire time. Whatever the reasoning is for the move, it doesn't matter, really, or is it really what we should be focused on?

It seems there are several avenues that can be taken as to why this move was made, and his words seem to be making it more and more obvious as to why. Was it money? I don't believe so. Xavier was going to be pretty competitive in their compensation. It may not have equaled what U of L was going to give him, but it was fairly close. Was it his wife and her family? That may have had something to do with it, but I don't buy that was the main reason. To me, it seems like Mack has gone down the same road that our previous two coaches went down in believing there really isn't any way for him to reach the promised land at X. I don't think he believes it is possible to reach a Final Four or win a national championship at X. Or, maybe more clearly, he believes it will be easier at U of L than at X. He has put in nine very long years of tough recruiting, trying to convince young men who want to win it all that it is possible to do so at X. How many of those top tier guys was he able to convince that it was possible? One? Bluiett? Maybe Scruggs? And did he really convince Bluiett, or did he just luck out in landing him like Miller did Tu Holloway and Jordan Crawford? How many top 50 recruits picked us over other schools without other extenuating circumstances being a factor during his time here? The past off-season had to be really tough because he seemed to really try to sell the idea of bring the 4-star guys here. Or did he? Is it possible that what occurred with our recruiting was all part of his plan to convince himself that the move he was making was the right one? Is it possible that he overshot for recruits, knowing that we probably wouldn't land them, then giving himself a solid excuse as to why he should leave? And if we possibly landed one or two of these top studs, all the better for X, right? No matter what the thought process was, I believe it was a no-brainer for him that he was leaving once Pitino did whatever slimy thing that was slimier than all the other slimy things he did to get canned. And I'm sure that many of those he was recruiting had a pretty good idea of Mack's plans as well.

So, where does this leave us as a program? I think many of us need to come to the realization that we are a very nice program that has had some amazing success, especially for the size of our school. We don't have the endowment, we don't have the number of graduates, we don't have the number of donors to compete with the big, big boys. We may be able to continue to be competitive in the Big East and across most of the country, but it is going to take some serious luck, some Loyola of Chicago luck, in order to get to what many consider the "promised land." Can we, as a fan base, be happy with making the tournament most years, reaching the sweet 16 every few years, and maybe making an elite 8 every decade or so? Most programs would die for that. Find another school our size and ask if they would like that. It is a deflating realization, to be sure, but that is where I am right now. I hope Travis Steele is a great hire. I hope he is able to do some amazing things with this program and get us to the "promised land." Unfortunately, I'm not counting on it. Instead, I believe that, if he does succeed, he will follow the path of the other cast of characters we have had in that head coaching seat and will head out the door as soon as success leads him to take his "dream job." And we will be doing the same thing that we have done in the past with Gillen, Prosser, Matta, Miller, and now Mack. It is a very sour pill to swallow, especially after a season like what we just

Really? Villanova is in our league...a school not.much bigger than ours, facilities not as nice as ours and they are about to be cutting down the nets 2 out of 3 years. It can be done and we don't need Loyola luck...we just need a better coach. What we need to accept as a fanbase is that mack wasnt anything special...good but not great. I'm hoping Steele is a great coach. We will get there and we don't need the ridiculous notion of Loyola luck.

Nova: 11,000 students, with an engineering school and law school, both bring in amazing money in donations. They are located in one of the biggest cities in the US with virtually no competition for support because the other schools suck at basketball.

Xavier: 6,700 students, with MBA as their big graduate degree program. They are located in a top 50 city in the US but is dwarfed by the 44,000-student public university just two miles away.

Almost twice as many students a year means a whole lot more donors. Multiply that by the number of years they have had to build that success in the Big East with a coach that made it a destination job without even going to school there, and that's how they have succeeded. Mack totally screwed us with his decision to not make this a destination job, and his words over the past few days are making it worse. Again, I hope Steele is able to do it, but I'm done holding my breath.

[UCGRAD4X]

Really? Villanova is in our league...a school not.much bigger than ours, facilities not as nice as ours and they are about to be cutting down the nets 2 out of 3 years. It can be done and we don't need Loyola luck...we just need a better coach. What we need to accept as a fanbase is that mack wasnt anything special...good but not great. I'm hoping Steele is a great coach. We will get there and we don't need the ridiculous notion of Loyola luck.[/QUOTE]

This +1.

I had hoped that Mack would 'get better', surround himself with some great assistants (the downside to this, obviously, is that they would eventually leave) and with continued success get better player and continue to 'grow the program'.

I gave him some accolades because he was our guy, but I never, ever thought he was a great coach....maybe becoming one, but not quite there.

I know that is easy to say now - hindsight being 20/20 and all. After all, he never did get us to the promised land...yet. And now we will never know.

[Xville]

[QUOTE=Xville;622396]

Nova: 11,000 students, with an engineering school and law school, both bring in amazing money in donations. They are located in one of the biggest cities in the US with virtually no competition for support because the other schools suck at basketball.

Xavier: 6,700 students, with MBA as their big graduate degree program. They are located in a top 50 city in the US but is dwarfed by the 44,000-student public university just two miles away.

Almost twice as many students a year means a whole lot more donors. Multiply that by the number of years they have had to build that success in the Big East with a coach that made it a destination job without even going to school there, and that's how they have succeeded. Mack totally screwed us with his decision to not make this a destination job, and his words over the past few days are making it worse. Again, I hope Steele is able to do it, but I'm done holding my breath.

Yet we have much better facilities and have more attendance. There is nothing holding Xavier back from being villanova st this point but a good enough coach to get us there.

[xudash]

Yes. Let's address a few of the strategic concerns here, which are valid to address.

Xavier does sit at less than 7k students and has no law or other professional schools. BTW, having a law school these days is problematic if you don't have a solid one.

On the other hand, since Father Hoff (can't recall the exact year), the University has raised a half billion dollars. Obviously, you see a lot of that in the campus now. You'll soon see the key missing capital project - THE HUB - materialize. That won't finish the physical vision for the campus, but it represents a huge piece that we presently lack.

Otherwise, the endowment is heading north of $300mm in a relatively short timeframe.

Beyond all that, all those Forbes rankings for basketball programs that we made for years say something about our wherewithal to compete. And we were in those rankings even as a member of the A10. We remained in them even after walking away from a bunch of A10 NCAAT UNIT money, with the Big East Unit money starting out at ZERO. Imagine what BE NCAAT UNIT money is beginning to look like now!

Overall, as a member of the BE and given our program infrastructure, I'm not remotely worried about our ability to achieve the FINAL 2%.

Hell, the Buick took out the Lexus last year.

Ask a Kansas fan how they feel about competing against a BE team right now.

Mack "shocked" most of us with his decision. His decision is on him and it was his right to make it, but, sorry, his decision does not cast a negative reflection on Xavier.

Process this for a moment: Miller called him to tell him to stay. And then Miller himself apparently had interest once Mack actually left.

[Masterofreality]

Yes. Let's address a few of the strategic concerns here, which are valid to address.

Xavier does sit at less than 7k students and has no law or other professional schools. BTW, having a law school these days is problematic if you don't have a solid one.

On the other hand, since Father Hoff (can't recall the exact year), the University has raised a half billion dollars. Obviously, you see a lot of that in the campus now. You'll soon see the key missing capital project - THE HUB - materialize. That won't finish the physical vision for the campus, but it represents a huge piece that we presently lack.

Otherwise, the endowment is heading north of $300mm in a relatively short timeframe.

Beyond all that, all those Forbes rankings for basketball programs that we made for years say something about our wherewithal to compete. And we were in those rankings even as a member of the A10. We remained in them even after walking away from a bunch of A10 NCAAT UNIT money, with the Big East Unit money starting out at ZERO. Imagine what BE NCAAT UNIT money is beginning to look like now!

Overall, as a member of the BE and given our program infrastructure, I'm not remotely worried about our ability to achieve the FINAL 2%.

Hell, the Buick took out the Lexus last year.

Ask a Kansas fan how they feel about competing against a BE team right now.

Mack "shocked" most of us with his decision. His decision is on him and it was his right to make it, but, sorry, his decision does not cast a negative reflection on Xavier.

Process this for a moment: Miller called him to tell him to stay. And then Miller himself apparently had interest once Mack actually left.

Absolutely D. We've never been more primed...despite Coach Dude walking away.

[smileyy]

The quick hire of Steele makes me think the administration had seen this coming for a while

[xudash]

The quick hire of Steele makes me think the administration had seen this coming for a while

It means they were prepared and that they hired the right guy. And yes, they saw it coming, or the likelihood of it coming.

[murray87]

Sorry if this has been answered but does anyone know if there's truth to the talk of him meeting with Hookerville in NYC while the BE tourney was going on? That's something I could NEVER forgive if true.

[Masterofreality]

Sorry if this has been answered but does anyone know if there's truth to the talk of him meeting with Hookerville in NYC while the BE tourney was going on? That's something I could NEVER forgive if true.

I say yes. But I understand it was AFTER the Providence loss.

[xudash]

What kind of recruits do we go after from here?

Every program wants top athletes that perform under pressure, but I found this post on the Kansas board today (they still don't know what hit them):

I was at the game and seeing it live you could tell he was so much more explosive than any KU player. Maybe it was that obvious on TV too, but he elevated like crazy when going to the rim. He looks completely relaxed shooting 3s. Kid was amazing. It didn’t look like luck. He, Spellman and DiVc looked like they were out there chilling in a scrimmage against high school kids.

He was referring to Paschall.

"Looked like they were out there chilling in a scrimmage." Kids of Steele. Go recruit them coach!

[xukeith]

Whether we like it or not whomever X hires will eventually leave only to a bigger program with bigger salaries for the coach and asst. coaches plus better facilities and a larger endowment(X has a tiny endowment).
BUT X will get better as a program (right now I would say there are only 15 schools better than X now) and the next hire away from X will be a top 5-7 position. So it is a good news either way as X will get better and better. National championship and/or Final 4.

[paulxu]

One of you guys with all your inside connections want to dial up ESPN and tell them Mack is no longer our coach?

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/2752/

I'm trying to "move on" here and would like to see Travis Steele stuff there.

[GIMMFD]

What kind of recruits do we go after from here?

Every program wants top athletes that perform under pressure, but I found this post on the Kansas board today (they still don't know what hit them):

I was at the game and seeing it live you could tell he was so much more explosive than any KU player. Maybe it was that obvious on TV too, but he elevated like crazy when going to the rim. He looks completely relaxed shooting 3s. Kid was amazing. It didn’t look like luck. He, Spellman and DiVc looked like they were out there chilling in a scrimmage against high school kids.

He was referring to Paschall.

"Looked like they were out there chilling in a scrimmage." Kids of Steele. Go recruit them coach!

I think we tried to recruit at Nova's level last year, remember that we lost out on Swider to Nova, and just struck out on a lot of top talent, we aren't quite there yet, but we are attracting better talent, and that's giving us a chance to propel ourselves to the next level. I think we're building a better brand with each passing season, and more people are starting to take note. Just look at who's considering us for 2019, we're in on a bunch of 5 stars, ever thought that would happen?? I don't think we'll ever be a one and done program, but I do think we have the ability to recruit like Nova and get NBA talent, with guys that play for each other. Steele is known for his recruiting abilities, and hopefully he can fill a staff with guys that recruit as well as he can.



Whether we like it or not whomever X hires will eventually leave only to a bigger program with bigger salaries for the coach and asst. coaches plus better facilities and a larger endowment(X has a tiny endowment).
BUT X will get better as a program (right now I would say there are only 15 schools better than X now) and the next hire away from X will be a top 5-7 position. So it is a good news either way as X will get better and better. National championship and/or Final 4.

Also a point we don't really mention much, everybody saying Steele will leave in 5-6 years, hypothetically a lot can happen in 5 years, what if we won a national championship, started really competing with Villanova, there's only a hand full of jobs one would want to leave for then, right? Duke, UNC, etc. I truly do believe we will continue to grow as a program, and that's going to help negate the whole "stepping stone" narrative, I have faith in Steele to help grow our machine. Hell, if Steele were to win a National Championship at X, he'd be untouchable here, they'd build a damn statue of him, that would make it really damn hard to leave if you already reach the pinnacle.

[MarvAlbert]

I find it so funny that my 43 yr old stoner coworker, that doesnt really care about college basketball, will be closer to the trophy than Matta, Miller, or Mack will probably ever be, because he's Muffet McGraw's nephew.

[Go Go Golston]

I think we tried to recruit at Nova's level last year, remember that we lost out on Swider to Nova, and just struck out on a lot of top talent, we aren't quite there yet, but we are attracting better talent, and that's giving us a chance to propel ourselves to the next level. I think we're building a better brand with each passing season, and more people are starting to take note. Just look at who's considering us for 2019, we're in on a bunch of 5 stars, ever thought that would happen?? I don't think we'll ever be a one and done program, but I do think we have the ability to recruit like Nova and get NBA talent, with guys that play for each other. Steele is known for his recruiting abilities, and hopefully he can fill a staff with guys that recruit as well as he can.




Also a point we don't really mention much, everybody saying Steele will leave in 5-6 years, hypothetically a lot can happen in 5 years, what if we won a national championship, started really competing with Villanova, there's only a hand full of jobs one would want to leave for then, right? Duke, UNC, etc. I truly do believe we will continue to grow as a program, and that's going to help negate the whole "stepping stone" narrative, I have faith in Steele to help grow our machine. Hell, if Steele were to win a National Championship at X, he'd be untouchable here, they'd build a damn statue of him, that would make it really damn hard to leave if you already reach the pinnacle.

I'm choking on my late night snack. Muskies have made 2 elite 8's in their history and you have them "possibly" winning a NC in the next 5 years with no FF under their belt. I mean, I'm rooting for that just as much as anybody...but please. Get a reality check about who Xavier is and the hill they must climb to be what you want them to be. In the NCAA tournament they are gonna win some and gonna lose some. There is no mystique about the Muskies...yet.

[MarvAlbert]

https://ibb.co/dd11VS

[GIMMFD]

I'm choking on my late night snack. Muskies have made 2 elite 8's in their history and you have them "possibly" winning a NC in the next 5 years with no FF under their belt. I mean, I'm rooting for that just as much as anybody...but please. Get a reality check about who Xavier is and the hill they must climb to be what you want them to be. In the NCAA tournament they are gonna win some and gonna lose some. There is no mystique about the Muskies...yet.

To be fair, even though Butler didn't win, they made it to 2 National Championship games without being at the level they even are today. I think if we've learned anything it's that the tournament takes skill, yes, but a bit of luck as well to win the whole thing. Who knows what type of roster we're going to have in 5 years, and if we get the perfect draw in order to win the whole thing? I understand as a pure threat stand point we aren't at that Elite level in college basketball yet, and that it's most likely not going to happen in the next 5 years, barring something miraculous happening, however, would you have considered Michigan a national championship contender before the season started?

[IM4X]

I'm choking on my late night snack. Muskies have made 2 elite 8's in their history and you have them "possibly" winning a NC in the next 5 years with no FF under their belt. I mean, I'm rooting for that just as much as anybody...but please. Get a reality check about who Xavier is and the hill they must climb to be what you want them to be. In the NCAA tournament they are gonna win some and gonna lose some. There is no mystique about the Muskies...yet.

That would be... "3 elite eights since Matta took over (Matta 1, Miller 1, Mack 1.

X certainly had enough talent to get to a final 4 and possibly beyond this year. Beating this season's Nova team would have made it quite difficult to win it all though. We should be careful before we to sell X teams short over the next 5 years. Let's just wait and see if Steele and his staff can add a much needed talented big or two and how the incoming class looks and then see if Steele and his staff can get the most out of his teams come tournament time.

[whopper]

I just went to Cincinnati for Easter weekend from Conn and bought a X San Antonio Number 1 seed shirt half price. Watching Michigan I still think of being up 70-68 with the ball and a minute to go against FSU, then a win over till less Gonzaga, then a close win over Mich, then sister rose winning.. Sigh. I had to get a shirt as this was a GREAT season but could have been more. Hart do believe I will not see so many of my favorite players again. Go team Steele.

[Xavier]

I think we tried to recruit at Nova's level last year, remember that we lost out on Swider to Nova, and just struck out on a lot of top talent, we aren't quite there yet, but we are attracting better talent, and that's giving us a chance to propel ourselves to the next level. I think we're building a better brand with each passing season, and more people are starting to take note. Just look at who's considering us for 2019, we're in on a bunch of 5 stars, ever thought that would happen?? I don't think we'll ever be a one and done program, but I do think we have the ability to recruit like Nova and get NBA talent, with guys that play for each other. Steele is known for his recruiting abilities, and hopefully he can fill a staff with guys that recruit as well as he can.






I think I saw the highest recruiting class they’ve had over last four years was 28th. (They do have two 5 and two 4 star guys, though).

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Swider and Quinnerly are both top 50 guys. Brunson and Spellman are top 20 guys. I am not sure where the rest fell.


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