tacitus wrote: ↑Sat Mar 24, 2018 8:46 am
It seems that most have come to the forgone conclusion that Mack is gone. While this is definitely the closest we have ever been to losing him (at a point when the majority of us finally want to see him stay), until an announcement is made, who knows what will happen.
There are plenty of reasons for him to stay. He has family and friends in Cincy and his children are settled in Cincy. He is a Xavier guy and is loved and respected by the university. He is on the verge of taking us to our first Final Four or beyond. He is likely to get a big raise if he stays. Louisville comes with a lot of short run risks: probation, pending investigations, a fan base that will throw him under the bus if he does not have immediate success, an administration that will throw him under the bus if he doesn't have success as soon as the probation is over. They do not even have an AD ye. The same board of directors and network of boosters run the show, which means he could find himself in Pitino's shoes in a few years.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons for him to go to the Ville. His wife's side of the family is there. He has a chance to rebuild an elite program almost from scratch (a rarity). He can consistently recruit top-ten classes there and compete for ACC and national championships as soon as probation us up. He will have the best facilities and equipment at his disposal. He would be one of the top paid coaches in America, and his top assistants would be making better pay than a lot of D1 head coaches. To be the top candidate for a job like this again, he will need to be able to at the very least sustain his current success until another one opens up.
There are of course many unknowns. We do not know what his career aspirations are beyond the obvious pinnacle achievement of winning an NC. We do not know the private conversations Mack has had with Christopher et al or his family. We do not know his true motivations for meeting with them. We do not know what Christi Mack's feelings are on UofL: for instance was she recruited by them out of high school or did they snub the local star?
If it is just about money, and/or he feels he owes it to his wife to spend the next decade in her hometown as repayment for spending the last decade and a half in Cincinnati for him, then maybe it is an easy decision.
If it is about his personal career path, then it is actually a hard decision, unless they make him an offer he cannot refuse.
Here is what would steal him from us today: 1) 5 million per year for 6-7 years excluding the typical perks for a job like this (postseason bonuses, etc.); 2) 500,000 per year for top two assistants; 3) hire Greg Christoper as permanent AD so that Mack is working with someone he knows and trusts.