Chris Mack: The Lighting Bolt the Students Needed

Chris Mack hasn’t even coached his first game yet at as the head coach of the Louisville Cardinals, but his impact is already being felt on and off the court, in a big way.

Since the day Rick Pitino was fired in October of last year, fans have been deeply worried about the future of Louisville basketball. The program’s image was essentially destroyed by scandal, battered by NCAA sanctions, fans were anxious to say the least, and scandal-fatigued.

Reporters and talking heads claimed that Louisville would never be the same again and would fall into the abyss of irrelevancy forever. None of us fans wanted to believe it, but if you asked any of us, that thought would creep into your mind at least once.

Would Louisville Basketball ever be the same again?

Fans wondered if the dark clouds would ever go away, or if we would ever wake up from the nightmare that’s been these last couple years as a Louisville basketball fan. Of course, there were fun times, the players were resilient and likable.

But it was tough to be able to truly enjoy the game. That’s what sports fandom should be about, enjoying the game, coming together with your friends or family and cheering for your team, your city, and your school.

There was always that worry about which ball would drop next, what new details about the stripper scandal would be unearthed tomorrow. Every press conference announced by U of L would make you nervous.

But many times the students get lost in the mess, and people forget about their perspective.

I’m going into my sophomore year at U of L, and have been a big Cards fan my whole life. Growing up in Louisville, that’s just the way many of us are raised. When it came time to make my college choice, the decision couldn’t have been easier for me.

Along with meeting new people, moving out on my own, making new friends, and experiencing college for the first time, I was also naturally super excited to experience my first year in the student section at U of L.

Our team was stacked with a loaded recruiting class and returning stars like Quentin Snider, Ray Spalding, Deng Adel, and VJ King poised for a breakout year.

One of my best memories from my 1st semester was waking up at 4:00 AM with a bunch of my friends to walk over to Grawemeyer Hall for College Gameday before the Clemson game. Rick Pitino was the special guest and was sporting a Lamar Jackson jersey. It was a great time, things were looking up for us and the clouds seemed to be going away.

We had no idea.

Just days later, the FBI bombshell drops, Louisville and Brian Bowen are named, and just like that Rick Pitino is fired. Any thought of turning the page was gone in an instant.

I remember following the updates during that day in class at Davidson Hall, just walking distance from where Pitino was getting fired. News vans and reporters had swarmed our campus once again.

“It’s Happening Here” went from the U of L motto, to a running joke around campus.

Throughout the basketball season, morale was low in the student section, along with the turnout with the exception of a few games.

The season had its ups and downs.

Then, the banners go down. Our worst fears are realized. Rock bottom for any fan.

You know it happened. I know it happened. I was in 8th grade when we won the 2013 National Championship and I’ll never forget watching it with my dad. But unfortunately there will always be that asterisk.

But on March 28th, we started to turn the page.

From the start, the Chris Mack hire just felt like the perfect fit. In his opening press conference, one part resonates the most.

"“The darkest clouds elicit the brightest lightning bolts, and that lightning bolt is coming.”"

Coach Mack has managed to completely transform the culture and the image of Louisville basketball in the matter of months. Every week that goes by, it becomes more clear that he is the right man for the job.

Fans have come to enjoy his charisma, swagger, and his family first mindset. Those tweets will never get old, either. Louisville basketball feels cool again. The brand has been completely revamped.

It’s cool to have a head coach who openly enjoys eating at Burger King and Waffle House regularly. Even though he is technically a millionaire elite basketball coach, he seems like just a cool guy that you would want to hang out with.

Coach Mack will be a huge help to the student section and be great at helping energize the student body at U of L. Because he did just that at Xavier:

In fact, we asked Coach Mack about his plans to work with the student section at his opening press conference. Here’s Jason Wyrick, the former Vice President of the Ville’ns:

"“Whether I have to storm dorms or incite pep rallies, I’m not scared to do that type of stuff”"

That’s what we love about Coach Mack and that’s why he will be great for the student section. He’s not above that type of stuff.

Oh and the dude can coach.

Whether it’s been on the recruiting trail, in press conferences, or out in the community. It’s become very clear that Chris Mack is man for the job to turn the page and bring Louisville basketball back.

I don’t know what’s in store for this season or the next, but I know one thing for sure. Louisville Basketball is not going away, that lightning bolt is coming.