Louisville basketball: Chris Mack addresses high expectations head on

Louisville basketball head coach Chris Mack opens his second season with his squad as a trendy preseason top-five squad. Are expectations too high, too soon?

It probably isn’t too difficult to remember how you felt last March when you watched the Louisville basketball program get bounced from the NCAA Tournament by the Minnesota Golden Gophers, using an uncharacteristic barrage of threes to get the job done.

Last season began with hope, but tempered expectations for what appeared to be a ragtag group that Chris Mack inherited to begin his UofL tenure.

After early success, capped by a thrilling victory over highly-ranked Michigan State, expectations began to grow, perhaps too much. The early success against a slightly easier schedule did not translate to the second half of the year once ACC play began.

After all was said and done, Mack finished his first season 20-14, losing six of the last eight games.

Mack knew he couldn’t sit idly by, and hit the recruiting trail hard.

This year’s incoming class is considered, by many, to be the best Cardinal class from top-to-bottom in recent memory. By the time they are through, it could be thought of as the best class in UofL history.

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Anchored by McDonald’s All-American Samuell Williamson, the class features six talented prospects that could shift the course of Cardinal basketball back to its glory days.

Aidan Igiehon, local star David Johnson, Josh Nickelberry, Jaelyn Withers, and Quinn Slazinski all bring unique skill-sets to the Derby City, ready to push UofL back to national prominence.

Add to the mix incoming transfer point guard Lamarr “Fresh” Kimble, from St. Joe’s, and this team could hit the ground running this winter.

CardNation’s expectations are at a fever pitch, and we are only in June.

There is still the small bit of business of Scott Satterfield’s debut as Cardinal football coach this fall, and that is a huge story, but it won’t keep fans from having their ears to the ground for part of any story that comes out of the Planet Fitness Kueber Center.

Coach Mack has sensed the heightened expectations and addressed them himself at his recent press conference, saying:

“I think you come to a place like Louisville because of those expectations,” explained Mack. “That’s what I signed up for a year ago…we’re not going to run from those expectations.

With thoughts of a redemption trip to Atlanta in April on the minds of many, where should expectations be for this group?

It is easy to forget this will only be Mack’s second year in charge and, as he so eloquently put it, this team “hasn’t done squat.”

"“I think, also, making sure that our players are grounded in reality. That reality is, simply, that we haven’t done squat. It’s all on paper…there’s a lot of work between now and November when we play our first game.”"

It was thought this would be a multiple-year rebuild when he was hired. To have the Cards listed in many preseason top-ten predictions has the project way ahead of schedule.

Will the “Super Six” and Kimble be able to gel with the returning crop of talent? Steven Enoch and Jordan Nwora didn’t come back to school to defer to a group of freshmen. Will the relationship come together to produce results on the court?

We can’t just assume it will be an easy integration, especially considering the Cards bring in seven new bodies and personalities into the fold. We also can’t assume that a top recruiting class automatically assures success. There are many examples of situations like this not working out.

Will it work in this instance? We will find out quickly as the Cards open their season on the road against conference opponent Miami.

They will also face the national runners-up Texas Tech in New York, as well as the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge game. Toss in trips to Lexington for the Cats and Nashville to face Western Kentucky, this squad will be challenged early and often before even thinking about the grueling ACC schedule.

If Mack can work his magic and have everyone on the same page by January, this team could make some noise come March. But, as fans, this is new territory for us to navigate. I know where I hope this team can go, but let’s let everyone get to campus and practice together before we book hotels in Atlanta. There are sure to be bumps along the way.

Expect this team to be special, just don’t expect it right away.