Louisville basketball: 5 things I learned from Chris Mack
By Jacob Lane
Five thoughts on Louisville basketball.
It had been nearly two months since Louisville basketball head coach Chris Mack spoke publicly about the offseason and what lies ahead in 2020-21 for Team 107 until he joined the Big Red Louie Podcast earlier this week.
We spent nearly 30 minutes with Coach Mack talking everything from Rooster’s wings, to life advice, and even a little basketball in between and we learned quite a bit about what the offseason has been like for him, the coaching staff, and the team.
“It’s been awkward, I’d be lying if I said it was normal,” Coach Mack said. “To work from home literally for two and half straight months, the only thing you can do is keep in touch with your players and zoom calls or facetime or text recruits…it’s been strange, to be honest.”
Like every other head coach across all sports, Chris Mack has spent the entire spring and summer trying to adjust and maneuver in the midst of a global pandemic that legitimately brought all sports to a screeching halt the day Louisville was set to tip-off at the ACC Tournament. Thanks to the virtual tools that exist in today’s world, Mack and company haven’t let the strange times keep them from talking with current players, commits, and potential recruits.
We’ve seen Louisville thrive during the pandemic, land multiple commitments from graduate transfers, and even a high school player in the class of 2021 while making sure they are staying prepared for what should be a fun season ahead. Now that the players trickle back onto campus for the very first time since the stay in place restrictions were lifted across most states, Mack says the mood of the team is great.
“The mood is great,” Mack shared with us. “The guys are really enjoying being around each other, some for the very first time. So it’s been really good. They’ve had the opportunity to get in the weight room. They’ve had the opportunity to get on the court, not with our instructions, but on their own.”
There were so many great things that came out of the interview that I wanted to try and react and put my thoughts into written words. So without further ado, here are the five thoughts or five things I learned from our talk with Coach Mack.