Chris Mack Postseason Press Conference
April 3, 2019
(On what he has done since the end of the season) "Just end-of-season meetings and laying out our offseason program, both on the court and the weight room, conditioning-wise, putting our calendar together for recruiting, which never really ends. But, with the calendar being changed by the NCAA, and all the opportunities we have, and how much high schools are getting back involved, state associations in June, it changes what we do in the summer months preparing for that."
(On sophomore guard Jo Griffin and freshman guard Wyatt Battaile entering the transfer portal) "Well, all three of the walk-ons put their names in the portal, so I don't know what those decisions were made personally. Obviously, they were in the computer when they were." (Follow-up: On discussing their decision with Mack) "Oh yeah, they discussed it. They discussed it."
(On the overall first year at Louisville) "It's been great. It's a year of trying to figure out what to expect. You sort of go into this path with eyes wide open. You try to learn new people, get established what you want to get established, establish the environment you want for your players. It's been great. Really excited about our future and where we go from here. I didn't know a whole lot a year ago at this time. It was a whirlwind."
(On the importance of staff continuity) "I'm very, very fortunate to have a staff that I really trust and believe in that those guys are, first and foremost, really good people, excellent coaches. They hold the respect of all of our players, and they established relationships with our guys over the last 12 months or so. I'm not naïve enough to think that change doesn't happen. Change happens with your coaching staff, on your roster. There's always going to be change, and being able to adjust is important, but I feel like everyone on our staff is going to be back. They have the same mindset as I do. We want to be better. We're going to be better. We're going to continue to establish the environment that we have our players in and what's important in the standards that we hold. And those guys know me, they know what we're all about. That was a big reason why I hired (assistant coach) Dino (Gaudio) in the beginning because I didn't want to take several weeks to coach the coach, and I think that really helps with what we do in the offseason when we're focused on the right thing and that's our players."
(On what he will remember most about the 2018-19 team) "That we were able to get to the NCAA Tournament in a year that I don't think many people thought we would, and selfishly, for (graduate forward) Akoy (Agau), (graduate guard) Khwan (Fore), and (graduate guard) CC (Christen Cunningham). Khwan and CC had never been to the tournament, so I really wanted them to experience what it's like to hear your named called — to be better that people expect, to hold true, not to a promise I gave them, but a belief that I held, that is our team could certainly be a NCAA Tournament team and I would hate to come up short in their one and only chance to go somewhere else and be a part of that. So, that's probably what I'll remember most is when they come back, and they're 30 years old, I'll see them down the line or they'll come back in the summer and play pick-up, I don't think that they'll ever feel like they were let down by what they were told and what actually transpired."
(On if he anticipates remaining scholarship players to return next season) "It's 2019. Rosters are fluid, so my job, as I see it, is to be very, very honest with our players and I expect to see the same in return. I want them to be honest with me in terms of what their expectations are, what I thought they did well this past year, what I think they need to work on, and I have to be as honest as a heart attack with them. At times, you are on the complete same page with where we go forward, and sometimes, there's got to be a lot of thought, both by the coach, by the player. So, to say we sit here and we're ready to go for 2019-20 in terms of what our roster is going to look like, that would probably be inaccurate because I don't know. I do know that we're never settled…we're always looking to see how we can improve on our team."
(On if the transfer portal bring difficulties as a coach) "It's part of the job. I don't know how to answer the question. Everybody has difficulties in their job, and where that ranks, it's just part of the job. Nobody cares when I played, it's just sort of you did what the coach told you. Now, it's a little different, and it's OK. It's just who we're dealing with. It doesn't make kids any different at heart, but I think you have to have really good relationships with your guys and be honest with them. If this isn't the place for somebody, you probably want to know sooner or later. Job is always difficult, but it just is what it is."
(On how players will respond to second year under him) "I think, for one, our players have so much better of a feel for expectation standards, the environment that we've tried to establish for them, what the expectations are from a work ethic standpoint. You're trying to establish that from day one. Now, I expect our upperclassmen to have a regenerative leadership type of approach, where the freshmen are learning from guys that have been through it. We didn't have that luxury this past year because the seniors, who were first-time guys here at Louisville, were looking at me like they had never heard me introduce anything, so I'd like to think that our older guys will be our best leaders—they better be our best leaders. I'm looking forward to having 13 guys on scholarship, as opposed to nine and a 10th one can't practice every day. Sort of hard to go five-on-five when you have nine guys at times."
(On considering graduate transfers for next season) "We're always recruiting. We don't ever stand still. That doesn't mean, nor should it be taken as I would ever force anybody out or tell them, 'Hey, you're not welcome here.' That's not how we do things. I've never done it that way. Again, rosters are a lot more fluid in this day and age than they were even 10 years ago. Kids want to have immediate impacts. I will tell you, Kent, that I don't think we'll add another freshman. I just feel like this isn't a football team. We have to have balance among the classes, so that limits our options a little bit in the sense that we're good on incoming freshmen. But, we'll always to continue to look, whether that's adding a fifth-year guy, whether that's adding a sit-out transfer, we're always to going continue establishing what our roster looks like and how we want it shaped."
(On sophomore forward Jordan Nwora's improvement during the season) "I think it's evident that he's a very talented scorer. I think part of that is that he had a lot more opportunity this year, but that opportunity wasn't just handed to him—he earned it. He was our best offensive player from day one. He got a lot better defensively. I'll tell you that he has a long way to go and I think he knows that. Whether you talk offense or you talk defense about Jordan, the great thing about him is he has a lot of room for improvement, a lot of room, and whether that happens here at Louisville or in the NBA, it will be his decision and we'll get the information over the next month-and-a-half to two months to help him make the best decision that he can. But, he's got a long way to go in terms of becoming the player that I think he can be."
(On the challenges of not knowing which players will be back yet) "You can't really fill a spot until one makes that decision, so that's part of the challenge. It'll certainly change our look offensively because Steven and Jordan provide some offense, and they do it in different ways than our other guys do. We have a long time in the offseason. That decision needs to be made by May 29, so as long as we don't start practicing on June 1, that will give us enough time to adjust how we need to play on both ends of the floor. The good thing about Louisville's academic schedule is, our guys are basically gone the entire month of May, whether you put your name in or you're just going home for four or five weeks in the summer. So, when guys come back for summer school, like they did a year ago, you'll know who's on your team. And, at that point, you won't have the freshman because they won't have graduated from their respective high schools. We'll know a lot more when we're all reconvened here at the first available time in the summer."
(On strategy in recruitment) "We won't take the 'best available player' approach and then try to fit him into a roster. We'll certainly hone in on some positions, and again, right now, there are no positions open. We're always looking."
(On a potential summer trip) "That won't be for this summer. I think next summer that might be a strong possibility. But, just getting our feet on the ground after the first year, I don't think that would be in our team's best interest."
April 3, 2019
(On what he has done since the end of the season) "Just end-of-season meetings and laying out our offseason program, both on the court and the weight room, conditioning-wise, putting our calendar together for recruiting, which never really ends. But, with the calendar being changed by the NCAA, and all the opportunities we have, and how much high schools are getting back involved, state associations in June, it changes what we do in the summer months preparing for that."
(On sophomore guard Jo Griffin and freshman guard Wyatt Battaile entering the transfer portal) "Well, all three of the walk-ons put their names in the portal, so I don't know what those decisions were made personally. Obviously, they were in the computer when they were." (Follow-up: On discussing their decision with Mack) "Oh yeah, they discussed it. They discussed it."
(On the overall first year at Louisville) "It's been great. It's a year of trying to figure out what to expect. You sort of go into this path with eyes wide open. You try to learn new people, get established what you want to get established, establish the environment you want for your players. It's been great. Really excited about our future and where we go from here. I didn't know a whole lot a year ago at this time. It was a whirlwind."
(On the importance of staff continuity) "I'm very, very fortunate to have a staff that I really trust and believe in that those guys are, first and foremost, really good people, excellent coaches. They hold the respect of all of our players, and they established relationships with our guys over the last 12 months or so. I'm not naïve enough to think that change doesn't happen. Change happens with your coaching staff, on your roster. There's always going to be change, and being able to adjust is important, but I feel like everyone on our staff is going to be back. They have the same mindset as I do. We want to be better. We're going to be better. We're going to continue to establish the environment that we have our players in and what's important in the standards that we hold. And those guys know me, they know what we're all about. That was a big reason why I hired (assistant coach) Dino (Gaudio) in the beginning because I didn't want to take several weeks to coach the coach, and I think that really helps with what we do in the offseason when we're focused on the right thing and that's our players."
(On what he will remember most about the 2018-19 team) "That we were able to get to the NCAA Tournament in a year that I don't think many people thought we would, and selfishly, for (graduate forward) Akoy (Agau), (graduate guard) Khwan (Fore), and (graduate guard) CC (Christen Cunningham). Khwan and CC had never been to the tournament, so I really wanted them to experience what it's like to hear your named called — to be better that people expect, to hold true, not to a promise I gave them, but a belief that I held, that is our team could certainly be a NCAA Tournament team and I would hate to come up short in their one and only chance to go somewhere else and be a part of that. So, that's probably what I'll remember most is when they come back, and they're 30 years old, I'll see them down the line or they'll come back in the summer and play pick-up, I don't think that they'll ever feel like they were let down by what they were told and what actually transpired."
(On if he anticipates remaining scholarship players to return next season) "It's 2019. Rosters are fluid, so my job, as I see it, is to be very, very honest with our players and I expect to see the same in return. I want them to be honest with me in terms of what their expectations are, what I thought they did well this past year, what I think they need to work on, and I have to be as honest as a heart attack with them. At times, you are on the complete same page with where we go forward, and sometimes, there's got to be a lot of thought, both by the coach, by the player. So, to say we sit here and we're ready to go for 2019-20 in terms of what our roster is going to look like, that would probably be inaccurate because I don't know. I do know that we're never settled…we're always looking to see how we can improve on our team."
(On if the transfer portal bring difficulties as a coach) "It's part of the job. I don't know how to answer the question. Everybody has difficulties in their job, and where that ranks, it's just part of the job. Nobody cares when I played, it's just sort of you did what the coach told you. Now, it's a little different, and it's OK. It's just who we're dealing with. It doesn't make kids any different at heart, but I think you have to have really good relationships with your guys and be honest with them. If this isn't the place for somebody, you probably want to know sooner or later. Job is always difficult, but it just is what it is."
(On how players will respond to second year under him) "I think, for one, our players have so much better of a feel for expectation standards, the environment that we've tried to establish for them, what the expectations are from a work ethic standpoint. You're trying to establish that from day one. Now, I expect our upperclassmen to have a regenerative leadership type of approach, where the freshmen are learning from guys that have been through it. We didn't have that luxury this past year because the seniors, who were first-time guys here at Louisville, were looking at me like they had never heard me introduce anything, so I'd like to think that our older guys will be our best leaders—they better be our best leaders. I'm looking forward to having 13 guys on scholarship, as opposed to nine and a 10th one can't practice every day. Sort of hard to go five-on-five when you have nine guys at times."
(On considering graduate transfers for next season) "We're always recruiting. We don't ever stand still. That doesn't mean, nor should it be taken as I would ever force anybody out or tell them, 'Hey, you're not welcome here.' That's not how we do things. I've never done it that way. Again, rosters are a lot more fluid in this day and age than they were even 10 years ago. Kids want to have immediate impacts. I will tell you, Kent, that I don't think we'll add another freshman. I just feel like this isn't a football team. We have to have balance among the classes, so that limits our options a little bit in the sense that we're good on incoming freshmen. But, we'll always to continue to look, whether that's adding a fifth-year guy, whether that's adding a sit-out transfer, we're always to going continue establishing what our roster looks like and how we want it shaped."
(On sophomore forward Jordan Nwora's improvement during the season) "I think it's evident that he's a very talented scorer. I think part of that is that he had a lot more opportunity this year, but that opportunity wasn't just handed to him—he earned it. He was our best offensive player from day one. He got a lot better defensively. I'll tell you that he has a long way to go and I think he knows that. Whether you talk offense or you talk defense about Jordan, the great thing about him is he has a lot of room for improvement, a lot of room, and whether that happens here at Louisville or in the NBA, it will be his decision and we'll get the information over the next month-and-a-half to two months to help him make the best decision that he can. But, he's got a long way to go in terms of becoming the player that I think he can be."
(On the challenges of not knowing which players will be back yet) "You can't really fill a spot until one makes that decision, so that's part of the challenge. It'll certainly change our look offensively because Steven and Jordan provide some offense, and they do it in different ways than our other guys do. We have a long time in the offseason. That decision needs to be made by May 29, so as long as we don't start practicing on June 1, that will give us enough time to adjust how we need to play on both ends of the floor. The good thing about Louisville's academic schedule is, our guys are basically gone the entire month of May, whether you put your name in or you're just going home for four or five weeks in the summer. So, when guys come back for summer school, like they did a year ago, you'll know who's on your team. And, at that point, you won't have the freshman because they won't have graduated from their respective high schools. We'll know a lot more when we're all reconvened here at the first available time in the summer."
(On strategy in recruitment) "We won't take the 'best available player' approach and then try to fit him into a roster. We'll certainly hone in on some positions, and again, right now, there are no positions open. We're always looking."
(On a potential summer trip) "That won't be for this summer. I think next summer that might be a strong possibility. But, just getting our feet on the ground after the first year, I don't think that would be in our team's best interest."
