Five Candidates To Replace Chris Mack At Xavier
Chris Mack is leaving his alma mater to ink a seven-year deal worth a reported $28 million. Mack’s wildly successful tenure at Xavier is now a thing of the past, which means it’s time for the Musketeers to find a new head basketball coach.
While it’s obviously still early in the process, here’s a look at five names to watch as things unfold.
Travis Steele
This would be the easiest pick, and something Xavier has done in the past. Travis Steele is the team’s associate head coach and just finished his ninth season at the school. He’s got a strong track record as a recruiter, and before landing at Xavier he worked for several seasons at Indiana, so he’s got high-major experience.
Xavier went internal for its previous two coaching hires, elevating Sean Miller and Chris Mack from within. That plan of attack has worked for them. Steele is a dynamite recruiter who has worked his way up through the staff at the school and knows the program inside and out. He’s well-respected and if he doesn’t get the job, it wouldn’t be surprising if he took a head job elsewhere. He’s certainly earned that chance.
Ryan Odom, UMBC
A 2018 NCAA Tournament darling, Ryan Odom’s stock has some helium in it. He just led UMBC to the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history. The Retrievers’ 74-54 win over No. 1 seeded Virginia wasn’t a fluke, it was well-earned. Odom can flat-out coach.
In two years at UMBC, Odom has posted a record of 46-24 (.657). The 43-year-old has also been an assistant at six different Division I programs, which has clearly given him a great perspective on the game. And a ton of experience. Meanwhile, his dad is former East Carolina, Wake Forest and South Carolina head coach Dave Odom, so you know he has an idea what he’s in for as a major-conference head coach.
Hiring Odom would be a bit of a gamble, but doubt him at your own peril.
Thad Matta
It could be argued that Thad Matta is the reason Xavier is where it is now as a basketball program. Matta took over as the school’s head basketball coach in 2001 and in three seasons took the Musketeers to impressive heights. He posted an overall record of 78-23 (.772) and was 39-9 (.813) in the Atlantic 10. He also took Xavier to the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons on campus, including an Elite Eight trip in 2003-04.
Obviously we all know what happened next. Matta took the Ohio State job and was in Columbus for 13 wildly successful seasons. He won five Big 10 titles, made two Final Fours and a title game in 2007. He posted an incredible record of 337-123 (.733) while at Ohio State. He’s a heck of a coach.
He’s shockingly still just 50 years old and spent the last year on the shelf after being unceremoniously dumped by Ohio State. There have been whispers about health issues for years, but if Matta says he’s healthy (which he does) there is no reason Xavier shouldn’t at least give him a call.
Pat Kelsey, Winthrop
Another coach with Xavier ties is Winthrop’s Pat Kelsey. Chris Mack’s associate head coach from 2009-2012, Kelsey took the Winthrop job in 2012 after Randy Peele was fired. He has proven to be an excellent choice.
The 42-year-old Cincinnati native — and former Xavier point guard — has gone 121-71 (.630) in six seasons at Winthrop. He won conference titles in 2016 and 2017 and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2017. This season the Eagles went 19-12, but went 12-6 in the Big South Conference.
In 2017, Kelsey famously accepted the head coaching position at UMass, before backing out and returning to Winthrop literally minutes before his introductory press conference. He claimed it was for personal reasons. Something tells me those personal reasons wouldn’t be an issue if he was heading back to his old school.
An energetic 41-year-old with tremendous focus, Kelsey has a solid track record as a head coach and deep Xavier ties. It would be foolish not to consider him a top candidate for the job.
John Brannen, Northern Kentucky
While not a household name, John Brannen has done an excellent job in his three seasons at Northern Kentucky. A native of Alexandria, Kentucky, he’s a local to the Cincinnati area (Alexandria is about 20 minutes from Cincy) and knows it well. That’s a big deal to the folks at Xavier.
Brannen took over an awful program at NKU, and after a 9-21 season, he’s been outstanding. The Norse went 24-11 in 2016-17 but earned an NCAA Tournament bid after a conference tournament title. Then this season, they went 22-10 and won the Horizon League regular season title (15-3). Unfortunately, Brannen’s team was upset in the first round of the conference tournament and missed out on the NCAA Tournament.
A former assistant at VCU, Brannen helped then-head coach Anthony Grant lay the foundation for Shaka Smart’s success there. He followed grant to Alabama where he was an assistant from 2009-2015 before taking the NKU job.
Brannen was a Rhodes Scholar finalist during his time as a student athlete at Marshall while also leading the Southern Conference in scoring as senior. He’s smart and was a heck of a player, that should help his candidacy.