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Notes on Xavier's Big East Google Hangout With Mack and Stainbrook

Xavier's Coach and big man answer some questions about Musketeer basketball, Cincinnati chili, and themselves.

By Joel D
Coach Mack contemplates his upcoming computer interview.
Coach Mack contemplates his upcoming computer interview.
Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Confession time: I have never witnessed or participated in or followed or whatever a Google hangout before. I don't love technology; I'm bad at touch screens. This thing frankly confused me, but I wanted to watch it and see what Mack and Stainbrook would have to say, especially coming off a tough loss. I didn't anticipate a lot of high-level basketball stuff, and I was kind of correct in that. Still, it was an interesting watch. Skip the first couple of minutes unless you're passionate about bobbleheads and awkward jokes. My annotations, while by no means comprehensive, can be found below the embedded video.

  • 2:30 - Matt Stainbrook likes being called the Stain Train and loves the student section's support
  • 4:11 - Stain started with clip-on bowties and developed the skills required to tie his own; hopefully his right hand develops apace
  • 4:48 - Coach Mack and Stainbrook compare and contrast Cincinnati and Cleveland; shots are definitely fired
  • 6:58 - To make a run in March, Mack believes Xavier needs "a group of players" to step up to get the job done; Stainbrook: "Coach Mack's right"
  • 10:13 - Mack says teams are bigger, more athletic, and more physical than they were in the A-10
  • 13:20 - Matt Stainbrook looks to Anerson Varejao as an example because he has a high basketball IQ
  • 14:40 - Coach Mack was impressed by Matt from his first college game (which was at Cintas) and liked his workout when he was looking to transfer
  • 17:02 - It was tough for Matt to lose 50+ pounds; groundbreaking stuff there
  • 18:40 - Mack talks about his recruiting strategy in re: finding high-character players as well as talented ones
  • 21:16 - Perhaps not surprisingly, recruits like coming to the Big East more than to the A-10
  • 22:56 - "I wouldn't rave over it" -Stainbrook's review of Cincinnati chili
  • 26:20 - Coach Mack tries to explain how a small private school built itself into a nationally relevant basketball program
  • 28:58 - Stainbrook predicts where he'll be a year from now; Coach Mack scouts his daughters' basketball future

My Twitter-submitted question of "why do we suck so bad right now?" apparently didn't make the cut.

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