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First the rumors:
Names for UF if Donovan goes to OKC -- Archie Miller, Chris Mack, Michael White, Richard Pitino. http://t.co/VWNQUYb1dv
— Pete Thamel (@SIPeteThamel) April 29, 2015
Would imagine Florida makes plays for Archie Miller and/or Chris Mack. Two recent SEC coaches on staff, too, with Pelphrey and Grant.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 30, 2015
If Donovan does leave Gainesville, no slam dunk choice as his successor at Florida. Two names to watch: Chris Mack and Archie Miller.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 30, 2015
— Trevon Bluiett (@TrevonBluiett) April 29, 2015
Okay, that last one from Trevon is on a completely different subject. Now the facts:
- Coach Mack has turned down interest from high-major schools in the past.
- Coach Mack cut his teeth in both playing and coaching in Cincinnati.
- Coach Mack does not have trouble recruiting at a high level at Xavier.
- Coach Mack's current contract runs through 2020-21 (which I'll grant is meaningless if he wants to leave).
- Coach Mack's position is endowed by the largest donation ever made to the Xavier basketball program; he's not hurting for compensation.
- Coach Mack has a talented team on the rise in a high-major conference that it has a shot at winning this year.
That more or less covers the usual set of circumstances when a coach leaves for a big program like Florida. When we were in the A-10, I would always get a little worried when these rumors would float because I could understand why Coach Mack would leave to go coach at the highest college level. Now he is coaching at the highest level, being successful, and getting compensated competitively.
The only thing that I think could lure Mack from Xavier to Florida is an ungodly sum of money. I guess that's theoretically possible, but I feel like it would take a less ungodly sum of money for Florida to get someone like Archie Miller. We'll keep an eye on this as it develops, but I'm not super concerned at this point.