Chris Mack leaving Xavier for Louisville

Although rumors had been circulating about the possibility for more than a week, the move is still somewhat surprising as he could be viewed in many ways as the ultimate “X” man.

Mack attended St. Xavier High School and spent two years at the university, where he was a two-time captain of the Musketeers.

He worked for the late Skip Prosser at his alma mater and Wake Forest and later replaced Sean Miller as head coach of the Musketeers in 2009.

Ironically, Mack's wife, Christi, was a standout at Dayton.

When he ascended to the head job at Xavier, Mack was viewed as someone who would stop it from being a stepping stone given his Queen City roots.

Pete Gillen, Prosser, Thad Matta and Miller all parlayed success at Xavier into jobs at bigger schools.

Becoming a member of the new Big East in 2013, Xavier joined the ranks of major-conference teams during Mack’s nine years at the helm of the Musketeers, but apparently he still could not resist the allure of the mega budget of a Power 5 football school such as Louisville.

How this move is received by the Musketeer faithful will be interesting to see considering the angst that followed the exits by Matta and Miller combined with the fact the Xavier job has gained plenty of prestige since then.

Although Xavier basketball has been on the upswing for decades, joining the Big East seems to have significantly boosted the Musketeers’ recruiting.

Mack signed three top 30 classes in the past four years, including the No. 11 group in 247Sports rankings for 2017.

He leaves behind a 2018 class ranked 51st, and high-scoring Xenia guard Samari Curtis is verbally committed to the Musketeers for 2019.