U of L Insider: Here's how Chris Mack has held together Louisville's recruiting

Jeff Greer | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Louisville coach Chris Mack gives team update Mack updated reporters on the Cards basketball team for the upcoming season, including Matt Hanna's departure.

It was two summers ago when a handful of high school recruits explained the predicament Louisville's basketball coaches were in.

Kept off the recruiting trail by the school's self-imposed sanctions, Rick Pitino's staff watched prospects on livestream broadcasts of travel basketball tournaments. The players didn't seem to mind not seeing Louisville's staff sitting courtside — and the coaches were still allowed to communicate with recruits over the phone — but it was the perfect illustration of logistical challenges the Cards faced as the program navigated a damaging scandal.

That was before the FBI story broke, too.

With all the fallout from the two scandals, there was a common theory that Louisville's new coaching staff, led by Chris Mack, would struggle at first with recruiting. It wasn't about Mack or his assistants but simply that the image repair of Louisville's program might take some time, and the recruiting trail would reflect that.

The past three months have offered an alternative to that theory.

Read this: Georgia athlete Jeremiah Pruitte commits to Louisville football

More: Louisville basketball makes top eight for 2019 recruit Rocket Watts

I spent this past weekend at the Adidas Gauntlet Finale in New York tracking several prospects high on Louisville's wish list. My colleagues, Jon Hale and Fletcher Page, spoke to prospects at Nike and Under Armour events.

The consensus is clear among prospects: Mack's personality, paired with the persistence of his assistants, is making a major impact. The 48-year-old Mack comes across as a straightforward guy, a top-flight Division I coach who leads a normal life outside of hoops.

One prospect joked about how he liked Mack's Twitter feed, specifically the post pinned to the top of his profile that shows his 3-year-old son jumping into a swimming pool with his floaties on and is captioned, "toughness."

Another kept repeating an old recruiting cliche, that Louisville's staff made him feel like he would be part of a family-like atmosphere, but he insisted he meant it.

Three others talked about the "cool vibe" they got during their campus visit to Louisville.

Above all else, the prospects on Louisville's radar know about Mack's track record at Xavier.

"He’s a winning coach," five-star center Isaiah Stewart said on Thursday at the Nike EYBL event Peach Jam. "You’ve seen what he's done at Xavier. So, I mean, he’s going to win, no matter where he’s at. He’s definitely had success."

More: Isaiah Stewart on Chris Mack: 'He’s going to win, no matter what'

There was no mention, at least in New York, of concerns about Louisville's future as the NCAA waits for the FBI's investigation into college hoops recruiting.

Louisville wouldn't be the only program potentially in the crosshairs. There's Arizona, Kansas, NC State, Southern Cal and several others. The challenge for each school is the uncertainty of what's next.

But Mack, answering a question about recruiting last week, explained his approach to questions about the situation.

"Just handle it as honestly as I can," Mack said. "I talk about our vision and my vision for the program, both in the short-term and the long-term. Each conversation is different because each family and each prospect has different concerns. Some are concerned about style of play. Some are more concerned with the academic side and what majors are offered. Each recruiting experience is different, one to the next. We have a whole lot of stability here at Louisville, and we feel good about the direction of the program."

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It's important not to jump the gun with this alternative theory. Louisville has one commitment in the fold, with four-star guard Josh Nickelberry becoming the first high school prospect to pledge to play for Mack.

The Cards need at least three more.

Yet it's hard to ignore the traction Mack and his staff have gained. They are seemingly in great position for five-star big man Aidan Igiehon and four-star scoring guard Rocket Watts. They also appear to be in good shape with several other wing prospects.

They haven't landed them yet. That they are in solid position to do so, however, speaks volumes about Mack and his staff's efforts to this point.

Related: 3 prospects who could help Louisville basketball's 2019 signing class

Jeff Greer: 502-582-4044; jgreer@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @jeffgreer_cj. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/jeffg.