Chris Mack is Staying in Charleston
With Mack returning, Charleston Edge kicks off the Portal Fund Campaign.
For the past several days, reports swirled about Mack potentially returning to Xavier — where he played, coached, and became the winningest head coach in school history. The opening made sense. The ties were obvious. Most around college basketball assumed it was only a matter of time.
But on Tuesday night, Coach Mack made his decision. And he didn’t need a press conference to do it. From X:
“Just about a year ago my family joined me at Cistern Yard to celebrate the start of something special here in Charleston,” he wrote. “You have been incredibly supportive from day one. The Macks can’t wait to run it back in year two. Better than ever.”
This was a program statement. It said something about Charleston. About what this city, this school, and this program have become.
And it said something about the job itself.
Charleston is no longer a “stepping stone.” It’s not a fallback. It’s a destination for a coach with a Final Four-caliber résumé, a national profile, and options chose to plant his flag and build.
That should energize everyone who cares about this program.
Because in an era where coaching stability is rare, and NIL has reshaped what winning looks like, Charleston is showing it can offer both — a high-quality job and the infrastructure to compete.
Now it’s on us to keep going.
The transfer portal is officially open. Every coach in the country is working the phones, making pitches, and building next year’s roster. Coach Mack is no different — and this time, he’s not starting from scratch.
But we still need to give him the tools to go out and land the next wave of great student-athletes who can elevate this program even further.
That’s where the Charleston Edge Collective come in.
Every dollar goes to NIL opportunities that help recruit and retain players — and every gift, big or small, moves us closer to building a roster worthy of the coach we just kept.
If you’re excited about what’s happening in Charleston — if you believe in where this program is headed — now’s the moment to show it.
Let’s take advantage of this momentum. Let’s help Coach Mack build something even better in year two. Let’s make a real statement.