Louisville Basketball: 10 candidates to replace Chris Mack as head coach

Kevin Willard

This list is purely alphabetical, but ironically we’ve left one of the very best candidates for the very end. Who knows what exactly Louisville is looking for to lead the program, but how about someone with great success as a power conference head coach, success at multiple schools, and previous experience (and success) on staff at Louisville?

Willard was a point guard at Pittsburgh who spent a decade coaching under Rick Pitino, first with the Boston Celtics and then for six years at Louisville. Willard’s only assistant coaching job at the collegiate level came with the Cardinals before a 3-year stint as head coach at Iona. He’s been the head coach at Seton Hall since 2010 and has led the Pirates to all kinds of success in the Big East, with a flurry of NCAA Tournaments and consistency in a very tough conference.

Willard once called Louisville home and bringing him back to rebuild the program would be full circle for him. He’s already done all he can prove in a dozen years with the Pirates, and the ACC is certainly more prestigious than the Big East, even after what both conferences are doing this season. This might not be the only high-profile job to look deeply into Willard, but his connection to the program and his success in the Big East make him a potential home-run hire.

We have completed our run through ten potential candidates to replace Kevin Willard at Louisville; who do you think will be the next head coach of the Cardinals?