LANE | Chris Mack happy for Bellarmine, unsure of future matchups with Knights

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Chris Mack seems to think there is room for more than one Division I men's basketball program in the city of Louisville.

Mack has coached in preseason exhibition games against Scott Davenport and Bellarmine both during his days at Xavier and this past season at U of L. Mack also worked with Davenport's son, Doug Davenport, who was graduate assistant coach at Xavier before he joined up with his father and the Knights.

"I'm happy for (Doug and Scott)," Mack said the day after Bellarmine announced they would be moving up to DI status in the Atlantic Sun Conference starting in 2020. "Those guys have been so successful not only in men's basketball but in other sports. It's a heck of a commitment. I think they understand it, but glad for them and the city."

Louisville's head coach, however, is unsure at this point whether or not Bellarmine might be able to fit in U of L's future schedules.

"I mean, there's a chance," Mack said. "We only get a finite number of teams that we can schedule and we have to make sure that the schedule is doing the University of Louisville a favor and not necessarily vice versa just for Bellarmine. If it makes sense, I've never been averse to scheduling anybody. There will probably be a transition period, and then we'll see."

Mack wrapped up his third day of youth basketball camp Wednesday afternoon with a game called "Go For It." Campers are called up and get to shoot from different spots on the court for little prizes. After a few shooters failed to grab a prize, a camper named Zach made three shots in a row, the last a 3-pointer as the whole gym counted down the clock to zero before erupting in cheers.

Mack hopes he can make the experience as special for the kids as it was for him to go to camps in his youth.

"I'll never forget some of the college guys teaching me and my friends," the U of L head coach said. "I thought that was the coolest thing in the world, so it's great that our players have the opportunity to be a part of it. It was my first time really learning at a high level, so you could always take things back home and work on them, and I think you see that light bulb going off with some kids this week."

The Cardinals' coach has also gotten to work some with some of his newest team members, although just a small group of them. Josh Nickelberry is still rehabbing a broken bone in his hand, while Samuell Williamson is trying out for the USA Under-19 team and David Johnson and Aidan Igiehon are not yet on campus.

"They've never experienced what they're going through now," Mack said. "They just haven't, and it will get harder when we start school in the fall when they have a full class load and the season's upon us. Things are going to get very real. They won't have as much time to recuperate. They'll have more things crammed into a day. But, at the same time, if we didn't think they could handle it we wouldn't have signed them. They've got to be a big part of our team and they need to take this summer awfully serious so that they can prepare themselves for the fall."

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