What does Vanderbilt hiring Mark Byington as head coach mean for Chris Mack, Pat Kelsey?

Earlier this month, Jeff Goodman reported that Vanderbilt's short list to replace Jerry Stackhouse as men's basketball head coach was expected to include Cincinnati natives Chris Mack and Pat Kelsey.

Mack, who starred at St. Xavier High School before playing and coaching at Xavier, said in February that he's ready to explore new coaching options for the first time since leaving the Louisville Cardinals in 2022. He's won more games than any head coach in Xavier Musketeers history.

Kelsey led College of Charleston to an NCAA tournament automatic bid for the second time in his three seasons as the Cougars' head coach. He played at Roger Bacon and Elder in high school, and also played at Xavier and was an associate head coach at XU under Mack for three seasons.

On Monday, Vanderbilt introduced Mark Byington as the Commodores' new head coach. Byington led James Madison to a No. 12 seed in the NCAA tournament this year, and the Dukes upset No. 5 Wisconsin in the first round before losing to No. 4 Duke in the second round.

Mack, whose Twitter/X account is @CoachChrisMack, did not announce that he was Vandy's new head coach, but a fake account did appear to fool some.

And Kelsey's name was trending on Twitter/X on Monday night because many are speculating he'll be the Louisville Cardinals' choice to replace Kenny Payne as head coach.

Former UofL assistant and Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin, currently UCLA's head coach, also has been mentioned as a candidate for the Louisville job.

Mack was the Cardinals' head coach from 2018 to 2022.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What does Vandy's Mark Byington hire mean for Chris Mack, Pat Kelsey?