LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – With Chris Mack and Scott Satterfield, you’ve got two men known for not just their athletics, but also their attitudes. There's no denying they have similar styles when it comes to their coaching and personalities.
It's a stark contrast from the previous tenures of UofL Basketball and Football, with what seems like resounding support from the fans and community. WHAS11 stopped by ESPN Radio on campus Wednesday to get a better idea of what this means for both the programs and the university as a whole.
"Louisville is really undergoing a transformation. Vince is really trying to change the vibe of the program,” ESPN Radio host Bob Valvano said. "Intercollegiate athletics is an unusual business. It's in many ways a very exciting business. It's a strange business, but it's a business when push comes to shove. At any business, the boss sets the tone. Right now, you've got a new president and most particularly a new athletic director who clearly has a way he wants to see his coaches interact. I think he wants guys the fans can like."
Valvano said both coaches show off the athletic director's new vision.
"I think he wants the community to feel like they've got ownership of this program, and that's what these guys do. They all talk in terms of the "we" and the "us," and they both are absolutely so genuinely excited to be here. I think the fans love that. Nobody wants to watch a player or a coach that in the back of your mind, you're wondering if they're as excited about the team as I am, and clearly nobody is more excited than these two to be here,” Valvano said.
It looks like it’s a style not just reserved for Louisville.
"It's a new wave nationally. You look at the new coaches. This is who they are. You look all of the way from the top levels- the Rams coach, the Celtics coach. These are young guys who are very buttoned down,” Valvano said. "They have a more accessible personality, not a scream and beat you over the head kind of personality."
Success will be key, but both hires show personality and reputation count, too.
"It's obvious that Vince Tyra was looking for a certain type in what he wanted as a coach. He was to be successful first and foremost, but it was obvious that when it comes to the off the field, away from the athletic department, away from the office, that he wanted a coach to be a certain individual to sort of have this feeling that it's different from what it was before,” ESPN Radio Program Director and Host Jason Anderson said. "I think Vince has a clear, concise understanding of what was needed, what was wanted, and quite frankly what was required for Louisville from a reputation that was there and we know was there nationally to now the feeling of Dr. Bendapudi, Vince Tyra, Chris Mack, and Scott Satterfield. You don't really feel like you're exchanging some sort of a moral value for wins on a field or a basketball court, and I think Vince Tyra was looking for that. Just simply than being it's only about winning and winning at all costs, that the end justifies the means - that seems to be a way of the past."
Satterfield and Mack are no doubt the new faces of this new era at UofL, but Anderson said their reach isn't just reserved for their respective teams.
"It's a different feel around the Louisville athletic department, and overall, too. It was very, very much needed and about time,” Anderson said.
Both hosts said at the end of the day, college athletics is a business, so both coaches will need to win to stay. However, based on their history, success seems likely.
►Contact reporter Sara Wagner at swagner@WHAS11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Sara) and Facebook.