AP Photo

March 15 | AP Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte fired coach Bobby Lutz on Monday after his 12th year at his alma mater was marred by a late-season collapse and a costly blunder in a first-round loss in the Atlantic 10 tournament.

Chancellor Philip Dubois said in a statement that the move was in the “long-term interest of 49ers basketball and the university as a whole.” Lutz leaves as the school’s all-time winningest coach with a 218-158 mark and with four years left on his contract.

“This was an extremely difficult decision and not one that was made lightly or in haste,” athletic director Judy Rose said. “Bobby has been an important part of the 49ers family and represented our university in a most positive manner. Our expectations for our program are high and our goal is to strive to be in the upper echelon of the Atlantic 10 with an opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament on a regular basis.”

Lutz was promoted to coach in 1998 after three years as an assistant and led the 49ers to the NCAA tournament in five of his first seven seasons. But the 49ers haven’t been back since 2005.

Lutz didn’t immediately return a message left on his cell phone, but released a statement through the school.

“It has been a privilege and pleasure to coach at UNC Charlotte, my alma mater,” Lutz said. “I have been truly blessed and will forever bleed green.”

The move would have seemed improbable barely a month ago, when the 49ers knocked off Temple and moved into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic 10. With a roster full of newcomers, Lutz had seemingly turned things around after Rose said over the summer that Lutz faced a “critical year” after going 11-20 in 2008-09.

But Charlotte soon went into a free-fall, losing seven of its last eight games to miss out on the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year. The 49ers also failed to get a bid to the NIT on Sunday.

And Lutz’s last game will be memorable for an embarrassing gaffe.

Trailing Massachusetts by three with under a minute left in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament at home, the 49ers had the ball and called a timeout. But they came out of the huddle with six players and when play began they were called for a technical foul.

UMass, which entered 11-19 and the 11th seed, hit both free throws and went on to post the upset.

“You’d think a guy with three undergraduate degrees and two graduate degrees could count to five, but obviously I didn’t,” Lutz said after the game, which left Charlotte 19-12.

Lutz’s assistants were also fired on Monday, and the school said a search for a replacement would begin immediately.

“Our fans, especially the students who are dear to my heart, have been tremendous and a source of inspiration for me,” Lutz said. “They deserve the best and that is my hope for them.”

AP Photo

March 11, 2009 | AP Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Tasheed Carr scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the second half to lead Saint Joseph’s to a 72-62 win over Charlotte on Wednesday in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

Ahmad Nivins added 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Hawks (17-14, 10-7), who now face Temple on Thursday in a rematch of last year’s final. Garrett Williamson finished with 12 points for St. Joe’s, while Idris Hilliard had 10.

Lamont Mack had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the 49ers (11-20, 5-12), while Ian Andersen added 12 points and DiJuan Harris finished with 11 points and nine assists.

St. Joe’s trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half and were down 30-23 at the break. But they opened the second half with an 11-2 run and were in command for the rest of the game.

March 7, 2009 | AP Press

OLEAN, N.Y. — Chris Matthews scored a game-high 22 points as St. Bonaventure defeated Charlotte, 74-68, Saturday to clinch a berth in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

Andrew Nicholson added 15 points and 10 rebounds for St. Bonaventure (15-14, 6-10), while Tyler Benson scored a season-high 12 points in his final regular-season game as a Bonnie.

For the 49ers (11-19, 5-11), DiJuan Harris led the way with 16 points. Charlie Coley III scored 13 points for Charlotte while AnJuan Wilderness, Lamont Mack and Ian Anderson had 10 each.

The Bonnies never trailed as they jumped to an 8-0 lead to start the game. The Bonnies led by as much as 22 points with 16:29 left in the game when Charlotte kicked off a 17-4 run and eventually cut the lead to four with 4:03 left to play. The 49ers looked to complete the comeback, but a big block from Nicholson iced the game for the Bonnies.

March 3, 2009 by Jordan Keyser | A10CollegeHoops

CHARLOTTE, NC — Richmond’s Kevin Anderson sliced down the lane and hit a contorting lay-up with 8 seconds to play to win the game for the Spiders, 64-62.

Lamont Mack had a career night for the 49ers, with a career high 32 points, as well as a career high 14 rebounds. Despite his stellar performance, Mack was obviously not satisfied with the outcome. Mack had a chance at a game winning three-pointer, but the shot rimmed out at the buzzer.

“I definitely had a good look. It just didn’t go in.” Mack said dejectedly. “It hurts. Me and Charlie wanted to go out on a win on senior night and we really wanted to get coach his 200th win (at Charlotte.)”

The game once again pitted two of the A-10’s best point guards against each other, with Richmond’s Anderson and Charlotte’s Dijuan Harris. In a reversal of Charlotte’s last game against Fordham, Harris was the one who was outplayed on both sides of the ball this time. Harris, who was 4th in the country in assists coming into this game, managed only 4 the entire game, as well as only 4 points. Anderson led the way for Richmond with 24 points and tacked on 6 rebounds.

According to 49er head coach Bobby Lutz, Anderson was the difference.

“We had no answer for Anderson tonight, that’s what it came down to. No matter what we did, no matter what adjustments we made, we couldn’t stop him. He was the difference tonight.”

Despite Anderson’s great guard play, it was a poor ball-handling night for both teams, with both squads having more turnovers than assists. In spite of the loss, Charlotte managed one of their best rebounding games of the season, with +14 ratio over Richmond, as well as a +10 ratio on the offensive boards.

With the loss, Charlotte falls to 11-18 overall and 5-10 in the conference. Their loss puts a trip to Atlantic City for the A-10 Conference Tournament in jeopardy. Their final game of the season is at St. Bonaventure on Saturday. Their postseason hopes, as well as St. Bonaventure’s, most likely will be determined by the outcome of the game.

Richmond closes their season out at home against 18th ranked Xavier on Saturday.

February 28, 2009

Jordan Keyser | A10CollegeHoops

CHARLOTTE, NC - The 49ers dominated the Fordham Rams from buzzer to buzzer, hammering out a 73-55 victory at home.

The game showcased two of the A-10’s premiere point guards in Fordham’s Jio Fontan and Charlotte’s DiJuan Harris, although the duel was rather one-sided. Harris once again dictated the pace for the 49ers and outplayed Fontan on both sides of the ball.

Charlotte (11-17, 5-9 A 10) was led by Harris’ 14 point and 11 assist effort. It was Harris’ 6th points/assists double-double of the season, and the 11th time he reached double-digit assists this year. Harris is the A-10 assist leader, and ranks 4th nationally with 7.1 apg. Fontan came in averaging 15.3 ppg, but managed to net just 9 points and 4 assists.

Harris humbly credited his success to the performance of his teammates.

“You can’t reall focus in on one player when six people score double digits. It really frees everyone up on the court and lets me do my job.”

Among Harris’ 11 assists, he had three alley-oops, which have become a regular occurrence, and almost a staple in the 49ers arsenal. RaShad Coleman caught one such alley-oop with 7 minutes left and threw down a ferocious reverse two-handed jam that put Charlotte up 67-44, and put the hometown crowd into a frenzy.

DiJuan Harris wasn’t as easily as impressed.

“It doesn’t really surprise me,” joked Harris. “We practice that play all the time in practice. He loves throwing down reverses. As soon as the ball left my hands I knew that he was gonna do it.”

Outside of Harris’ stellar performance, Charlotte was led by a very balanced attack, with 6 players scoring in double figures. Among them was crowd favorite Lamont Mack, who had 13 points and 7 boards.

Fordham, (3-23, 1-13 A 10) was led by Mike Moore with 20 points and 7 rebounds, while Alberto Estwick added 12 points on just 4-for-15 shooting.

“Charlotte killed us off turnovers,” said Fordham Head Coach Derrick Whittenburg. “They had something like 25 points off of turnovers, and that’s just not the way you win basketball games. Our margin of error is so slim with our top two scorers out. 16 turnovers? We just can’t afford to do that.”

The win was 49er head coach Bobby Lutz’s 199th victory at Charlotte. In another bit of Charlotte history, DiJuan Harris became just the 3rd player in Charlotte history to have over 200 assists in a season.

Charlotte hosts Richmond Tuesday night in their final home game of the season. Fordham heads to Philadelphia to face La Salle Wednesday night.

AP Photo

February 25, 2009 | AP Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Damian Hollis scored seven of his 25 points in overtime and George Washington defeated Charlotte 92-88 on Wednesday night.

Hollis opened the overtime period with five straight points to give George Washington (9-16, 3-10 Atlantic 10 Conference) an 84-79 lead with 2:21 left in the game.

Hollis also sent the game into overtime, tying the game at 79 on two free throws with 21 seconds left in regulation. The 49ers (10-17, 4-9) led 78-72, before Hollis hit a 3-pointer to bring the Colonials’ deficit to 78-75 with 45 seconds to go in regulation.

Rob Diggs added 22 points, Wynton Witherspoon scored 14 and Tony Taylor had 10 for George Washington.

Charlotte was led by Rashad Coleman with 22 points. DiJuan Harris scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds, Phil Jones added 12 points and Ian Anderson and Lamont Mack tallied 10 each for the 49ers.

February 21, 2009 by Patrick Gill | A10CollegeHoops

RICHMOND, VA — The Richmond Spiders rode Kevin Anderson’s 15 second half points and stifling defense to a  victory over the Charlotte 49ERS on Saturday night at the Robins Center. Following a mediocre first half Richmond (6-6 A-10, 14-13) dominated Charlotte in the second half to continue their recent surge.

For the first twenty minutes of the contest it seemed Charlotte had solved their season long quandary of playing away from home. Despite their 2-10 mark away from the friendly confines of Halton Arena the 49ERS were clicking on all cylinders going into intermission. Their best player Lamont Mack seemed unstoppable, they were 6-11 from beyond the arc, and possessed a four point advantage.

However, in the second half the road demons that have possessed Charlotte all season returned. The Spiders active match-up zone flustered the 49ers from the outset of the period. Following a Charlie Coley dunk that gave Charlotte a 41-38 lead the 49ers would only score two points the next seven minutes.  “They have good size overall in their zone. They do good job of getting to shooters,” Charlotte head man Bobby Lutz said of the Spiders.

During the pivotal stretch the home team used two Anderson steals, a gravity defying block by Cedric Francis Martel and Ryan Butler’s lockdown defense to stake their claim to a 49-43 advantage with 8:14 remaining. Butler had 4 second half blocks but Richmond Head Coach Chris Mooney believed his diving steal with 12:57 remaining was the turning point in the contest. “The play of the game was when Ryan Butler dove on ground at half court and threw it ahead to Kevin Anderson.”

The Spiders would never trail again but needed several big plays by Anderson to repel the resilient 49ERs. With Richmond clinging to a two point lead with 3:34 remaining the sophomore point guard hit a three from the top of the key and then connected on four straight foul shots to put Charlotte out of their misery.

Richmond has responded from a midseason slump by winning 3 of their last 4 games with the only blemish being a close loss at Dayton. Ryan Butler believes the combination of a favorable schedule and a young team hitting their stride bode well for the Spiders as they approach the stretch run. “Hopefully we can win out and get a good seed in the A-10 tournament. We just want to continue to get chances to show teams we can play.”

Ian Andersen celebrates one of his five 3-pointers

February 19, 2009 | by Jordan Keyser A10CollegeHoops

CHARLOTTE, NC -The Charlotte 49ers managed to stave off a well-balanced Xavier attack to upset the 17th ranked Musketeers, 65-60.

The Charlotte faithful donned all-white in support of their “whiteout” game. Guard Ian Andersen obviously wanted to keep up with theme by being white hot from 3-point range, going 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. He lead all scorers with 16 points and had 6 rebounds to boot.

“It all starts with Dijuan. He’s running the show out there, finding players and taking it to the rack. He’s playing smart, being the floor general out there. It really does all start with him. He really controlled the game,” Andersen said modestly.

Harris had 10 assists, marking the 5th time in his last 6 games that he achieved double-digit assists. He currently leads the A-10 in assists-per-game with 8.3 APG. Harris ranks 5th nationally in that category.

And while it all starts with Dijuan Harris, tonight it certainly all ended with Lamont Mack. Despite a very poor first half, Mack scored all 12 of his points in the last 8 minutes of the game, capping it off by hitting a huge baseline 3-pointer with 30 seconds left that put the 49ers up for good.

“Coach had faith in me. I wasn’t really hitting those shots all game long, but he drew some plays up for me down the stretch and I was able to convert,” said Mack.

Coach Bobby Lutz added, “Lamont was struggling, but he made the big shots at the end, obviously. That’s what matters.”

Mack scored 12 out of Charlotte’s 15 points during his scoring streak.

Lamont wasn’t the only one to hit big shots for the Niners. An’Juan Wilderness hit big free throws in the late seconds to officially ice the game, including two with 11 seconds left. Xavier’s C.J. Anderson hit a quick lay-up to cut the lead in half but Wilderness’ clutchness at the line proved to be too much.

Charlotte's student section storms the court.

“The atmosphere was…I can’t even put it into words right now. It’s a great feeling. I can’t remember it ever being like this.” Wilderness said of the hometown’s display of pride.

Despite the tough loss, Xavier had six of its nine players score more than 7 points. Coach Sean Miller didn’t have as optimistic of a viewpoint.

“(Charlotte) is playing their best basketball of the season. We are not playing well. Things need to be fixed and they will be, starting at practice tomorrow.” Coach Miller said in a very brief statement released by the university.

It was an all-around glorious night for Charlotte, which included former star and Conference USA Player of the Year Eddie Basden’s jersey being retired in a ceremony at halftime.

Charlotte improved to 10-15 (4-7 A10), while Xavier fell to 21-5 (9-3 A10). The Musketeers have dropped 3 out of their last 4 games after getting off to an 8-0 start in A-10 Conference play.

The 49ers hope to keep things rolling, as they head to Richmond on Saturday. Xavier looks to end its skid, facing George Washington at home on Sunday.

Charlie Coley throws down a monstrous dunk against GW.

February 14, 2009 by Jordan Keyser | A10 CollegeHoops

CHARLOTTE, NC – It may have been Valentine’s Day, but the GW Colonials certainly didn’t feel the love. The 49ers were dominant on both sides of the ball, delivering a beat down worthy of homecoming weekend.

With this win, Charlotte (9-15, 3-7 A-10) is now back in the hunt to make the A-10 tournament in Atlantic City.

The Colonials (7-15, 1-9 A-10) have now lost 14 out of 15 games and their hopes of making the conference tournament are grave at best.

Charlotte dominated from the start, sparked by Lamont Mack’s 8 points in the opening minutes. George Washington shot an abysmal 30% from the floor in the first half, and managed to score only 17 points. Mack continued to dominate in A-10 play, scoreing 14 in the half and led the Niners into the locker room with a 20 point advantage. He ended the game with 23 points and 5 rebounds.

Dijuan Harris continues to be a great court general for Charlotte, delivering a career-high 15 assists while committing just 1 turnover. Harris has produced double-digit assist games in 4 out of his last 5 contests and is leading the conference in assist/turnover ratio for the second straight season. Despite his great individual performance, Harris remained focused on the team and their aspirations to make it to Atlantic City for the A-10 Conference tournament.

“It was very important for us to make a push late in the season like this. We want to play in the (A-10) tournament,” said Charlotte’s Harris.

Harris had a career-high 15 assists.

Coach Bobby Lutz was slightly more nonchalant regarding his teams postseason chances:

“I don’t talk about those kinds of things with the team, but obviously we needed to win this game (to make the tournament.) I was really pleased with the way we played today. I know George Washington’s record isn’t great, but they’ve played some good teams close. We got out to a good start and built off that.”

Lutz also beamed with A-10 pride with his comment regarding the 49ers upcoming game against 9th ranked Xavier:

“They’re a great basketball team and they’ve lost a few games in our conference, but that’s because we play in a great conference. We’re rated the 8^th best league, but we’re better than the SEC this year, I don’t think there’s any doubt about it.”

There weren’t many bright spots for the Colonials, but despite the poor performance, all 10 players scored for GW, led by Damian Hollis’ 13 points and 8 boards.

Charlotte hosts 9th ranked Xavier on Thursday. Former 49er star Eddie Basden will become only the 8th player in Charlotte history to have his jersey retired.

The Colonials host St. Bonaventure on February 19th and hope to somehow salvage their season.

harris-coley-mack-press-conference-214

lutz-press-conference-214

Sunday, November 2, 2008 by WH | A10CollegeHoops Contributor

The sophomore class is the only one for which we have evidence of the future trajectory of the league since none of the freshmen have played yet. What follows are quick impressions and a Who’s Who among the A-10’s second-year players.

STARS AND POTENTIAL STARS

An’Juan Wilderness, Charlotte 49ers

Rugged 6-6 forward can score off the bounce and is a good defender and rebounder, especially on the offensive glass. If he can hone his outside jumper, he could be a terrific player.

Chris Wright, Dayton Flyers

The best athlete in the league, Wright is good enough to contend for a spot on the A-10 First Team. Scores inside, rebounds, blocks shots. He’s a pretty good ball-handler and can take defenders off the dribble. With a consistent outside jumper, Wright is an NBA First Round pick.

Damian Saunders, Duquesne Dukes

Saunders can be a force at both ends. He’s a better shooter than advertised and he uses his great athleticism to score, rebound and block shots.

Jerrell Williams, LaSalle Explorers

The 6-8 forward is a tremendous rebounder and he knows how to score inside. Williams is also very quick and can take defenders off the dribble. Like Wilderness, he’s a reliable jumpshot and away from future stardom.

Anthony Gurley, Massachusetts Minutemen

Bigtime recruit transferred from Wake Forest to be closer to home, not because he wasn’t getting any time (He was). Gurley is a tremendous athlete with a quick first step and deep range.

Delroy James, Rhode Island Rams

Brother of Sean James has the full package of inside and outside skills. He could be URI’s next great player if he stays focused in the classroom and plays with poise and intelligence.

Kevin Anderson, Richmond Spiders

He might be the second best point guard in the A-10 in just his second year. Anderson is almost impossible to stop off the dribble by any one defender and his outside shot has improved.

Justin Harper, Richmond Spiders

He’s 6-9, highly athletic and a fine 3-point shooter. Harper has to learn how to score inside and use his length more effectively as a defender, but he just oozes potential.

Lavoy Allen, Temple Owls

Allen is arguably the second best bigman in the A-10 right now. He’s a tremendous passer and rapidly improving low-post scorer. He needs to learn to play with more aggressiveness on offense but with more discipline on defense.

Dante Jackson, Xavier Musketeers

The 6-5 guard is quick and rangy and has All-Conference defensive potential. He’s also a decent ball-handler and shooter and could be a terrific offensive player by his senior year if he continues to improve.

THE NEXT RUNG ON THE LADDER

Phil Jones, Charlotte 49ers

The 6-10 center disappointed as a freshman, but he has great size, soft hands and nice shooting touch. Jones can be as good as he wants to be, but he has to show more urgency.

Devin Searcy, Dayton Flyers

Searcy didn’t play a lot as a freshman, but he showed great energy and a nose for the ball. He runs like a deer and is very long. All he needs is more meat on his bones and some steady coaching to become a good two-way player.

Bill Clark, Duquesne Dukes

The smart 6-6 forward is not a great athlete like his teammate Saunders, but he’s a superb rebounder for his size and a very good outside shooter despite a below-average percentage as a freshman. Clark is unlikely to become a star, but he’ll make the stars on his team better.

Mike Moore, Fordham Rams

Rangy 6-5- guard played great early as a freshman before fading. Moore doesn’t stand out on the court, but he’s a good ball-handler and shooter who can drive to the hoop or drain the trey. His lengths suggest above-average defensive potential as well.

Xavier Alexander, George Washington Colonials

Strong 6-6 forward struggled offensively as a frosh – he’s not a good outside shooter and had trouble finishing. Alexander should become a decent scorer in time, but he’s the ultimate lunch-pail guy, a player who rebounds and defends. He has Defensive Player of the Year potential.

Matt Glass, Massachusetts Minutemen

The 6-7 Glass is a tremendous shooter, somewhat like a more athletic version of former St. Joe’s star Pat Carroll. He is supbar defensively and on the boards, but he will stretch defenses.

Kevin Smith, Richmond Spiders

He doesn’t look like a superb athlete, but that’s exactly what Smith is. He’s very quick and explodes to the rim for spectacular dunks. Richmond coach Chris Mooney calls him a glue guy – a player who defends, rebounds, passes and makes the hustle plays. Smith has shown some range on his jumper, if not consistency. He’s a star if he addresses that problem.

Idris Hilliard, St. Joseph’s Hawks

Coming-out party takes place this season. Hilliard is very quick and strong for a 6-6 forward and he knows how to score inside. He’s a pretty good dribbler as well and should be able take defenders off the bounce.

Jamel McClean, Xavier Musketeers

Powerfully built 235-pound Tulsa transfer is a tremendous athlete who rebounds and blocks shots. He’s not as dangerous offensively as teammates CJ Anderson and Derrick Brown, but he could become a double-digit scorer after his older teammates move on.