New Coach: Who's on your wish list?

[Guest BasketBull.]

Upon further review, I want Bobby Lutz.

1) The man can flat out recruit (check out Charlotte bball recruiting on Scouts.com).

2) He consistently wins.

3) He's built a program out of Charlotte.

4) He's reasonably priced.

5) He's 48, still young enough.

LINK

[highlight]Well-respected and highly-regarded [/highlight]by some of the top basketball minds in the country, Bobby Lutz continues to make a profound impact on the Charlotte 49ers basketball program. In seven years as head coach, the 49ers have been to [highlight]six post-season [/highlight]tournaments, [highlight]five NCAA Tournaments [/highlight]and posted four 20-win seasons. Charlotte has won three conference championships including two tourney titles and one regular-season crown. The individual achievements that have accompanied the team success include a USA Basketball U-21 World Championship Team member, a National Freshman of the Year, an Academic all-America, an NBA Lottery Pick, a Conference USA Player of the Year, six first-team all-Conference USA selections and six Conference USA all-tournament choices.

Recognized for his intensity and competitive spirit, Lutz is also known as a masterful strategist who maximizes potential. He has completely changed the landscape in which the 49ers recruit, regularly attracting top players and nationally-ranked recruiting classes.

In addition, Lutz is intelligent and loyal. He tutors players, stresses academic importance and takes pride in each graduate's success.

On top of all that, he's one of the good guys in the business.

He participated in the the Defense Department's "Operation Hardwood - Hoops With Troops" program this past August in Kuwait. He participated in NASCAR's Elliott Sadler's 2004 "Hoops For Hope" Charity Basketball Game. He was named a Carolinas' Father of the Year by the National Father's Day Council in 2002 and has been given "The Key to the City" of Harrisburg, N.C., where he and his family reside and where he has served as Grand Marshall of the small town's 4th of July Parade and is still regarded as a "Hometown Hero". He has a basketball tournament named in his honor, by his former school: Pfeiffer University, where he is an inductee into the Athletic Hall of Fame. He is a member of Pfeiffer's Board of Directors. He was inducted into UNC Charlotte's Alumni Hall of Fame in 2002.

On the court, Lutz's 49ers teams have amassed a [highlight]135-83 record[/highlight]. He attracted the 2001 National Freshman of the Year (Rodney White - ESPN.com and All-Star Sports) as well as [highlight]three Top 20 recruiting classes (1999 - 19th; 2000 - 15th; 2002 - 19th). [/highlight]

In the spring of 2003, he signed a one-year contract extension that will carry him through 2008-09. That will give him 11 seasons at the Niners helm, matching icon Jeff Mullins for the longest tenure among 49ers coaches.

This past year, Lutz notched his fourth 20-win season (21-8) and earned the school's 11th NCAA Tournament appearance, the school-record fifth that he has overseen. He became the first coach in school history to go to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments twice in his career. The 49ers finished as Conference USA runners-up with a 12-4 league mark, led by C-USA Player of the Year Eddie Basden and fellow first-teamer Curtis Withers. The season was highlighted by a perfect 7-0 record in February that led the 49ers back into the national rankings for four straight weeks. The 49ers also posted an unbeaten league record in home games (8-0). Lutz finished as one of 10 finalists for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award. In addition, Lutz picked up his 300th career coaching victory.

In 2004, Lutz picked up his third 20-win season and the 49ers first 20-win regular-season since 1991-92. He led the 49ers to a share of their first C-USA regular-season title with a 12-4 record (the 49ers second-best league record since joining C-USA) and his school-record 4th NCAA Tournament trip. For his efforts, Lutz was named Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year by Basketball Times and Conference USA Coach of the Year by **** Vitale. He won his 100th game as the 49ers head coach, joining only Jeff Mullins as 100-win coaches for the 49ers. He picked up his 275th all-time victory. He also landed the 49ers first-ever [highlight]Top 10 wins in true road games, winning at #7/#7 Syracuse and at #8/#7 Cincinnati. [/highlight]

Determined to rebound after the 2003 season, he attacked the 2003-04 season with a renewed vigor. He made greater demands of himself, his staff and his players. Mostly, he demanded results. And, beginning with the win over Syracuse in which the 49ers became the first team in NCAA history to defeat the defending national champions in the champs' home opener, results are just what the 49ers produced. They rode through a school-record 10 true road wins, posted a first-ever victory at Cincinnati and three Top 10 wins. They earned a share of the program's first-ever regular-season crown and earned the school's 10th NCAA Tournament bid.

In 2001-02, Lutz claimed career coaching win #250 with a victory over [highlight]#25 Marquette[/highlight]. With a schedule strength of 15 that included eight games against Top 25 RPI teams and seven wins vs. the Top 100 RPI, the 49ers earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, landing a #9 seed in the program's ninth NCAA appearance. Three of those bids belong to Lutz-coached teams, matching Mullins (1988; 1992; 1995) for most NCAA bids for a 49er coach. With the 49ers second straight bid, in 2001, Lutz joined Melvin Watkins (1997; 1998) as the only 49er coaches to post back-to-back NCAA Tournament seasons. The season included a 6-5 record against the 49ers toughest non-conference schedule, which was ranked 18th by Basketball Times, and an 11-5 record within Conference USA, with key wins over Marquette and Memphis as well as road wins at South Florida and Houston. Two late home wins secured the 49ers' bye in the C-USA Tournament, where the 49ers advanced to the semifinals for the sixth straight year.

In 2000-01, Lutz led the 49ers back into the national rankings. Led by National Freshman of the Year (ESPN.com and All-Star Sports) Rodney White, the 49ers raced to a 6-1 start that included double-digit victories over NC State, South Carolina and Miami. The 49ers would put together a late-season rally, as well, to capture the Conference USA Tournament Championship and the 49ers fourth NCAA bid in the last five years. With a top 20 recruiting class, the 49ers finished the season with a 22-11 record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in its last four trips. White was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year to complement his national awards.

The previous year, the 49ers went 17-16 and earned a berth in the NIT despite a season of adversity that began with the death of forward Charles Hayward (leukemia), included an emergency appendectomy for star guard Diego Guevara and concluded with a groin pull for team MVP Tremaine Gardiner in the C-USA Tournament that sidelined him for most of semifinal matchup with DePaul and all of the NIT showdown at Mississippi.

In his first season at the helm, Lutz made a quick impression by working some coaching magic. With a team picked to finish fifth in the American Division of Conference USA, Lutz posted a 20-win season, captured the C-USA Tournament Championship and earned the school's third straight NCAA berth. The 49ers finished the season ranked in the final AP poll (#24) and earned the program's best-ever[highlight] NCAA Tournament seed at #5.[/highlight]

Lutz became the third first-year coach in school history to notch a 20-win season and Lutz' initial 23-11 campaign was highlighted by a program-best home win over [highlight]#3 Cincinnati[/highlight], 13 wins over 1998 post-season participants and an incredible run of four wins in four days, over three of the top four seeds, to win the Conference USA Championship.

In addition to the C-USA crown and the trip to the NCAA second round, Lutz was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year by The Birmingham News.

Charlotte Director of Athletics Judy Rose recommended the hiring of Lutz as the program's eighth head men's basketball coach to the University's Board of Trustees, April 9, 1998. Lutz replaced Melvin Watkins, who resigned March 31, 1998, after two seasons. In 2002, Lutz signed a six-year contract extension and in 2003, he added another year, which runs his current contract through 2008-09.

Lutz' hiring was a dream come true for the 1980 UNC Charlotte grad and three-year 49er assistant.

[highlight]"This position remains a labor of love for me," he said. "People who know me know I am relentless in my pursuit, be it recruiting, scheduling, game preparation and development of players. My staff and I will provide 49er basketball fans and our students a well-prepared, entertaining and hard-working team." [/highlight]

Lutz joined his alma mater's basketball staff as an assistant coach to Jeff Mullins in 1995 for the program's first season in Conference USA. When Watkins was named head coach in April, 1996, he retained Lutz.

Lutz, who turned 47 on April 4, said, "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. (In 1995) when I joined Jeff Mullins' staff, my goal was what it has always been, that when the time came, I wanted to be considered for the 49ers' basketball job. First, I want to say how proud I am to be part of the 49er basketball coaching family. Second, I want to thank the administration, namely Judy Rose, for having the confidence in choosing me to lead this program to even greater heights.

"I am extremely grateful, as well, to Jeff and Melvin for providing me the opportunity to prove that I can make a difference as their primary assistant coach at a major NCAA Division I program. Each made a lasting impression on me and 49er basketball."

The program amassed a record of 56-35 (.615) during Lutz' three seasons as an assistant coach, including records of 22-9 and 20-11 with back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths in the final two.

The author of an ultra-successful career as head coach and athletics director at Pfeiffer University in rural Misenheimer, N.C., Lutz produced a 181-91 record from 1986-95, including six straight NAIA Tournament berths, three "Final Four" appearances, one "Final Eight" and one "Sweet 16". From 1990-95, his teams had an amazing .785 winning percentage (153-42). He developed 10 NAIA All-Americans and sent six players on to professional playing careers in Europe and the NBA, including all-time leading scorer Tony Smith ('92) and former L.A. Laker Antonio Harvey ('93). The Falcons played in one NAIA Tournament prior to Lutz's reign. After it, Pfeiffer was one of the nation's Top 10 programs of the 1990s.

He was named head coach at Gardner-Webb University in March, 1995. He left Gardner-Webb to join Mullins' staff two months later. "I told (Gardner-Webb's) administration at the time, the only position I would leave for is one with UNC Charlotte. They were good to me and allowed me to pursue my lifeplan."

Lutz graduated from UNC Charlotte in 1980 with "High Honors", a B.A. degree in Economics and Psychology and a 3.82 G.P.A. He was a charter member of the UNC Charlotte Honor Society. Lutz holds a Master's degree from Clemson University (Education in Administration and Supervision, 1986) and Winthrop University (Arts in Teaching Secondary Social Studies, 1985) achieving a perfect 4.0 G.P.A. in both programs.

After a playing career at Bandys (Catawba, N.C.) High (1976), where he was class valedictorian, Lutz entered UNC Charlotte and enjoyed the 49ers run to the 1977 NCAA Final Four. Upon graduation, he was an instructor in Economics and Psychology labs at his alma mater, 1979-80. He coached and taught Social Studies at Parkwood (Monroe, N.C.) High, 1982-83; and Bunker Hill (Claremont, N.C.) High, 1983-84.

In 1984, Lutz joined Cliff Ellis' staff at Clemson as an assistant for two years. He was named head coach at Pfeiffer prior the 1986-87 campaign. Of his 37 recruited student-athletes at Pfeiffer, 30 graduated during his career.

Lutz and his wife, Janet, are the parents of Natalie, 16, and Christine, 14. The Lutz family lives in Harrisburg.

-----------------------------

LUTZ GIVEN [highlight]EXTENSION THROUGH 2008[/highlight], RAISE -

DEAL INCLUDES PROVISION TO DISCOURAGE BUYOUT

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)

[highlight]February 12, 2002[/highlight]Author: STAN OLSON, STAFF WRITER

The Charlotte 49ers have given basketball coach Bobby Lutz a raise and a three-year contract extension through 2008.

Lutz, whose total package was previously estimated to be $325,000 annually, will receive a boost to the [highlight]$400,000-$450,000 [/highlight]range. Also, a provision will make it more difficult for another school to buy out his contract.

"I feel very confident that we've put together a package that's fair and competitive," athletics director Judy Rose said Monday. " We feel like we're competitive in the marketplace."

The new contract has a [highlight]base salary of $155,000 [/highlight]a year, but money from radio shows, summer camps and other endeavors lift the total past $400,000.

Lutz, in his fourth season as coach, is 76-46 (including 14-8 this season), has two Conference USA tournament titles and twice made the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Rose wouldn't divulge details of the [highlight]buyout clause[/highlight], but left the impression a school would pay a significant penalty if it were to hire Lutz.

"Is it absolutely going to keep somebody from coming after him? I don't know," Rose said. "But I think Bobby is committed to this program."

[TyBull]

Gotta love Greg Auman of the St Pete Times:

March 10, 2007

Where do the Bulls go from here?

We should have plenty of time to reflect on Robert McCullum in the next few weeks as USF searches for his successor. He said Friday that he'd known since meeting with Woolard on Sunday that there was a strong possibility he'd coached his last game at USF, something he told his players during a team meeting Monday. Despite that, he was still on the road recruiting, catching a junior college game in Mariana on Thursday night that saw two of his top two targets, Hillsborough CC's Ejike Hart and Tallahassee CC's Dustin Scott, go head-to-head. A day later, he'd been fired. More on him later, but I'll offer up my best guesses as to candidates who match up with USF -- financially, professionally, philosophically. You'll hear a lot of names, but here's where I'm starting:

ANTHONY GRANT

Head coach at Virginia Commonwealth, longtime UF assistant

Age: 40

Skinny: Interviewed for USF job in 2003, has taken VCU to NCAA tournament in first season. Superb recruiter under Billy Donovan now proving himself as a head coach. One of this off-season's hottest coaches.

CHRIS LOWERY

Head coach at Southern Illinois, third year

Age: 34

Skinny: Youngest coach in NCAA Tournament last two seasons now has Salukis ranked and well-respected. Woolard went to SIU, and Lowery's current deal pays him only $180,000 per year, putting him in USF's budget range.

MARK GOTTFRIED

Head coach at Alabama since 1998

Age: 43

Skinny: On hot seat after disappointing season, but he's expensive, making $1-million per year and under contract through 2011. Why would USF have a chance? Gottfried played basketball for Woolard in high school in Carbondale, Ill.

BOBBY LUTZ

Head coach at Charlotte for eight seasons

Age: 48

Skinny: Former Conference USA rival has taken 49ers to five NCAA tourneys in nine seasons, but struggled to 14-16 mark this season in Atlantic 10. "There's been no contact, so I'm not going to comment at this point," Lutz said in a statement Friday night, not exactly denying interest.

RODNEY TENTION

Head coach at Loyola Marymount, second season

Age: (NA ... graduated college 1988)

Skinny: Was an assistant at USF during Bulls' best seasons in 1989-91, spent eight seasons as Lute Olsen's top recruiter at Arizona. He's 25-36 in two seasons at Loyola, so local ties might not be enough to overcome early struggles as a head coach.

LEWIS PRESTON

Assistant coach at Florida, previously at Notre Dame

Age: 36

Skinny: First year as Gators assistant, he spent six years as top assistant under Mike Brey at Notre Dame. Has experience, respect in Big East circles. Another Donovan assistant, Larry Shyatt, has head-coaching experience at Clemson, background as assistant at Providence.

Thoughts? Give me the names you'd add to the list and why ...

[TyBull]

The search is on

Posted March 10, 2007 by Brett McMurphy

Updated Mar 10, 2007 at 05:25 PM

As expected University of South Florida coach Robert McCullum was fired after four seasons Friday by AD Doug Woolard. What I don’t understand is why McCullum - who has been lauded by even his toughest critics as a nice, honorable man - was strung along by Woolard for six days, as more than one USF source said to me, “to twist in the wind.â€Â

When I spoke to McCullum at noon Friday, he said he hadn’t heard from Woolard. And, then joked, “but most firings occur at the end of the day.†How right he was. Woolard said he waited six days after the season finale to be “very deliberate.†I’m not sure how much more deliberate he could be after having the past 365 days to dissect and analyze the program since his announcement last March that McCullum needed to make significant improvement.

Woolard basically did the same thing to former baseball coach Eddie Cardieri. With his decision already made on Cardieri’s future, Woolard didn’t fire Cardieri immediately after his last game, but instead had him return to school the next week. After two days, Cardieri attended a regularly scheduled Wednesday morning meeting with Woolard and USF’s other head coaches, discussing recruiting and outlining the upcoming season. Woolard then fired Cardieri late Wednesday afternoon.

CBSSportsline.com’s Gary Parrish didn’t agree with how Woolard handled McCullum’s firing. Parrish wrote:

“South Florida athletic director Doug Woolard finally got around to firing Robert McCullum on Friday. If he’d done it last year he could’ve possibly landed Bob Huggins and been this year’s Kansas State. If he had done it last week when USF’s season actually ended he could’ve been ahead of the curve instead of just now starting his search. But better late than never, right? Sounds like a confused and indecisive AD to me.

“And if Woolard is too baffled to land a coach who can compete in the Big East then there’s always the Pump Brothers, whose ChampSearch consulting firm is already assisting Indiana State. Say what you will about Dana and David Pump, but they are the guys who delivered Bruce Pearl to Tennessee, Andy Kennedy to Ole Miss and Reggie Theus to New Mexico State within the past two years. All three could be in the NCAA Tournament this season, and that’s a place South Florida hasn’t been since 1992.â€Â

Now on to the search. In the next few weeks, you’ll hear tons of speculation on who will be the next coach. You’ll hear rumors, denials, non-denials and, my favorite, the non-denial denial. Here’s Rule No. 1 in following a coaching search: anyone that “officially†applies has no chance. The only folks who will officially apply are assistants looking for a head coaching job or former coaches trying to get back in the business.

With that out of the way, here are my top six candidates, listed alphabetically, based on USF having a realistic chance at hiring them: Travis Ford, UMass; Pete Gillen, former Virginia coach; Anthony Grant, VCU; Bobby Lutz, Charlotte; Sean Miller, Xavier and John Pelphrey, South Alabama.

Like ‘em, love ‘em, hate ‘em? You got some one better?

Possible candidates could include Saint Mary's Randy Bennett, Wright State's Brad Brownell, Drexel's Bruiser Flint, Virginia Commonweath's Anthony Grant, UMass' Travis Ford, George Washington's Karl Hobbs, Butler's Todd Lickliter, Charlotte's Bobby Lutz, Winthrop's Gregg Marshall, Xavier's Sean Miller, South Alabama's John Pelphrey and Holy Cross' Ralph Willard, assistants Larry Shyatt (Florida), Frank Martin (Kansas State) and Kevin Willard (Louisville) and former coaches such as Jim O'Brien, Pete Gillen, Steve Lavin and Rick Majerus.

[South_Florida_Flip]

I wouldn't mind Chris Lowery from SIU at all.

[bulls96go]

Howie Dickenman from Central CT.

He was Calhoun's top assistant when they were building UCONN into what they have become.  He understands what it takes to overcome long odds to build a BE winner.  He's been part of doing that already.  Was a top recruiter for UCONN bringing in their early stars like Donyell and Donnie Marshall, Ray Allen and Cliff Robinson.

He has taken Central CT to the NCAA tournament in 3 of the last 7 years.  He's pretty respected in the BB community as he is a member of 7 Halls of Fame.

Don't know what he is making, but I would think the opportunity to coach in the BE is a bigger opportunity than the Northeast Conference.

good find!

[Guest BasketBull.]

They are talking about running Bobby Lutz out of town.  ;D

http://blogs.charlotte.com/tom_talks/2007/03/lutz_shouldnt_b.html

http://www.ninernation.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15837

http://www.coachbobbylutz.com/main.html

[Guest BasketBull.]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/129/story/42533.html

ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

Doubters arise in land of Lutz

Move to A-10 hampers coach's recruiting efforts

TOM SORENSEN

Posted on Wed, [highlight]Mar. 07, 2007[/highlight]

IN MY OPINION Only if the 49ers win the conference tournament in Atlantic City, N.J., will they make the postseason. You have a better chance of drawing to an inside straight.

Making Charlotte's absence more apparent is that Winthrop to the south and Davidson to the north will play in the NCAA tournament. They also did last season; Charlotte went to the NIT.

One reason N.C. State coach Herb Sendek was never endorsed by Wolfpack fans is because no matter what he did, his neighbors, North Carolina and Duke, did much more.

Lutz's trademarks are yelling at officials who mispronounce his name (rhymes with boots, which is what his detractors want to give him), changing defenses and taking nothing from anybody.

[highlight]Here's what his detractors choose not to understand. Not many coaches are capable of winning at Charlotte. It's one of the toughest jobs in the Carolinas and one of the tougher jobs nationally. You can't win 21 or more games four times if you are not a superior coach.[/highlight]

A tough job became tougher because the Atlantic 10 is a poor fit. I respect the conference, especially its Temple, St. Joseph's, LaSalle, Philadelphia tradition. But the core of the A-10 is so far away, it might as well be in Prague.

Have you ever picked your kid up at a Charlotte basketball camp and heard him say, "Someday, Dad, I'm going to play in the Atlantic 10!"?

No Carolina kid has grown up wanting to play against St. Bonaventure, and Lutz has six Carolinas kids on his roster.

The best players want to play in the best conferences. So all the stuff your mom told you when you were young -- be careful about who you hang out with -- also applies to basketball teams.

Recruiting has never been tougher. Lutz lost several key assistants, and one of them went to Kansas State and took next season's prize recruit, Michael Beasley, with him.

So if Lutz is not losing a coveted recruit to the land of wheat and tractors, he's losing him to the ACC and the SEC.

When his primary rivals were Cincinnati and Louisville, Lutz could recruit local kids who were not recruited by Cincinnati and Louisville and who dedicated every waking moment to beating them.

He can't do that anymore. But he always has found players, and he will continue to.

Lutz has two seasons remaining after this one, and athletics director Judy Rose said Tuesday they are discussing an extension.

Even if the 49ers lose today, Lutz is not going anywhere. I still believe his team will. IN MY OPINION College football is the great hope of Charlotte athletics. Yet there is a movement at the school, quiet and ill-informed, that wants a new basketball coach. The movement will become louder if the 49ers lose their first-round Atlantic 10 tournament game today.

This is a tough time to be basketball coach Bobby Lutz. This season is his ninth with the 49ers, and he has gone to the NCAA tournament in five of them and the National Invitation Tournament in two.

Tom Sorensen

Lutz Firing Poll

[bulls96go]

i am more intrested in what resources DW will committ to Bball.

will softball/ baseball/wBball and the rest of athletics get pushed aside?

[Jamie]

They are talking about running Bobby Lutz out of town.  ;D

http://blogs.charlotte.com/tom_talks/2007/03/lutz_shouldnt_b.html

http://www.ninernation.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15837

http://www.coachbobbylutz.com/main.html

Sounds a lot like the Seth fleeing for Virginia Tech scenario, doesn't it? This is the first down year Charlotte has had in something like 20 years. I would jump all over Lutz if those fans were stupid enough to run him off. He's having a hard time recruiting for the Atlantic 10 (wow, we get to play Dayton and St. Bonaventure, good times!) and it would be a lot easier recruiting to play in the Big East.

[jfcohio]

We need someone to make us forget 11 years of average to poor bball...

11 years? USF has fielded crappy basketball teams for decades. Making it to the NCAA tournament 2 times...losing both times in the first round...since it's start in 1971 for a school that has become as large as USF is pathetic...AT BEST.

This team needs some type of "identity" if it EVER wants to turn things around and that is going to take two things:

1. Cash.

2. A well-known coach that knows how to win.