The Bobby Lutz era with the Charlotte 49ers is over. For 12 long years, Lutz graced the Niner sideline and led Charlotte to eight post-season appearances (five NCAA, three NIT), and in 2009-10, it looked like he was headed for another.
Just five weeks ago, things couldn’t have been any better for a fan of the 49ers. The Niners knocked off a Top 25 Louisville team in famed Freedom Hall by 22 and dispatched of 15th-ranked Temple by 10 in Charlotte. Sitting at 18-5 overall and 8-1 in the Atlantic 10 standings, the Niners were at the top of the conference and looked poised to grab a spot in the 64-team NCAA field. But as quickly as the Niners shot up the national charts, their season fell apart.
Charlotte suffered through an epic collapse that saw them lose seven of the final eight games, miss out on a post-season berth all-together and was capped off by the unthinkable, the firing of Lutz. Charlotte will return 75 percent of their scoring and rebounding in 2010-11, but the departure of Lutz sends the program into a state of turmoil in the offseason.
A Charlotte graduate, Lutz was impeccable in his first six years with the team, competing with the likes of Rick Pitino and Bob Huggins in Conference-USA and leading the team into the national spotlight with five NCAA appearances.
“I’m obviously disappointed,” Lutz said on Monday following his release. “As I said when I got the job, this is my dream job and I hoped to finish my career here. Perhaps I have, who knows?”
Lutz posted a 218-158 record in 12 years at the helm, but since moving to the Atlantic 10 five years ago, the Niners haven’t lived up to expectations. Lutz led the Niners to just a 43-44 record in Atlantic 10 play, including conference play, and the program hasn’t won a NCAA Tournament game since the 2001 season against Tennessee.
“Do I expect us to go to the NCAA Tournament every year? No. I’d love for that to happen, but that’s not the level of expectations,” Athletic Director Judy Rose said to reporters Monday. “But it is a level of expectation that we get there on somewhat of a regular basis and I think we have the infrastructure in place.”
“When you look at the overall success in the five years that we have been in the Atlantic 10 Conference, we’re below .500,” Rose said. “So at what point, or how long do you think you can stand before you make a change and go in a different direction?”
Lutz still had four years remaining on his current contract, which ran through the 2013-14 season. With a base salary of $237,000 per year, Charlotte must pay $948,000 over the next four years from non-state appropriated funds.
Lutz’s coaching staff was also released, and Rob Perron, the Director of Basketball Operations will oversee the team during the team’s search for a new head coach.
Even with the late-season collapse and bitter taste left in the mouths of Charlotte fans, Lutz will always be remembered as a class act both on and off the court and as one of the best coaches in program history.
“I’m really proud of not only what we’ve done throughout our time here, but especially where we are now as we pass the baton,” Lutz said.
“Every coach in America serves at the pleasure of his administration and the administration has the right to do whatever they think is best,” Lutz said. “But I respect that, and it has been my pleasure and privilege to be the head coach at Charlotte. It’s just been an unbelievable journey, a dream come true.”
-- Josh Carpenter
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