Lutz Released From Contract
Search For Replacement For All-Time Winningest Coach Begins Immediately
Charlotte, N.C. — UNC Charlotte Chancellor Dr. Philip Dubois and Director of Athletics Judy Rose, today, announced that head men’s basketball coach Bobby Lutz has been released from his contract, effective immediately.
“Since Bobby is an alumnus of this institution and has served here as a head or assistant coach for a decade and a half this was a personally and professionally difficult decision for us but we believe it’s in the long-term interest of 49ers basketball and the university as a whole,” Dubois said.
Lutz, who is the program’s all-time winningest coach, guided the 49ers to eight post-season trips in his12-year career. Those eight bids included a school-record five NCAA Tournament appearances, the last of which came in 2005. Since 2005, Charlotte has advanced to two National Invitation Tournaments (2006, 2008) in the last five years.
“This was an extremely difficult decision and not one that was made lightly or in haste,” said Rose. “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 owns a 218-158 win-loss record (.580 winning pct.) as the 49ers head coach and an overall 21-year career coaching mark of 399-249 (.616), which includes a 181-91 record in nine years at Pfeiffer University. Over the last five years, the 49ers have posted an 83-75 overall record (.525), including a 41-39 mark (.513) in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The 49ers went 19-12 in 2009-10 and finished in a tie for fifth-place in the A-10 with a 9-7 record. Charlotte lost seven of its last eight games to fall out of A-10 Championship contention and post-season play.
In addition, Lutz’s coaching staff has also been released from its duties.
A national search for Lutz’s successor will begin immediately. Dubois and Rose will not discuss potential candidates until the announcement of the hiring.
Monday, March 15, 2010
49ers' official statement of Lutz firing
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32 comments:
WOW! I've been a long supporter for Lutz and Company. He has been a figurehead for 49er basketball and a great representative of our University. Good Luck Lutz!
not hard to be the winningnest coach when you have been there that long. a 58% is pretty abysmal. good luck Bobby but 49er athletes, alumni and fans deserve better than they have had to endure!
"abysmal"? 11:23 you're an idiot
this should have happened long ago. finally a new era in niner basketball.
I don't really care about 49er basketball. However, I must say that the move to A10 was a dreadful mistake for the future of the program and cost Lutz his job. 9 out of 10 fans couldn't name over half of the teams in that conference, and has no rival for the Niners. Sure he made questionable coaching moves and perhaps his team, this year, started reading and believing the papers about how good they were. But, I also feel that they the could do, and probably will, do a heck of alot worse than Bobby Lutz. He has done more for that program than anyone since Lee Rose and Cedric Maxwell. Maybe you can get Mike Pratt back. So, go ahead Niner fans rally around football....because you're going to need to cheer about something.
HALLELUJAH!!!!!
How about Wojo at Duke...isn't he about ready for prime time? Think he could recruit?
19 wins and ya'll are complaining? uncc must have some $$ considering he has 4 more years to be paid!
Anonymous said...
Megasports.com is reporting that Lutz will be fired.
9:54 AM
NEXT TIME YOU GUYS WILL LISTEN TO ME.
Moving to the A-10 was the only option after the rest of the heart of CUSA (Louisville, Cincinnati) left for the Big East. The A-10 has consistently been the best basketball conference outside the BCS.
Hate to see Coach Lutz leave, but I think a change was needed. Interested in who Charlotte will go after. A young asst. like Wojo or Chris Collins from Duke to use Charlotte as a springboard for their coaching careers, or Buzz from App. State, would be step up from SoCon. Or heaven forbid, another Hal Wissel type of coach from the small college ranks
I like the sound of Wojo...great defensive coach. Coaches the "big men." Bring some consistency, discipline and respect to Charlotte. Can you say Butler? I know Butler is a private school, but man, can't they rally some support in Indianapolis? And can't they play some ball?
19 wins would have been great, except the team was really good and should have gone much farther. We should have finished with 22 wins or more. Unfortunately, next year may be rough. We will probably lose some players. I hope we can keep Spears, Braswell, and Green. But we'll see. Of course, Bobby's poor offensive game cost us many great players over the years. Bowden was the most recent. That kid Lassiter was a great passer but Bobby believed smurf Harris was better because he didn't want to run. Bobby is a great guy, but he had to go.
I completely agree with Anonymous 11:28am -- Charlotte can definitely do a lot worse than Bobby Lutz as a coach. I wish the 49ers all the best in finding a replacement for Bobby Lutz and for the entire coaching staff -- good luck finding someone with as much heart, knowledge of basketball, and dedication as you had in Bobby Lutz. I hate this for Bobby however I am sure he will have many great opportunities in the future.
We should hire the ex Providence coach Tim Welsh. Proved he can win in the Big Time while at Providence College
to the comment at 11:24 -- name a job that you can keep for this length of time and only do it right 58% of the time? thanks for the name calling!
Weather forecaster!
Maybe Ol' Roy is looking to escape Chapel Hill for Charlotte.
Brad Brownell would be a great candidate for the job. Gregg Marshall makes a ton at Wichita so I am not sure if he will be a factor. Hill at KSU makes 400K as an assistant so sombody is going to have to come up with some serious jack.
Bobby was a great coach but it was time to move on. Another name being talked up in coaching circles is Tony Barbee head coach at UTEP. Great recruiter and floor coach....has great ties to the east coast. Calipari assistant for years has built the UTEP program in 4 years.
dear idiot (different anonymous this time)...
Avg is 50%...every game has a loss and a win...so 58% is above avg...unlike your analytical skills...put basic "gaining a basic understanding of stats" in your next pdp.
This is a shame and should not have happened.
How can the Administration expect him to go from a 11 win shorthanded team to a NCAA team in one year?
11 to 19 wins is one of the best turnarounds in the nation.
Although Coach Lutz was a good man, he just couldn't seem to rally his team as a good coach should....wish him well! Why not bring back alumni Coach Melvin Watkins - great recruiter and coach! I'm sure he still bleeds "green"!
It's amazing people think that Bobby Lutz can't win? These are probably the same people that thought he was GOD running off C-USA Championships back with the likes of Cincinnati/Memphis/Louisville/Marquette..... 19 wins was a great year for the niners!!! I also believe the A-10 is a horrible league for us to be in and caused a change in recruiting, game planning, team travel that hurts continuity in the progam. Obviously with the 19 wins, it appeared that Coach Lutz was starting to figure it out, but apparently the administration has no idea how this all works...
I really like Lutz and will miss him. I am even more suprised they let the entire staff go. Maryland may love to have Rob Moxley back. It is the conference that hurt us. I am sure it is much harder to recruit to the A10. That is not the coaches fault. That is the fault of the former Chancellors and those in power that refused to get a football team earlier. I believe there was a good shot at the Big East. If the Niners would have had football, I think it would have tipped the scale.
How about Bobby Cremins at the College of Charleston. Wasn't he at GT at one point?
If you would have asked me at the beginning of the season how I'd feel with 19 wins I'd say I'll take it but after going 18-6 we should have won more games. We collapsed.
ANONYMOUS SAID U CAN GET ALOT OF GOOD PLAY TO PLAY AT UNCC IT IS A VERY NICE PLACE U HAVE BIG EAST SCHOOL DONT HAVE THE FACILITIES COACHS DID ALOT OF BAD RECREUTING AND COACH LUTZ STYLE DONT WORK FOR EVERONE AND THE COACH STAFF DO A BAD JOB WORKING WITH THE PLAYER TO HELP THEM BECOME BETTER PLAYERS THE KIDS DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO THE KIDS DONT RESPECTED THE COACH STAFF ALOT OF BAD BEHIND THE SEEN THANG THAT HAPPEN WITH THE TEAN THE PROGRAM NEEDS ORDER AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR BIG GUYS LUTZS IS NOT GOOD FOR GIVEN KIDS CONFIDENCE GOOD LUCK COACHS AT YOUR NEXT JOB
I still can't believe they let the entire coaching staff go! Coach Mox has a baby on the way any minute...how do you go home to your pregnant wife and tell her you lost your job?
Sure they probably are getting severance packages/buyouts but how do you expect a group of now 4 coaches (HC + assistants) and experienced players to get along and work efficiently in 10 weeks?
Has anyone heard if the trainers are staying too? Wouldn't be shocked if they are all leaving...it seemed like a family
I hate to see him go - but I think it's time for a change. I wish him well, couldn't have asked for a better ambassador for the school. And for the "haters" - until the school can recruit players with 4 year potential, and not the "juco's" and transfers - it will be hard to be "Final 4" material. I would like to smell the NCAA's more often than not though.
Hire Scott Rigot, Assistant at Duquesne.
SCOTT RIGOT WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT CHOICE . WHEN HE COACHED AT SMC HE WAS CONSIDERED BRILLIANT BY ALL . HE KNOWS HOW TO COACH , RECRUIT , MOTIVATE AND MOST OF ALL ,WIN . THE PLAYERS LOVED HIM AND SO DID THE FANS . THIS GUY IS SPECIAL . HE PUTS EXCITEMENT IN THE GAME . ONE DAY HE`LL BE CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE NO DOUBT . THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR A WINNER --- I highly recommend SCOTT RIGOT , THE WINNINGEST COACH AND HALL OF FAME HONORED CHAMP AT SMC
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