Thursday, June 24, 2010

Update: Nagy splits Palmer Cup matches

Former 49ers golfer Corey Nagy and Scott Langley lost to Europe's Henrik Norlander and Pontus Widegren 4 and 3 in this morning's four-ball at the Palmer Cup at Ireland's Royal Portrush Golf Club.

The competition is tied at 2-2 after the morning's matches. Nagy and Langley are playing Norlander and Widegreen in foursomes this afternoon.

UPDATE: Nagy and Langley beat Norlander and Widegreen in the foursomes, helping the U.S. take a 6-2 lead after the first day.

49ers' women open with Iona

The Charlotte 49ers' women's basketball team will open its season Nov.
13 with a Preseason WNIT game against Iona.

The winner of the 5 p.m. game will face the winner of the Florida-Central Florida game Nov. 15. That's a potential matchup with former 49ers coach Amanda Butler, who is at Florida.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

49ers hire familiar name as men's tennis coach

Billy Boykin -- son of recently the recently retired Jim Boykin -- is the 49ers' new men's tennis coach.

Billy Boykin has been the tennis coach at Richmond the past two seasons and was previously men's and women's coach at College of Charleston. Before that, Boykin was an assistant at Davidson, where he played in college.

Boykin replaces his dad, who retired earlier this year after 17 seasons at Charlotte. The 49ers will begin construction on a new tennis center later this year. -- David Scott

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

49ers' Law makes Academic All-American

Charlotte's Darius Law, an NCAA indoor track all-America in 400 meters, has been named to ESPN The Magazine's academic All-American first team.

Law has a 4.0 GPA and is a business management major. He was named the Arthur Ashe National Scholar-Athlete of the Year and is a two-time Atlantic 10 Indoor and Outdoor student-athlete of the year.

Three other 49ers -- golf's Corey Nagy, men's soccer's Adam Gross and women's soccer's Hailey Beam -- have also been named to academic all-American teams.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Lutz talks about new job

A few things former 49ers coach Bobby Lutz said on Thursday after taking an assistant coaching job with Iowa State. We'll post the full story later tonight online and it will be in Friday's Observer.

“Will I miss (being a head coach)? No. I am so excited. I was very content after this happened to take year. So I’m not taking a year off, but I am from head coaching. I certainly will miss it at times. But I enjoy the fact that I’ll be an assistant, teaching, scouting, game prep. It’s the pure coaching that I love to do.”

“So I’m not going to miss those other things in the short run. Who knows in the long run?”

“I moved on pretty quickly. Regardless of getting this job, what’s done is done. I do know that I left them a really good team. One thing I didn’t stress as much when it happened is that I’m really proud of we did. I’m glad the program is in good shape.”

“I like Ames. It’s small-town America. They love their Cyclones: That’s what the whole place is about.”

Lutz headed to Iowa State

Former 49ers men's basketball coach Bobby Lutz has taken an assistant coach's job at Iowa State.

Lutz -- fired by Charlotte in March -- was in Ames, Iowa, today earlier and is headed back to Charlotte this afternoon.

He'll be of immediate aid to new Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg, who hasn't been a head coach before. Lutz said he expects to sign a two- or three-year contract, but the deal hasn't yet been finalized.

I'll be talking to Lutz later today and will have more on this early this evening.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Decision time for baseball's Rivers, recruit

Charlotte 49ers first baseman Ryan Rivers and potential incoming freshman Tyler Barnette -- both taken in this week's Major League Baseball draft -- have decisions to make.

Rivers, a junior who who hit .356 with 13 homers and 63 RBIs last season, was taken in the 35th round by the Los Angeles Angels. Charlotte coach Loren Hibbs said Rivers is well on his way to a degree in engineering and hopes he stays in school.

"Ryan has really developed as a hitter," said Hibbs. "He can improve this summer and that can carry over into next season."

Barnette, a right-handed pitcher from Hickory High who commited to the 49ers last year, was selected in the ninth round by the Boston Red Sox. Hibbs said he has spoken with Barnette's father who said he didn't know yet whether Barnette would sign with Boston or go to Charlotte.

"We knew when we signed him that he would be drafted by somebody," said Hibbs. "Our intent was for him to come to school. We think he'll be better if he goes into the pros coming out of college."

Barnette, who will graduate Friday, also played football at Hickory and was the Red Tornadoes' quarterback.

"We took a calculated risk knowing he'd play football," said Hibbs. "And it paid off. He only broke one bone -- his left collarbone. At least it wasn't his right one."

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Golfer Nagy makes 3rd-team academic AA team

49ers golfer Corey Nagy was named to ESPN The Magazine's academic All-American third-team. Nagy, who went to Vance High, is a two-time Atlantic 10 men's golf student-athlete of the year and recently graduated cum laude with a 3.60 GPA.

Another former Charlotte golfer, Jonas Enander Hedin, made the all-academic second team in 2008. -- David Scott

Monday, June 7, 2010

49ers' Gross awarded A-10 postgrad scholarship

49ers soccer player Adam Gross has won one of three Atlantic 10 postgraduate scholarships, the league announced Monday. Gross is joined by Xavier volleyball player Kelly Ruth and Saint Louis volleyball's Whitney Roth in winning the scholarships.

Gross scored nine goals -- including four game winners -- last season for Charlotte, which advanced to the NCAA tournament. He ended his career with 18 goals. He has a 3.56 GPA and is majoring in management. He plans to attend the University of Incarnate Word this fall, where he will pursue a master's in business administration in sports management. -- David Scott

Friday, June 4, 2010

Former assistant Moxley to Middle Tennnessee

Former 49ers associate head basketball coach Rob Moxley has landed a job at Middle Tennessee State, where he'll be an assistant under head coach Kermit Dais.

Moxley coached at Charlotte for 12 years before head coach Bobby Lutz was fired after last season.

Moxley began at Charlotte in 1999, then left to spend one season at Maryland in 2006. He returned to Charlotte the next season and was Lutz's associate head coach through 2009-10.

Moxley interviewed for the Gardner-Webb head coaching position recently.

"Rob has an excellent basketball foundation and has been very fortunate to have worked with two of the very best coaches in America -- Bobby Lutz and Gary Williams (Maryland)," Davis said. "Rob and his family will be a terrific addition to the Middle Tennessee family." -- David Scott

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Nagy, Loftsson makes all-academic region team

Charlotte golfers Corey Nagy and Olafur Loftsson have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic all-District 3 at-large team. It's the second straight year Nagy has made the team and he'll now be put on the magazine's ballot for All-American honors.

Nagy, who won the Atlantic 10 title in two of his four seasons playing for the 49ers, has a 3.55 GPA and is a two-time A-10 men's golf student-athlete of the year.

Nagy, from Charlotte's Vance High, will play this summer for the U.S. in the Palmer Cup, a Ryder Cup-style competition. He's also one of six finalists for the Byron Nelson Award.

Loftsson finished second to Nagy in the 2010 A-10 tournament. -- David Scott

Lutz to Iowa State? Not yet

Former 49ers basketball coach Bobby Lutz has been linked to an assistant's position at Iowa State in the past several hours. Lutz might end up in Ames, but if he does, a deal won't be struck this week.

Two sources close to the situation confirm that new Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg and Lutz have been talking. But there's no deal yet and nothing would be decided until the middle of next week at the earliest. -- David Scott