Saturday, February 18, 2012

Observations from Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. -- Observations from the 49ers' 53-52 loss Saturday to Richmond:

-- Yes, Charlotte might have won had the 49ers shot free throws better (the 49ers were 9 of 19). But the game wouldn't have been as close it was had the 49ers not forced the Spiders into a season-high 19 turnovers. Charlotte scored 18 points off those turnovers and had eight steals. Three came from Pierria Henry and Deuce Briscoe.

Still, missing all those free throws hurt. The 49ers have become inconsistent from the line. They were 17 of 20 against Dayton on Wednesday; 19 of 38 last Saturday against Rhode Island. And although coach Alan Major doesn't like to single out any certain aspect of a game as being crucial in a win or loss, he did this time:

"You might say if we make two more, we win the game," he said.

-- Charlotte had 10 offensive rebounds and scored eight points off them. They needed to convert just one more of them to win it, though, and had the chance -- twice -- at the end of the game.
 

-- Senior guard Derrio Green played for the first time in four games. Green, a former starter who was the team’s leading scorer last season, hadn’t played since the La Salle game Feb. 1 (and he played just four minutes then). Green played five minutes in the first half, missing both his shots and making a steal.

-- Charlotte freshman E. Victor Nickerson and Richmond’s Alonzo Nelson-Ododa were high school teammates at Norcross (Ga.) in suburban Atlanta.

-- The 49ers went scoreless seven minutes in the first half as Richmond jumped to a 12-point lead. Charlotte missed 10 of its first 13 shots, but recovered to cut Richmond’s lead to 25-19 at halftime.

-- 49ers forward DeMario Mayfield, who was suspended one game (at Dayton on Wednesday) for a misdemeanor marijuana possession arrest earlier in the week, didn’t start but played 30 minutes, scoring 7 points and grabbing 11 rebounds and being right in the middle of that frantic final few seconds.

-- The loss didn't really hurt the 49ers (4-8) much in the standings (although Richmond moved up to sole possession of ninth place), where they are tied for 11th with George Washington. The Colonials (Charlotte's opponent Wednesday at Halton Arena) lost to Saint Joseph's. There's still a cushion above Fordham (2-10) and Rhode Island (2-11), who both lost and remain in 13th and 14th, respectively. 

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pitiful that just getting 11th or 12th place and getting in the tournament looks like our goal every year. We should've been competing for the top of the conference every year. We are no better off than we were with Bobby.

Anonymous said...

Alan Major is a terrible coach

Anonymous said...

embarrassing. shameful.

Anonymous said...

And although coach Alan Major doesn't like to single out any certain aspect of a game as being crucial in a win or loss, he did this time:

"You might say if we make two more, we win the game," he said.

LOL DUHHHHHHH!

Anonymous said...

Major is not getting it done. We should go after Greg Marshall. We should have done that years ago. The guy can coach and just wins.

Anonymous said...

What on earth makes you think that Judy Rose would ever hire Gregg Marshall?

In 9 seasons at Winthrop, he had 194 wins and many NCAA appearances.

That is not Villa 7 material.

Anonymous said...

I'm in the camp of "give Major enough time to get a couple of his recruiting classes into upperclassmen players and let's see where we stand." Having said that, you could have Dean Smith himself of the sidelines but even he can't shoot the ball for them.

Anonymous said...

It's a business, not a church league.

Clyde Drexler's coaching career only lasted 58 games. That wasn't long enough to see his recruits become upperclassmen.

Anonymous said...

Look at the season stat sheet. Not much returning in re to production xcep Braz and sorta Henry. Never should of torn down old guys. Coach what u have and gradually improve. Especially with newb hc. A Majerus type can build a foundation up, not this clown.

Johnny Johnson said...

You must be joking. Gerg Marshall would never consider UNCC. That would be a big step down from Wichita State.

Anonymous said...

It might be more a statement on today's college athletes but all I've seen lately at UNCC are undisciplined kids who don't know how to play basketball. Make your free throws or shoot 500 / day in practice. I for one would not tolerate 9-19, 47% shooting. These 49ers are playing unacceptable ball plain and simple. Coach needs to coach these kids up or just quit. Major's paid a ton of money to coach here, he needs to earn it or like I said, quit.

Anonymous said...

Do not blame Major for the path he has taken with this team, blame his coaching but not his approach; he had no choice!

He had to dismantle the team he inherited. Judy have never hired him had he not done it. It is obvious that things were personal between the previous coach and her. Major had to destroy the team and build from the ground up.

Judy valued her ego more than the team

Anonymous said...

I look at where the 9ers were a few years ago and it makes me sad. I remember when we played and defeated UofL, Cinn, Marq and others. When we regularly appeared in the NCAA Tournament. When we always competed and often won the conference tournament. We statrted our downward spiral when Judy sent us to the A-10 instead of trying to find a way to stay in C-USA. Everything Mullins, Watkins and yes, even Lutz built has been getting worse since we joined the A-10. A good league but not one that resonates with Charlotte. So instead of watching the NCAA selection show, the 9ers are now relegated to hoping for a bottom feeder seed in the conference tournament. Thanks for a lousy job Judy. I assume you are close to retirement age and will be gone before the you make the football team as irrelavant as the mens basketball team is now. I know this will make the Judy lapdogs unhappy but the reality is that the slide of mens basketball is directly related to our joining the A-10 and Judy's reactive as opposed to proactive leadership. Only at Charlotte could a poor AD like Judy survive as long as she has.

Anonymous said...

^^ Well said anon 12:56, well said.

Anonymous said...

x2. Well said.

We need a REAL change in culture and we need a total shakeup of the athletic department. I'd welcome the change.

Anonymous said...

Come one guys. Lets give Majors 4 more years. Krzyzewskyi didnt go to the tournament his second season at Duke and they burned Dean Smith in effigy at Chapel Hill. Remember, Lutz left the cupboard bare! Also the most effective way to encourage change is to keep quiet and keep supporting the team. And if you want your opinion heard, you gotta give money to the program, and keep giving until they call and ask you about important decisions.
GO NINERS!

Anonymous said...

7:28 PM: Lutz did not leave the cupboard bare! For a team to go 10-20 with only 7 scholarship players (all Lutz players under a new coach) and beat much tougher competition than this year should tell you something. Major has his recruits and almost all of the players from last year's team and so far he can only come up with 2 more wins. Sounds more like a coaching problem. Major is not the only coach in America to inherit players from another coach. He just seems to be the only one that can't figure out how to coach them.

Anonymous said...

I don't know which is more awesome - the 728 post dripping with sarcasm or the post that followed. . .

Good stuff, both of you!

Anonymous said...

GO SPIDERS!!!

Anonymous said...

We will be a solid team again sooner than later.

For those who think the A10 move was bad what are your suggestions? We weren't going to be playing Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, or St. Louis anymore if we stayed in CUSA. What conference choice did we have? It looks to me like Basketball was the priority when choosing the A10 as it is a basketball league. The fact that Lutz couldn't recruit for the A10 is another issue. It looks like our other coaches figured out how to recruit and win in the A10. The A10 is ranked 7th in the conference RPI right behind the ACC and two in front of CUSA this year.

Anonymous said...

Oh, please forgive me for defending Major and Rose. We went 9 of 19 from the free throw line. We missed layups and shots at point-blank range. If those facts don't prove what bottom-feeding scum-suckers Major and Rose are, nothing will!!!!!!!!! Fire them both, yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

The A10 was the best option just like Majors was the best option. We couldnt afford football and we couldnt afford a big name coach. Majors and the A10 were the best we could get. If you want something better - give money!
We will be a solid team again as soon as Majors learns how to coach.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the guy who said that the A10 is a good league that doesn't resonate. That's totally fair. I wish I could be viewing the A10 from afar saying, "Hey, check it out! That Atlantic 10 conference is one slot below the ACC! Good for them!"

And if I was named athletic director around 2004-2005, I'd probably move Charlotte basketball to the A10. We were painted into a corner. If anything, the A10 did us a favor by expanding to 14.

The thing that angered me the most is the way we got painted in a corner and limited our options. If the athletic department carried through with their plans to start up football in 2001, they would look like heroes instead of goats.

As far as Lutz goes, most everyone has a fond memory or two of cheering for Charlotte during the Lutz era - otherwise the wouldn't still be around. But even the most ardent supporters of the guy were eager to make a change and wish Lutz success somewhere else. If Rose made a good choice on Lutz's successor, she'd look like a hero instead of a goat. Taking on a coaching novice and sacrificing a couple seasons as Major learned the profession was simply a bad idea. I hope Major gets better for the sake of the
program. But even then it will be hard to convince me that the AD made the best decision there.

It is true that Charlotte has good coaches and competitive teams in the A10, but honestly what else would you expect for a large warm-weather public school amongst tiny northeastern private/Catholic schools? It isn't like an uphill struggle to hunt down a resume for a decent olympic sport coach or to find players. If Judy Rose was having the same type of success at La Salle - totally different story.

All in all, I think the athletic department has performed well below its potential and is long overdue for a change.

Anonymous said...

I just don't understand how this is under performing for a school founded in the 1940s. I'll bet their are a lot of D1 AD's that wish they had done as much. I am not affiliated with Rose or the University other than being an alumni. I just wanted to point out that the current AD has done loads for the University and gets crapped on all of the time. Be thankful that she has done this good of a job, and like the other poster stated, if you want more from the Athletics department then they'll be glad to take your donation.

Courtesy of the UNC Charlotte Administrative web site.

"At the time of her appointment as director of intercollegiate athletics in 1990, Judy Rose was just the third woman to head a Division I athletics program. In 1999-2000, she became the first woman to serve on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. She is currently serving as president of the National Association of College Directors of Athletics.

With the 49ers, Judy Rose has overseen the transition of the athletic program from the Sun Belt Conference to the Metro Conference to Conference USA. Among her other accomplishments are raising the necessary funding to construct the Barnhardt Student Activity Center (Halton Arena), Miltimore-Wallis Athletic Training Center, Irwin Belk Track and Field Center, and Wachovia Fieldhouse. She has been instrumental in attracting national sporting events to Charlotte, including the 1994 Men’s Final Four, 1996 Women’s Final Four, 1997 AAU Junior Olympics, and 1999 and 2000 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer College Cup."

Anonymous said...

anon 113 -

If someone made a similar statement about how any school should feel lucky to have Bobby Lutz and went on to list stuff in his bio that occured 12-22 years ago, that person would be ridiculed. Just sayin'.

If you think Judy Rose was a great athletic director in 1990, that's awesome. But we are coasting along on autopilot in 2012 as she approaches her 40th year of employment. For the good of the program and the school, we seriously need a new AD.