The Charlotte 49ers have landed 6-foot-5 wing Ivan Benkovic Charlotte’s Mack Prep, according to his coach Will Sperow. Benkovic, who originally verbally committed to High Point, is from Croatia and averaged 15 points last season. Benkovic played the 2010-11 season for Charlotte's United Faith Academy and has been in the United States for two years.
Sperow said Benkovic is a three-point specialist. He is the fifth freshman to join the 49ers next season – along with power forwards Willie Clayton and Darion Clark and guards Shawn Lester and Denzel Ingram. After the transfers of upperclassmen Jamar Briscoe and K.J. Sherrill, the 49ers still have one more scholarship they can offer for the 2012-13 season. – David Scott
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48 comments:
Obviously, fear will make you type some crazy things. Keep your eyes focused on Hwy 49 where the campus continues to grow. Something exciting is taking place. Instead of the put downs, why not jump on the bus and enjoy the ride?
Is this player better than KJ and/or Deuce? I'm simply asking because I don't know. I hope he is but I have a feeling he is not.
I'm a little worried by the fact that we are signing players that are being recruited by non-factor schools like Mercer and High Point, but I'm still hopeful that Major can mold them into a team. I think after next year, with 3 years with Major at the helm, we should know if he can coach.
And I hope they don't use that last scholarship. I'm not comfortable with literally half of the scholarships in one class. Even if they made the Final Four in 4 years, the year after that we'd probably lose 20 games the next year with all those holes to fill.
Like anon 10:16 said, let's root for the team we have instead of hoping everything collapses so Major and Rose can be fired. GO NINERS!
This kid will certainly help a UNCC Basketball team that needs all the help it can get. Major is really doing a great job at recruiting...We need this guy to help beat Fordam next year! Lol...UNCC doesn't even make the Top 100 in recruiting...still a complete joke son!
Let's please stay positive on this board! This is an article about UNCC 49'er basketball. We still have a new coach and although he will never be as great as Bobby Lutz, and the program will never reach the N.I.T or dare I say "NCAA tourney." We need to root for OUR team...Go Niners!!!Lol...
We actually didn't have that bad of a season this year. Hopefully our recruiting class can help us win more games. Afterall, we did finish 5-11 in the conference and 13-17 overall. We should be better than Fordam next year, and who knows may even La Salle and Duquesne. We have to finish better than 11th this coming season. Go Niner Nation!!! Lol...
^^^^^
You mean Chapel Hill? You're off by one letter. It's the first one in..........LOL
These blog comments are a joke. You kids need to grow up. I'm surprised there is no one screening these comments. I am pretty sure someone dropped the F bomb in the comments of David's KJ Sherril blog post.
You 49ers aint never going too be as good as MY Tar Heels. You need to no it aint Charlotte it is UNCC. I dont no why nobody would like UNCC when we got a reel good team down their in Chapell Hill. All you UNCC fans is just plane stupid. And quit calling me a troll.
Inside word was the dead white German queen Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz adopted Brit royalty was one kickass nympho heafer. She was the catalyst and main culprit working behind the scenes commanding her wimpy horny hubby king G3 kill off all the pesky hornet peasant patriots or she would cut him off permanently. She had at least 15 or 16 rugrats and not all were from G3. Trojans werent around back then.
She is not in that perm bent over position at the airport for nothing ...
(true story)
Major is pathetic and landing recruits who average 15 points a game heading to High Point is embarassing. The sad thing is we are no better than High Point. Next year we will win 12 games but does Judy have enough balls to fire Major?
To Anon: 8:24AM-I'm sorry to disappoint but we are not Chapel Hill, we are Charltote and we are proud of it. if you are a Chapel Hill fan then that it good for you but us Charlotte fans breed green and white and will always support the team. The recruits are good and we should support the team. These people chose to come to Charlotte and could have went to other schools. It is not the players that make the team but the fans and students. If we continue to come out and support the team Charlotte will get to where it needs to. If we fall in the trap that Anon: 8:24AM has then we will be losers in the end.
Anon 4:06, I'm pretty sure Anon 8:24 was mocking fans of UNC. The fact you did not pick up on all the grammatical mistakes worries me a little.
Back on topic, I fail to understand the big deal about us stealing a recruit from High Point. I have nothing against High Point but if we have regressed to the level of the Big South or Southern Conference we are in trouble. Niner basketball USED to be on par with the Cincinnati's, Louisville's, Memphis's, Marquettes, over half the ACC schools, and over half the SEC schools. Personally, I think we would have been better off to keep Deuce and KJ and I fail to uderstand why we dropped their schollies.
What people fail to understand is that people are recruited to fit schemes. It is not about who you are recruiting against or a ranking. I've seen some very high ranking athletes come through Charlotte and were not successful at all. I've seen some not so remarkable recruits turn out to be really good. We have never been able to recruit against the Big East, ACC, or SEC. When the schools you mentioned were in our conference then we could recruit some what with them. Also, Our program has taken a dive since those days, and I haven't seen any great recruits come knocking our doors down to come to Charlotte.
My comments about KJ and Deuce. These guys didn't fit with what the current regime is doing. No matter who asked for a release or got a release doesn't matter. Both the team and the players will benefit. Neither player was going to see much floor time at Charlotte next year if any at all. Why keep them here if that is the case. Let them go some where else and actually play their final year. As for Charlotte they can get new recruits with the scholarships that work better in the system and the coaches can coach them for 4 years. There were around 300 transfers in college basketball this season. Charlotte had two. At one point Deuce was a transfer to Charlotte. Mayfield transferred to Charlotte. This is not a big deal, as this is college basketball and transfers are a big part of that.
To Anon:11:27PM-I agree with you.
I was in favor of hiring Major at the time. That was before I realized he was going to have it in for all of Bobby's players. I can't believe any Niner fan even tries to justify chasing away 2 rising seniors with significant playing experience in favor of signing a recruit no school other than High Point wanted to sign. Fellow Niners, we are in trouble. I've been a season ticket holder in Halton since the building opened UNTIL NOW. I refuse to support any coach who chooses to show such disrespect to players.
Anon (troll) 1033
For the 100th time, transfers are an unfortunate part of the landscape in college basketball. In point of fact, part of Lutz,s downfall was that he allowed other teams problem players to make their way to Charlotte ( think Boston College and Oklahoma). Major does not "have it in" for any particular player. Many,many players all over the country have been told what their expected roles would be and decided they didn't like that role and moved on. It happens. BTW, if we had won 20 games each of the last two years, "fans" like you would be singing Major's praises no matter how many players were transferring.
Fire Rose and Major.
Anon 10:09. I am the Niner fan you call a troll. I assure you I am no troll and my knowledge of Niner Athletics is probably MUCH more than yours. Losing these 2 seniors gives the coaching staff another year of a ready made excuse because once again the team is too young. For the 3rd year in a row.
I like major's theory on what we need to win. I am just beginning to have doubts if he has the ability to make it happen.
If Judy had spent as much effort on the men's basketball coach as she does on coaches for her girls' sports we would be better off. Didn't she just pay some organization to recommend someone to be the coach? That someone also pays the same organization to be recommended to be a coach. I don't know if that is being more stupid or being more lazy.
You like Major's theory on winning, but you dislike his actions in order to attempt to win. You dislike losing, but when the coach makes changes to attempt to win then you dislike those as well. People say we need better players, but the same ones say we must keep the players we have. We are too young to win you say. I have an idea then. Let's bring in a group of two or three Jr college players each year. Oh wait... we tried that didn't we. When is the last time we had 9 freshmen commits in a 2 year stretch? Since you are so knowledgeable about 49er athletics history it shouldn't take you long to answer.
@10:27
You refer to Villa 7 as "some organization" and you really have no idea how it works, but you seem sure Judy used it as a substitute for a coaching search. Not sure if your thinking is more lazy, stupid, or sexist. We had former men's coaches who were hired by Rose go on to coach at Duke and at Stanford, by the way.
KJ and Deuce played for Bobby's teams and we had 19 wins. How is chasing them off 2 years later when they will be seniors considered a move to win? I'm sorry but I do not understand this rationale a few of you have. We could have used both players to help us WIN games.
Deuce never played in an NCAA game for coach Lutz. The 19 win season was his sit out year for transferring. KJ averaged 8.4 minutes per game, 1.5 points per game, and 1.9 rebounds per game in the 19 game winning season. Both played the last two years on the squads that have not posted winning seasons. As an athlete if I were them I would've wanted to go elsewhere so I could see the floor my senior season. See Derrio Green's senior season as an example. I don't see how people don't understand that these moves better the players and the team. Also, I have never heard the coaching staff use the excuse that the players were too young when we lost. I am thankful for all of the athletes that have put in the hard work for the 49ers, and I wish both Deuce and KJ the best. I am excited to see the new talent acquired by the staff and I am looking forward to next season.
The basketball program will have APR problems by all of these dismissals. Therefore we will lose scholarships and such, meaning 49ers still looking at losing more games... A lot of negative mojo for the program.
The APR gets adjusted when players transfer or leave for the NBA and they are in good standing with their academics. If they are not in good standing then it affects the APR. As I understand it neither player was having academic problems so this will not have a negative affect on the program. Also, it is when the team's APR is bad for the 2nd consecutive year that you lose scholarships. The 1st year is a letter to the public, and I have not seen such a letter.
7:42 AM
WOW. I guess Kentucky will have NO scholarship soon. Good thing they won the national championship this past season.BTW, one common trait among all you haters is your lack of facts and/or stating "fact" which is untrue or unprovable. (e.g. Judy slacks on her coaching searches for men's sports, Alan had it in for Lutz's players from the gitgo, etc, etc etc--ad nauseum)
I am a recent graduate of the University of Charlotte. I know everything there is to know about basketball and 49er Athletics because I get my information from NN.N. Trust me. Anyone who doesn't agree the Niners will be in the Final 4 next year is stupid and a hater too. The rumor that Judy turned to the Villa 7 to let them recommend a coach is not true. Major will be the best coach in the country. We just need to give him 7 more years to get his own players in place.
From what I understand the Villa7 is a conference held yearly for Assistant Coaches to meet and get to know different Athletic Directors. The Villa7 is attended by many Prominent Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Athletic Directors, and Commissioners. This is not a firm that places coaches but a meeting place for all groups to share ideas and learn about each other. It is also known that Judy attended multiple games to watch Coach Major. None of this I learned from the forum you mention.
For more information on Villa 6/7 please visit http://www.sportleadership.vcu.edu/villa7/index.html. Knowledge is power.
Mike & Mike in the morning (ESPN2) "dog out" Major's leadership style on 4/20/12.
11:27 pm
Your post is amusing. Your implication that those who defend Judy and Major against unfounded attacks are young and stupid is, however, off base. Let me remind you that making fun of others is a habit of the immature and ill-informed. Try to grow up.
Who the Hell listens to Mike&Mike for information about Charlotte athletics? Geez, Louise.
I find your Mike and Mike comment hilarious. Can you provide audio because I can't understand why these two guys would even mention Charlotte during a time when nothing of note is even going on in college basketball, and with the NFL draft around the corner. Why would these guys even waste their time to pick on a coach of a 13 win team in the Atlantic 10?
Anon 11:27, the official school name is UNC Charlotte. I suggest you purchase 8 FSLs to help the school instead of trying to highjack the official name. You are wrong about your Final 4 prediction.
Dowlwss, the coaches recommended by Villa 7 pay to be recommended. You need to do a little more research. The funny thing is you say you do not visit NNN. That's a good thing because there is already someone over there with your name.
Anon 9:18. What are we missing here? You claim those making fun of the young and stupid should grow up. What about the young and stupid who make fun of others. That is much more common. Do they need to grow up too? It works both ways. Perhaps you should grow up.
So you are saying that the Villa 7, which is Virginia Commonwealth University and Nike, get paid by Assistant Coaches so that VCU and Nike will get Athletic Directors from across the country to hire them. That makes a lot of sense. What makes more sense to me is that it is an invitation only meeting to bring potential coaching candidates together with AD's and Head Coaches, or maybe that's just what the Villa 7 website states. It is called Networking if you are new to those practices. Just so you know, talking to people when they come through the lane that you work at Wal-Mart is not really the same type of networking.
Also, that is me on NNN. You obviously have issues with facts. The fact is that I never stated that I was not a member of that site. I stated that none of the information came from that site. Also, since I am the only one on this blog that uses a name except for David at least you should take the time to spell it right.
My guess is that you are one of these folks that went to NNN and bashed the program without having any facts. Now you are relegated to bashing the University on this blog under an anonymous identity. Simply Sad.
Dowless, you need to get your facts straight. You have contradicted yourself a few times. The next thing you know you will be telling everyone Major has had winning records in his 2 seasons as head coach. I will be in Halton again next year, which is more than I can say for even some of Major's biggest "supporters" (and I think that may include you). I hope he has completed his training process and finally turns the program around. By the way, 5 NC State grads have already told me "thanks for the coach".
We won't know how good our coach is until next year. If next season is no better than this season then Judy made a big mistake. I hope that scenario does not play out and he gets us back to the NCAAs. I am not buying the "young and inexperienced" argument 3 years in a row.
Dowless, you said Judy was attending Major's games and checking him out while he was at OSU. I call BS. The season was already over before we let Bobby go and Major did not even appear on our list until we called the Villa 7. Please stick to the facts and stop it with the Alan Major promos.
Wow.....49 niner's basketball is like a house......Major's house....he is laying down the foundation and then he will build his program with student athletes. Look, we can do what they do in Kentucky. (one and done!) And, this University is growing and getting better. The top 100's will be coming to Charlotte soon!
http://www.charlotte49ers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=363433&SPID=44799&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=23200&ATCLID=204927472
(to Judy Rose) How did Alan Major become the coach at Charlotte?
Rose: We identified who we wanted to go after. I watched him when Ohio State played in the NCAA Tournament - how he was on the sidelines, how much he contributed. The Chancellor and I later interviewed several candidates in Indianapolis. Alan Major was the only one who was offered the job at Charlotte.
Anon 10:24 pm
Stop twisting my words. I was not defending the stupid. I was questioning you (or whoever the original poster was) for portraying certain people as young and stupid just because they disagree. There's a difference between those two things.
Oh, and yes that does go for both sides of any issue. Sorry if I was unclear about that.
Yet, has anyone proven that Judy Rose paid the Villa 7 to recruit Alan Major for her. Where's the proof?
Dowless and Villa 7 haters:
Later in her press conference, she thanked the leaders of Villa 7 and in particular a recruiting analyst, Dave Telep, for helping her identify Alan Major.
It is noted here: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=5381862
And david Scott wrote about it here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/11/1828436/major-focused-prepared-as-a-first.html
And, this alos spells it out: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2010/04/22/rose-took-coaching-search-hands/
Why rip someone when research is so easy. She did her work and Villa 7 was a "major" part of it. Also, I had never heard an AD ever publicly thanjk someone who rates recruits. Telep has never done us any favors. If he recommended Major, well, that jury is still way out there.
Thanks go to Anon 10:03 for setting the record straight. I think most of us remember att the attention given to Villa 7 and Dave Telep for sort of making our decision for us. As mentioned, Telep has never done us any favors. I'm beginning to think he still has not.
I am beginning to wonder if Dowless's full name is Judy Dowless Rose or Alan Dowless Major. Or maybe Dowless was so young he was not around back then. I know one thing. About 80% of the Niner fans I know already have doubts about Major.
I still have faith in our coaching staff ut I think they need to explain why they have chased away all of Lutz's players. Lutz won 19 games with those same players 2 years ago. We have not come close to winning that many games since then. We finished 5th in the A10 with those players under Lutz. Under Major we have finished 13th and 12th. Something does not add up.
Let me do the math for you. 1 incompetent chancellor + 1 joke of an AD + 1 sorry coach. = 3 stooges and a destroyed program.
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