Silence speaking volumes at Charlotte

Needless to say, it's been a wild couple of days if you are a Charlotte 49ers fan. First, men's basketball coach Bobby Lutz heads to Mobile, Ala., to interview for a job that on the surface appears to be a step down from his current position.


A day later, the women's coach, Amanda Butler, is on a chartered flight to Gainesville, Fla., interviewing for the head coaching position at Florida, her alma mater.


So far today, Butler has been offered the Florida job and accepted, while Lutz appears to have been offered the South Alabama job, but no decision is as yet forthcoming.


Although the two situations are in reality linked only by bad timing, they leave the impression there is more going on at Charlotte than simple coaching transitions. Indeed, the silence of the athletic department on Lutz's interest in the South Alabama job does nothing but foster more speculation as to the "real reason" he is interviewing.


Fair or not, "no comment" these days is almost the same as commenting because of the void it leaves. It basically says to people: "I'm not telling, you figure it out." Even if there is some rift between Lutz and the Charlotte administration, isn't his body of work over the past nine years -- seven winning seasons, seven postseason trips -- deserving of some kind comment or thanks?


I think so. I don't know if Lutz will leave, but I think Lutz and Charlotte will both be better off if a decision is made soon. The silence definitely speaks volumes. -- Jim Utter