Green named A-10 player of the week

Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz will not have to call for a federal investigation after all as the Atlantic 10 Conference named 49ers sophomore shooting guard Derrio Green its player of the week for his performance in Charlotte wins over Temple and UMass.

The 6-foot, 160-pound guard averaged 30 points on 18-of-34 shooting as Charlotte earned wins over Temple (74-64) and Massachusetts (72-58). He made 12 3-point field goals and added seven assists and four steals.

Green scored 26 points versus Temple on Jan. 27 and poured in a career-high 34 points at UMass on 8-of-16 shooting from 3-point range on Jan. 30. It was his league-leading second 30-point performance of the season.

Observations from Saturday's win at UMass

-While UMass focused much of its defensive efforts in the first half on Charlotte’s inside tandem of Shamari Spears and Chris Braswell, 49ers sophomore shooting guard Derrio Green made the Minutemen pay from the outside. Green finished the half with 21 points, including a 5-for-10 performance from behind the 3-point line. Green finished with a career-high 34 points and his eight 3-pointers are the most by an opponent in Mullins Center history.

-Now this was taking advantage of an unexpected opportunity. Early in the game, Charlotte point guard DiJuan Harris attempted a pass into the lane but it hit UMass player Matt Hill and deflected into the hands of Green, who quickly buried a 3-pointer. Do you think Hill wants the assist?

-Upon arriving in the area on Friday afternoon, the 49ers’ players took a visit to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

-Jerry Gappens, a former vice president at Charlotte Motor Speedway and member of the board of the UNC Charlotte Athletic Foundation, was on hand for Saturday’s game, sitting with a small group of 49ers fans. Gappens is now president of New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.

-The 49ers return to action on Wednesday when they host George Washington at 7:30 p.m. at Halton Arena. Charlotte split its two games with the Colonials last season, with each team winning at home.

Looking ahead: UMass Minutemen

The Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team returns to action at 6 p.m. Saturday when it plays Massachusetts at the Mullins Center. Charlotte won last season's meeting between the teams at Halton Arena, 69-64 in overtime.

Here's a look at the Minutemen's roster.

Here's a look at the Minutemen's stats.

Jones key to 49ers' comeback over Owls

Charlotte 6-foot-10 center Phil Jones has had an up-and-down season. He greatly improved his conditioning in the offseason and started the year much more confident and efficient on the court as the 49ers got off to a strong start.

In recent games, however, Jones has struggled and appeared to lose much of the confidence in his game he had developed early in the season.

On Wednesday night, he appeared more like the Jones of the early-season as his three jumpers from the foul-line area sparked Charlotte's 13-4 second-half run that have the 49ers a lead they never relinquished in a 74-64 upset of No. 15 Temple.

They key to Jones' turnaround may have come during a heart-to-heart talk this week with Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz.

"I've had a few off the court issues, like some family stuff back home and that was kind of on my mind and sort of the reason I was in a slump," said Jones, who finished the game with eight points, four rebounds and three blocks. "I spoke to coach and he told me there are some things you can't prevent with me being here and stuff happening back home and to focus that energy. That's what I did."

As for his offensive surge in the second-half run, Jones credits point guard DiJuan Harris. "DiJuan said, 'Just keep shooting.' So that's what I did," he said.

Observations from Wednesday's win over Temple

-There were a handful of potential Charlotte recruits expected for Wednesday night's game including Vance High's Marquis Rankin, North Mecklenburg's Bernard Sullivan and Bishop Daniels, a shooting guard with Raleigh Word of God.

-While the Owls' first-half shooting percentage might not show it (34.4percent), Temple's methodical method of passing to find the open man rivaled its efficiency on the defensive end. Charlotte did its best to contest shots, but the Owls got many good looks, several of which their shooters couldn't knock down.

-Charlotte senior RaShad Coleman, who had season-ending knee surgery last week, said he plans to be the 49ers' biggest cheerleader the rest of the season. "I wish the best for my teammates, but I sure wish I was out there to help them," Coleman said before Wednesday's game. "This is one of the best squads Charlotte has had here in a long time and I have high expectations for the them."

-One of the best signs in the student section: "Temple Hoo?" The second-best: Giant cut outs of the heads of Charlotte players DiJuan Harris and Shamari Spears and coach Bobby Lutz.

Niners women topple Richmond 60-46

The Charlotte 49ers women's basketball team, behind a 14-0 run to end the game and doubles-doubles from Shannon McCallum and Ashley Spriggs, defeated Richmond Tuesday night 60-46 at Halton Arena in a rematch of last season's Atlantic 10 tournament championship game.

“We got off to a slow start,” Charlotte coach Karen Aston said. “I really attributed that to Richmond. The freshmen all gave us a lift in the first half when the seniors were in foul trouble. Shannon McCallum is playing really good basketball right now.”

McCallum recorded her second straight double-double and her third of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Spriggs recorded her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Aysha Jones finished the game with 10 points and Erin Floyd had nine points and six rebounds.

Charlotte (12-8, 5-1) finished the game with a 42-32 advantage on the boards behind the rebounding of McCallum and Spriggs. Richmond fell to 14-6, 3-2.

Bowden transferring to Delaware

Freshman shooting guard Shamarr Bowden, who quit the Charlotte 49ers team earlier this month but had remained in spring semester classes, has decided to transfer to Delaware and has left school.

Bowden confirmed his decision in several postings Tuesday on his Twitter page. Bowden visited Delaware this past weekend, attending the Blue Hens' game Saturday with Georgia State. At the game, Bowden told a reporter from The News Journal in Wilimington, Del., that he didn't know if he would visit any other schools.

The Greensboro native averaged 5.7 points a game for Charlotte while averaging 10 minutes a game. He started the season scoring 21 points - including four 3-pointers in 67 seconds - in the 49ers' win over UNC Asheville.

Pillow fight/pajamas at 49ers game

The Charlotte 49ers women's basketball team (11-8, 4-1 Atlantic 10) puts its four-game winning streak on the line on national TV at 9 p.m. Tuesday when it hosts Richmond (14-5, 3-1) in a rematch of the 2009 A-10 tournament championship game. The game will be broadcast live nationally on CBS College Sports.

The 49ers are having a Pajama Party at the game and fans are encouraged to wear their pajamas. A prize will be awarded for the best pajamas. The first 75 students at the game will be able to participate in a pillow fight on the court but you must bring your own pillow.

The first 750 fans also receive a free Charlotte basketball T-Shirt.

Temple moves to No. 15 in country

The Temple Owls, which the Charlotte 49ers host at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Halton Arena, are now ranked 15th in the country in the latest Associated Press Top 25 men's basketball poll.

The Associated Press Top 25 Poll
Rank Team Record Votes Previous
1 Kentucky (65) 19-0 1625 2
2 Kansas 18-1 1519 3
3 Villanova 18-1 1503 4
4 Syracuse 19-1 1455 5
5 Michigan State 17-3 1324 6
6 Texas 17-2 1307 1
7 Georgetown 15-3 1124 12
8 Duke 16-3 1120 7
9 West Virginia 15-3 1113 11
10 Purdue 16-3 977 13
11 Kansas State 16-3 960 10
12 Brigham Young 20-1 894 14
13 Gonzaga 16-3 847 15
14 Tennessee 15-3 837 8
15 Temple 17-3 707 16
16 Wisconsin 16-4 635 18
17 Pittsburgh 15-4 599 9
18 Mississippi 15-4 411 22
19 Connecticut 13-6 286 NR
20 Ohio State 14-6 270 21
21 Vanderbilt 15-3 264 NR
22 Ga. Tech 14-5 194 19
23 New Mexico 18-3 180 NR
24 Baylor 15-3 157 25
25 UAB 17-2 125 2NR

Others Receiving Votes: Florida State 111, Northern Iowa 106, Clemson 103, Wake Forest 98, Butler 69, Mississippi State 42, Texas A&M 29, Oklahoma 25, Missouri 24, Maryland 22, Cornell 16, Old Dominion 11, Xavier 11, UNLV 6, Northwestern 5, Siena 3, Virginia 3, California 2, Louisiana Tech 2, Saint Mary's 2, Coastal Carolina 1, Harvard 1

An'Juan Wilderness' game-winning shot

There's a clip on You Tube of An'Juan Wilderness's game-winning shot Saturday as the Charlotte 49ers beat La Salle, 84-82.

Braswell named A-10 rookie of the week

Charlotte 49ers freshman forward Chris Braswell has been named the Atlantic 10 Conference's rookie of the week for the third time this season.

Braswell, a 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward who attended Hargrave Military Academy last season, averaged 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in leading Charlotte to three victories on the week.

He scored 16 points and grabbed eight boards on Jan. 17 as the 49ers edged Saint Louis, 63-61 (OT). He had nine points and 10 rebounds in Charlotte’s 71-59 win at Richmond on Jan. 20 and earned his team-leading sixth double-double of the season on Saturday with 21 points and 13 boards as visiting Charlotte edged La Salle, 84-82.

Braswell has reached double-digits in rebounding in nine of the 49ers' 19 games this season.

Updated 49ers stats and schedule

Here are links to the 49ers' updated stats and schedule following Saturday's win at La Salle:

Updated men's basketball statistics can be found here.

Updated schedule can be found here.

Observations from Saturday's win at La Salle

• Who would have thought? One season after Charlotte finished 11-20 - the worst record in coach Bobby Lutz's then-11 seasons - the 49ers find themselves a conference championship contender. Charlotte faces 16th-ranked Temple at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Halton Arena in a game to decide first place in the Atlantic 10.
• La Salle's Rodney Green nearly carried the Explorers to victory Saturday all on his own. With La Salle missing its second-leading scorer to season-ending foot surgery, Green was the primary offensive threat. He scored a game-high 32 points, made 12-of-25 shots, including 5-of-7 3-pointers. He also had five rebounds and five assists. "He's a special player," Lutz said of Green.
• Charlotte had already hit six 3-pointers in the first half, including its last two, when Gokhan Sirin got a wide-open look for another. One very loud La Salle fan yelled, "No! Not another one!" Sirin's shot hit the rim and bounced away. The fans didn't have that problem in the second half as Charlotte made only one additional shot from long-range.
• Charlotte senior guard RaShad Coleman underwent successful surgery this week to repair an injury to his left knee suffered in the 49ers' win Jan. 17 over Saint Louis. Coleman, however, will not be able to return to the court this season.
• Charlotte junior Charles Dewhurst played two minutes in the first half and went out clutching his left knee. He did not return in the second half but did not suffer a serious injury.

Looking ahead: La Salle Explorers

The Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team returns to action at 2 p.m. Saturday when it plays La Salle at Tom Gola Arena. La Salle won last season's meeting between the teams in Charlotte, 68-61.

Here's a look at the Explorers' roster.

Here's a look at the Explorers' stats.

La Salle's Green leads A-10 in career points

La Salle senior Rodney Green enters the Explorers’ game Saturday against Charlotte with 1,683 career points, the highest total among active players in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Below is a list of the current players to reach the 1,000-point milestone, along with Richmond junior Dan Geriot and senior Yves Mekongo Mbala of La Salle, who are quickly approaching 1,000 points for their careers:

1,000-Point Scorers (active players)
Rodney Green, La Salle 1,683
Ricky Harris, Massachusetts 1,641
David Gonzalvez, Richmond 1,479
Kevin Anderson, Richmond 1,293
Darrin Govens, Saint Joseph’s 1,148
Marcus Johnson, Dayton 1,091
Kimmani Barrett, La Salle 1,057
Keith Cothran, Rhode Island 1,054
Ryan Brooks, Temple 1,037
Damian Hollis, George Washington 1,021

Observations from Wednesday's win at Richmond

-With two players now missing from the season-opening roster, Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz used his bench extensively Wednesday. Reserves Gokhan Sirin and Javarris Barnett who have not seen a much first-half action so far this season, both played at least five minutes and both knocked down a 3-pointer as Charlotte closed the half with a 15-3 run.
Barnett continued to see action in the second half, scoring seven points and adding five more rebounds to finish with his first career double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds).

-Forward Shamari Spears was battling a head cold but it didn’t seem to slow him down. He finished with 12 points in the first half on 5-of-10 shooting. He ended the night with 20 points, five rebounds and two assists.

-Point guard DiJuan Harris has had a stellar career at Charlotte but until Wednesday night he had never beaten Richmond in his two-plus seasons with the 49ers. “Every win is big, but it’s good to beat Richmond – finally,” he said.

-Charlotte senior RaShad Coleman is scheduled to undergo surgery today to repair a season-ending kneecap injury he suffered in the 49ers’ 63-61 overtime win Sunday over Saint Louis. Coleman scored on a breakaway layup in OT – his only basket of the game – and fell to the ground clutching his left knee.

-Some of the cheers from fans for the halftime mascot basketball game were louder than the Spiders got during the game, especially after they fumbled away a seven-point first-half lead.

Niners softball picked 2nd in A-10

The Charlotte 49ers softball team was picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 Conference in voting conducted by the league's head coaches. Charlotte finished second in the regular season last yeaar and returns five starters and three of four pitchers.

Included in the group of returners are 2009 First Team All-Atlantic 10 members; Emily Jeffery and Serena Smith. Jeffery was Charlotte's leading pitcher with 23 victories, 294 strikeouts and a 1.39 era, while Smith led the team in batting average (.363), hits (62) and RBIs (37).

Since joining the A-10, Charlotte has posted an 144-83 record including a 51-22 mark in conference games. The league coaches selected Massachusetts to win its fifth Atlantic 10 championship and 21st overall. The six-team, double-elimination A-10 tournament will be held May 12-15 at UMass' Softball Complex in Amherst, Mass.

2010 Predicted Order of Finish
2009 overall/A-10 record in parentheses)

1. Massachusetts (41-10/16-2)
2. Charlotte (33-16/14-4)
3. Fordham (37-22/13-7)
4. Saint Louis (22-33/12-6)
5. Saint Joseph's (27-20/9-7)
6. Temple (15-25/6-8)
7. St. Bonaventure (12-28/9-11)
8. George Washington (16-33/6-14)
9. Dayton (13-34/7-13)
10. La Salle (9-28/7-13)
11. Rhode Island (14-37/3-17)

Looking ahead: Richmond Spiders

The Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team returns to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday when it plays Richmond at the Robins Center. Richmond has won the past four meetings with the 49ers.

Here's a look at the Spiders' roster.

Here's a look at the Spiders' stats.

49ers lose Coleman for rest of the season

Charlotte 49ers senior forward RaShad Coleman suffered an avulsion fracture of the patella from the base of his left kneecap in Sunday’s win over Saint Louis.

Coleman had a magnetic resonance imaging test to confirm the diagnosis on Monday. The injury will require season-ending surgery.

"We will certainly miss RaShad the rest of the season. He is a versatile player and we will miss his contributions," Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said. "Anytime a player is injured it is difficult, but it is especially unfortunate when it happens to a senior."

Coleman was averaging 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14.4 minutes of play. He sustained the injury while making a breakaway layup in the overtime period of the 49ers' win Sunday.

The 49ers won 63-61 on a DiJuan Harris foul line jumper with four seconds left. Charlotte (12-5, 2-1 Atlantic 10) plays at Richmond on Wednesday.

Observations from Sunday's win over Saint Louis

-Charlotte senior RaShad Coleman scored his only basket of the game on a breakaway layup with one minute, 45 seconds left in overtime but Coleman collapsed under the basket afterwards clutching his left knee and apparently in severe pain. Coleman was diagnosed with an injury to his patella tendon. The extent of his injury will not be known until he has a magnetic resonance imaging test.
-The 49ers did a near-masterful job on containing Saint Louis guard Kwamain Mitchell throughout the game. Mitchell appeared frustrated most of the game and made 2-of-14 shots. He didn’t score his field goal until the 6:26 mark in the second half. Mitchell finished with one assist, three turnovers and 12 points, with eight points coming from the free throw line.
-Jarvis Davis, a 6-foot-1 point guard at Hargrave Military Academy who committed to the 49ers last week, was in attendance for Sunday’s game. “I came to the Georgia Tech game and had a great time, the fans were awesome,” said Davis. “It’s close to home and I feel like if I work hard I can come here and make an immediate impact as a point guard.”
-Yes, that was Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz with no shoes on working sidelines during the game. It was part of the Samaritan’s Feet campaign, which is assisting with relief efforts in Haiti. Lutz went barefoot to help bring attention to the need for shoes.

Looking ahead: Saint Louis Billikens

The Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team returns to action at 4 p.m. Sunday when it hosts Saint Louis at Halton Arena. The teams met once last season with Charlotte losing 69-61 at Saint Louis.

Here's a look at the Billikens' roster.

Here's a look at the Billikens' stats.

49ers second in preseason baseball poll

After winning a program-record 38 games and capturing its first-ever regular season crown a year ago, Dayton was selected the preseason pick by Atlantic 10 coaches to win the league's baseball title this season.

Four-time champion Charlotte was picked to finish second while defending league tournament champion Xavier was picked third.

Dayton hit a program-best 77 home runs and led the conference in batting (.332) last season. The Flyers are led by senior infielder Zach Jacob, who ranked among the top 10 in the league in hits, runs and total bases, and sophomore lefthander Cameron Hobson, teh 2009 A-10 rookie of the year.

Charlotte boasts an overall record of 160-70 (.695) over the past four seasons - good for ninth nationally - and welcomes back a pair of second-team all-conference selections in designated hitter Ryan Rivers (league-high 18 home runs) and righthander Joe Yermal (8-3, 3.01 ERA).

Rhode Island was picked fourth, followed by Richmond, Saint Louis, Massachusetts, Temple, Fordham, George Washington, Saint Joseph's, St. Bonaventure, La Salle and Duquesne.

The six-team, double-elimination A-10 Championship is May 26-29 at Campbell's Field in Camden, N.J.

2010 Predicted Order of Finish
(2009 overall/A-10 record in parentheses)
1. Dayton (38-19/21-6)
2. Charlotte (33-22/16-11)
3. Xavier (39-21/18-9)
4. Rhode Island (37-20-1/19-6)
5. Richmond (22-25/11-16)
6. Saint Louis (30-25/12-13)
7. Massachusetts (27-26/16-11)
8. Temple (17-33/11-15)
9. Fordham (22-32/16-11)
10. George Washington (22-33/11-15)
11. Saint Joseph's (16-30-1/9-17)
12. St. Bonaventure (24-25/9-17)
13. La Salle (19-30/8-18)
14. Duquesne (14-41/7-19)

Updated 49ers stats and schedule

Here are links to the 49ers' updated stats and schedule following Wednesday night's loss at Xavier:

Updated men's basketball statistics can be found here.

Updated schedule can be found here.

Observations from Wednesday's loss to Xavier

-The 49ers wasted a solid effort on Xavier’s leading scorer, Jordan Crawford, in the first half by faltering badly in two areas. Charlotte held Crawford to seven first-half points, but struggled to score itself, going 1-for-12 from 3-point range and missing 7 of 14 free throws. The 49ers came into the game as one of the top free throw shooting teams in the Atlantic 10 (74.3 percent).

-Bizarre moment late in the first half. Charlotte’s K.J. Sherrill grabbed an offensive rebound and two officials called a jump ball while the other called a foul on Xavier. After viewing video replay, the foul was charged and Sherrill went to the line to shoot two free throws (Charlotte was in the double-bonus). After missing the first, both teams played as if it was a one-and-one opportunity and raced to the other end court before the officials finally called them back for the second free throw.

-Freshman Shamarr Bowden’s abrupt decision to transfer this week brought some additional playing time for fellow freshman Gokhan (pronounced GO-kin) Sirin, who saw first-half action one of the few times this season. Sophomore Javarris Barnett saw six minutes of action in the second half.

-Charlotte point guard DiJuan Harris received five stitches over his left eyebrow after a hard fall in the 49ers’ win Saturday over St. Bonaventure. He is scheduled to have them removed Thursday.

Looking ahead: Xavier Musketeers

The Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team returns to action Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. when it plays Xavier at the Cintas Center. The teams split their two meetings last season with each winning at home.

Here's a look at the Musketeers' roster.

Here's a look at the Musketeers' stats.

Updated 49ers stats and schedule

Here are links to the 49ers' updated stats and schedule following Saturday night's win over St. Bonaventure:

Updated men's basketball statistics can be found here.

Updated schedule can be found here.

Niners lose one player; add another

The Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team truly saw the highs and lows of the game on Monday.

Freshman 6-foot-3 shooting guard Shamarr Bowden, who was named to the Atlantic 10 preseason all-rookie team, notified the team he was transferring at the end of the spring semester.

He did not participate in practice on Monday but will finish out his spring semester classes. Bowden had played in all 15 games this season, averaging 5.7 points in roughly 10 minutes of action per game. He was shooting 31.6 percent from 3-point range.

“While I am unhappy with Shamarr’s decision not to play, I respect the decision,” said Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz. “We wish him the best.”

Bowden did not specify the reason for his transfer and said he doesn’t know where he will play next season.

“I like the coaching staff and as for my teammates, I wish them the best of luck,” Bowden said. “I still support them and hope they make the NCAA Tournament. “As far as my career goes, I don’t feel like I have the best basketball opportunity by staying.”

The 49ers did receive some good news Monday night on the recruiting front.

Charlotte received a commitment from Hargrave Military Academy’s Jarvis Davis, a 6-1, 175-pound senior point guard, his coach Kevin Keatts confirmed.

Davis was ranked the 72nd best point guard in the country in the Class of 2009 while he attended Ridge View High in South Carolina and originally committed to Louisiana Tech. He was considered one of South Carolina's top five 2009 prospects in Class 4A and averaged 19.5 points and 4.3 assists.

Instead, Davis elected to attend one year at Hargrave, where he is averaging 12 points and five assists per game on a undefeated team (15-0). Davis chose Charlotte over Marshall.

“Jarvis has played very well this season and is a very explosive guard who can get to the rack and finish over bigger guys,” Keatts said. “Since playing on a bigger stage this season, he’s open a lot of eyes to his potential.”

Forney named A-10 rookie of the week

Charlotte 49ers freshman Jaquaria Forney, a 5-foot-9 guard who starred at Charlotte's Butler High, was named the Atlantic 10 Conference's women's basketball rookie of the week.

Forney averaged 8.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists, while shooting 44 percent (7-16) from the field as the 49ers went 1-1 last week.

The local Charlotte product recorded her first career double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds in the 49ers' A-10 opener -- a double-overtime loss at Duquesne on Saturday.

Xavier guard could miss 49ers game

Freshman guard Mark Lyons missed Xavier’s first two Atlantic 10 games with a severe bone bruise and Musketeers coach Chris Mack said Monday he doesn't think Lyons will return for Wednesday's home game with the Charlotte 49ers.

"Mark still has to visit the doctors again but my it's my guess we won't have him for Charlotte," Mack said during Monday's A-10 coaches teleconference.

Lyons, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound guard, started the five games prior to his injury and averaged 9.4 points and 2.6 assists. He has scored in double figures in seven games.

Football Q&A with Chancellor Dubois

I caught up with UNC Charlotte chancellor Philip Dubois at halftime of Saturday night's men's basketball victory over St. Bonaventure and asked how he thought last Thursday's UNC Board of Governors meeting went, during which the Charlotte 49ers' plans to add football were presented.
　
　
Your take from the meeting?
Dubois: I was very pleased. I think there was overwhelming support. Having talked individually to several members of the board, I think there is tremendous support for what we are proposing.

There were questions raised regarding the student athletic fee increase. Is that something that needs to be addressed before the Feb. 12 meeting?
Dubois: The board used this meeting to discuss all tuition and fee increases and our proposal for a football-related fee increase was in that larger context. In February, the board will approve all tuition and fees for all campuses and that’s when the final decision will be made. I will be checking back with individual board members to see if they have any additional questions or need additional information but they’ve already received a lot.

Given your take on the meeting are you very confident going into the next vote?
Dubois: I don’t want to take anything for granted. The board members have their own job to carry out and they have a month to reflect on it and I’ll provide any additional information they need. I was generally very pleased with the reaction and of course the support from president (Erskine) Bowles, which was quite vocal during the meeting.

What would be the first order of football business if the plan is approved at the next meeting?
Dubois: We have to get the capital project through the legislature and that would take place in the session late in the spring. Usually those things are not particularly controversial if you have a revenue source. We still have to keep moving forward on the design of our facilities. We are under a very tight timeframe to get all of the facilities built in time for 2012, which is when the coaches and the first group of redshirts would arrive. We’ll spend some time between now and their session making sure legislators are informed of what is being proposed.

Note: A story about Dubois' take on the meeting will appear in Monday's Charlotte Observer.

Observations from Saturday's win over St. Bonnie

-Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz is a stickler for his own personal rule that if a player picks up two fouls early in the first half, they will likely spend the rest of the half on the bench. Such was the case Saturday night when starters An’Juan Wilderness (who played two minutes) and Chris Braswell (10 minutes) saw limited action.

-On the Bonnie’s first possession of the game, Chris Matthews made what appeared to be a 3-pointer – it was signaled as such by the closest official – but more than four minutes later, during a timeout, the officials told the official scorer it was instead a two-pointer. Given the game wasn’t televised and no replay available, it’s perplexing what forced the change in the original call well after the shot had been made.

-Before the game several St. Bonaventure fans, who had taken seats on the lower level but without tickets for that location, were escorted out of that area. On their way out, one flashed an obscene gesture toward the Charlotte student section, which had been heckling them.

-Charlotte takes to the road on Wednesday to play at Xavier. The 49ers split their two games with the Musketeers last season, with its upset win at home over Xavier the highlight of Charlotte’s five conference wins.

Looking ahead: St. Bonaventure

The Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team returns to action Saturday at 7 p.m. when it hosts St. Bonaventure in the 49ers' Atlantic 10 Conference season opener at Halton Arena.

Here's a look at the Bonnies' roster.

Here's a look at the Bonnies' stats.

Spangler opposes student-fee increase to start 49ers football

Former UNC-system President C.D. Spangler, Jr. wants system leaders to say no to a proposed student fee increase to help UNC Charlotte start a football team.

In a letter sent to the system's Board of Governors, Spangler, a Charlotte businessman, recalled the state statute that says the university system should be "free of expense, as far as practical"

Read more, including the letter, in "Paper Trail."

Recruiting update on Jervon Pressley

My colleague Langston Wertz Jr. has an update on Charlotte 49ers men's basketball recruit Jervon Pressley from Waddell High.

Check it out here.

Updated 49ers stats and schedule

Here are links to the 49ers' updated stats and schedule following Wednesday night's loss at 16th ranked Tennessee:

Updated men's basketball statistics can be found here.

Updated schedule can be found here.

Observations from Wednesday's loss to UT

-Tennessee was short-handed after four players were arrested and suspended last week and the Volunteers were forced into several impromptu lineups but they didn’t look any worse for wear. Twice in the first half, Tennessee used 14-0 runs to wrestle control of the game. The 49ers had no answer for the Vols’ 6-foot-9 center, Wayne Chism, who scored 16 in the first half while making 5-of-6 from the field. Chism was held to just two points in the second half.

-The 49ers stopped Tennessee’s first 14-0 run with a 3-pointer from freshman Shamarr Bowden – his first since the 49ers’ Dec. 12 win over Gardner-Webb. He added another two minutes later. Since that game he was 0-for-7 from long-range. Bowden was limited to just two minutes in the second half after suffering a knee bruise.

-The Niner Nation Gold spirit group and 49erFanatics.com brought a busload of Charlotte 49ers fans to Knoxville for the game. Although their seats were tucked away in the upper deck, the group made their presence known with several loud “Forty-Niner” cheers and at one point broke out in the song “Bad Boys” in reference to the four Vols players suspended. Prior to the game, the group took a guided tour of UT’s Neyland Stadium.

-Charlotte opens Atlantic 10 Conference play on Saturday hosting St. Bonaventure at 7 p.m. at Halton Arena.

Looking ahead: Tennessee Volunteers

The Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team returns to action Wednesday at 7 p.m. when it visits the 16th ranked Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Charlotte (10-3) is looking for its 11th win of the season - the 49ers had 11 victories all of last season.

Here's a look at Tennessee's roster.

Here's a look at Tennessee's stats.

The latest on the suspension of four Tennessee players here.

Vols preparing for Niners w/o suspended players

In Monday's Knoxville News Sentinel, Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl said he is preparing for Wednesday's game against the Charlotte 49ers on the basis that the four players arrested and suspended over the weekend would not be available.

"We are preparing to not have them for Charlotte,'' Pearl said in reference to Wednesday's game. "As we gather more information we'll be able to determine how long the suspensions will last.''

The four players were in a car stopped for speeding by the Knoxville Police Department. Two guns and a bag of marijuana were found in the vehicle.

You can read the whole story here.

Green, Braswell earn Atlantic 10 honors

Charlotte 49ers sophomore Derrio Green and freshman forward Chris Braswell earned Atlantic 10 Conference player and rookie of the week honors, respectively, on Sunday.

Green, a 6-foot, 160-pound guard, who transferred from Gulf Coast Community College in Florida, was named co-player of the week. He averaged 27 points and made 10 3-pointers in two Charlotte games this week - a win over Mercer and loss to Georgia Tech.

Green scored 23 points and added five rebounds and five assists on Dec. 29 in Charlotte’s 91-80 win over Mercer. He scored a career-high 31 points in the 49ers’ 76-67 loss to Georgia Tech on Jan. 2.

Braswell, a 6-foot-8, 235-pound freshman from Mt. Pleasant, Md., was named co-rookie of the week after averaging 11 points and 12.5 rebounds in two 49ers games. He scored 14 points and grabbed 14 boards in Charlotte’s win over Mercer and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and added eight points in the 49ers’ loss to Georgia Tech. He has reached double figures in rebounds six times this season.

Updated 49ers stats and schedule

Here are links to the 49ers' updated stats and schedule following Saturday night's loss to Georgia Tech:

Updated men's basketball statistics can be found here.

Updated schedule can be found here.

Observations from Saturday's loss to Ga. Tech

-The 49ers seemed out of sync offensively early Saturday. At one point 49ers players Ian Andersen and Phil Jones collided to cause one turnover and Derrio Green drove to the basket and dished off, only it went right into the hands of a Georgia Tech player. The Yellow Jackets made the 49ers pay for their mistakes in the first half, scoring 17 points off the 49ers’ 12 turnovers. Charlotte cut its turnovers to just four in the second half.

-Charlotte point guard DiJuan Harris helped get the 49ers’ offense going in the first half with a pair of 3-pointers. Harris often doesn’t look for his shot and opposing teams will back off of him because of it. If the shot is there, Harris has the range to make teams pay for lagging off.

-One of the Charlotte 49ers’ biggest home games of the season brought its biggest turnout by potential recruits including Waddell High’s Jervon Pressley, Jarvis Davis of Hargrave Military Academy, Marquis Rankin of Vance High, Bernard Sullivan of North Mecklenburg High, CJ Leslie of Raleigh Word of God and Forsyth Country Day’s Tyler Lewis, who is the younger brother of 49ers freshman walk-on Colby Lewis.

-Even with students still on Christmas break, the turnout in the student section for Saturday’s game was the highest this season.

Four UT basketball players suspended

Four Tennessee basketball players were arrested on drug and weapons charges Friday after a Knoxville police officer stopped the car they were riding in for speeding on Alcoa Highway near Kingston Pike, according to a report in the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

The four are: Cameron Tatum, who was driving the vehicle; Tyler Smith, who was sitting in the front seat; Melvin Goins, a rear seat passenger; and Brian Williams, also sitting in the backseat.

The full story can be read here.

The Charlotte 49ers play at Tennessee on Wednesday. The four players are unlikely to return to the lineup before then.

Looking ahead: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team returns to action at 7 p.m. Saturday when it hosts the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Charlotte (10-2) is looking for its 11th win of the season - the 49ers had 11 victories all of last season.

Here's a look at Georgia Tech's roster.

Here's a look at Georgia Tech's stats.

Here's a look at Georgia Tech's schedule.