Q&A with new 49ers coach Alan Major

What will your philosophy be as a head coach?

Major: I'm just getting to know what we've got and I may not have enough evidence to make a full philosophy statement. But I will say defensively we want to be a tough-minded team. I've had a man-to-man background for most of my career and that's important because guys that learn how to be joined at the hip on defense allows you to be unselfish on offense. You can boil it down to two things - play 'D' and share the ball. You want to make sure guys know what their roles are you want to make sure guys have confidence in what you do. I think it's fueled on defense. That's what carries you through.

How would you describe your personal philosophy and the difference in coaching and criticism?

Major: I was telling of the guys last night (Jamar Briscoe), my job is to define reality. There are going to be days when they don't like me very much. There's going to be days when they think this is great and we're all chest-bumping and holding hands and that's OK, too. But I have to define reality and our staff has to define reality for them. Some days that's critical. Some days that's positive. Whatever that reality is, it is what is. I think that's most important. As long as you're real and telling the truth, that's the most important thing.

Charlotte 49ers fans always like to have a tough non conference schedule and particularly to see big-name opponents play at home. So, have you already organized a home and away series with Ohio State University?

Major: I may not play those guys until a few people graduate. Coach Matta and I have actually talked about that because it could be very possible. Here's the thing: You only know how good you are until you play the high level people. You also want to be smart enough to have balance in your schedule and I don't know a lot about the schedule right now to make a comment. You need to know what you are made of and you need to schedule some games once in a while to find out what you are made of. There's a very good possibility that could happen.

What's your five-year plan to get the 49ers back to where they should be?

Major: Well, I just got here. Right now we have about a 24-hour plan and that's to be on the court tomorrow and work. We clearly have a great foundation back. There is clearly enough talent here to have an outstanding basketball team. I hope each one of them is asking themselves where can I take my game from here. It's a long road. I think these guys are hungry. The times they've gone through the past few weeks have toughened them up.

How will recruiting at Charlotte differ than recruiting at Ohio State?

Major: The No. 1 thing I need to clarify is our motto at Ohio State was 'We got 'em.' There was no 'This is my guy' or 'That is my his guy.' We recruited them together and we coached them together. We don't want guys to be territorial. I think Charlotte and the state of North Carolina is loaded. We have to earn the right to get kids to look at Charlotte. We're not an ACC school. And that's fine. But we're going to operate like a first-class program. And we're going to do things at a high level and we're going to do things in the right way. The way we play, the way we perform and the level of our relationships is very important. If these guys (the current players) feel like they are treated right, they are going to do a lot for us.