Seniors let 49ers down

It's hard to imagine a college basketball team being let down by its senior class more than the Charlotte 49ers have been.

With center Phil Jones being declared academically ineligible on Monday, the four seniors the 49ers started the season with are down to two. With Shamari Spears already having been thrown off the team, Charlotte is left with starting forward An'Juan Wilderness (who was suspended for one game earlier this season as well) and guard Charles Dewhurst on the roster (among the eight scholarship players remaining).

And, boy, how Jones and Spears let this team down. Here's what Jones told me the day after he, Spears and Wilderness had a seniors-only, late-night meeting after Charlotte had beaten East Carolina in the Charleston Classic in November. The victory against the Pirates had come after the 49ers were blown out by George Mason 78-56.

“We probably talked for three hours,” said Jones. "In a few months, the three of us are going to be out there in the real world, so this is our chance to do something as seniors.”

Oh well, so much for that.

Wilderness and Dewhurst (who's finally back from injuries) are both solid guys who are important to the team and I don't want to paint them with the same broad brush as Spears and Jones.

But here's something for the 49ers to think about as they head into the meat of the Atlantic 10 schedule (goal for the season now: qualify for the A-10 tournament) without their leading scorer from last season and the school's third all-time leading shot blocker:

If it hasn't happened already, it's time to turn the team over to players like juniors Derrio Green and Javarris Barnett and sophomore Deuce Briscoe. They're the ones who need to lead the 49ers into this next era under coach Alan Major, whatever that may hold.

And by the time they're seniors, they'll be able to look back to the class of  '11 and see how senior leadership doesn't work.