Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Thompson gets red-shirt, will play for Charlotte 49ers

Virginia Tech-transfer J.T. Thompson has been granted a special injury waiver from the NCAA and will play basketball for the Charlotte 49ers next season.

Thompson, a 6-foot-6 forward who is from Monroe, has graduated from Virginia Tech and will wrap up what has thus far been a injury-plagued career with the 49ers. After playing three seasons for Hokies, during which he averaged 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds, he missed the 2010-11 and '11-12 seasons with injuries to both knees.

Last season was his fifth at Virginia Tech, so he had to apply for a special injury waiver from the NCAA to play one more season at Charlotte.

"We are excited to have J.T. join our team," said Charlotte coach Alan Major in a statement.  "He has experience, leadership skills and toughness and has competed at a high level." 

Thompson began his high school career at Marshville Forest Hills, then finished it at Hope Christian Academy in Kings Mountain.

He played in 92 games and started 17 in his three-year career at Virginia Tech. He tore the ACL in his left knee before the 2010-11 season and missed the entire year. He then tore his right ACL before the 2011-12 season and didn't play. Thompson also missed the first 10 games of his sophomore season after surgery for an inguinal hernia.


Thompson is in summer school at Charlotte and is working to complete requirements for grad school.

The addition of Thompson rounds out Charlotte's roster for the 2012-13 season. The 49ers have also added freshman forwards Darion Clark and Willie Clayton and guards Shawn Lester, Denzel Ingram and Ivan Benkovic.

Three starters return for the 49ers, who went 13-17 last season -- center Chris Braswell, forward DeMario Mayfield and point guard Pierria Henry. Two other rotation players, wings Terrence Williams and E. Victor Nickerson, are also back.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Wrapping up the Charlotte 49ers' 2011-12 sports year

With the exception of track and field, which is competing in NCAA regionals this weekend, the 2011-12 athletic year has concluded for the Charlotte 49ers. Here's a wrap-up:

Story of the year: The 49ers were invited to join Conference USA after a 10-year absence -- and this time as full, football-playing members. The decision fast-tracks Charlotte into college football's big time. The 49ers don't start playing football until 2013, but will be playing on the FBS level in 2015. Hang on to your hats.

Team of the year: Hmm. Let's see. Guess we'll go with men's soccer. Who else could it be?

The unseeded 49ers went on a memorable postseason run, finally losing in the College Cup championship game 1-0 to North Carolina before a strongly pro-Charlotte crowd in Hoover, Ala. It was the first time a 49ers team had played for a national title and they came oh-so close to tying the game late when a flurry of shots on the Tar Heels goal just missed. Whether Donnie Smith was fouled -- or from my standpoint, whether it occurred inside or outside the penalty box -- will be debated by college soccer fans for years. The 49ers lost their coach, though, when Jeremy Gunn resigned a few weeks later to go to Stanford. Seniors Charles Rodriguez, Isaac Cowles and Evan James were all either drafted or got tryouts with MLS teams. James stuck with the Montreal Impact; Cowles is playing for the USL's Charlotte Eagles.


Male athlete of the year: Soccer's Rodriguez capped a sterling four-year career by leading the 49ers to the College Cup finals, earning first-team All-American honors along the way. Rodriguez's clinching penalty kick against UConn that sent Charlotte to the College Cup was one of the season's signature moments.

Female athlete of the year: This is a tough one, so I'll take the easy way out and make it a tie between basketball's Jen Hailey and softball's Briana Gwaltney. Hailey led the Atlantic 10 in rebounding and blocked shots; Gwaltney, just a junior, has already set the school career record for home runs and led the league in homers and total bases.

Male rookie of the year: OK, so I can't make a decision. Men's basketball Pierria Henry started at point guard all season and was among the nation's leaders in steals. He brought a toughness to Charlotte that had been sorely lacking. Soccer's Giussi Gentile was named Soccer America magazine's freshman of the year. Golf's Raoul Menard was medalist at the Atlantic 10 tournament. That's a strong rookie class.

Female rookie of the year: T'Sheila Mungo was the A-10's indoor rookie of the year and is at the outdoor regionals this weekend in the the 400; 4x400 and as a 4x100 alternate.

Male coach of they year: Soccer's Gunn. Successor Kevin Langan has big shoes to fill.

Female coach of the year: Track and field's Bob Olesen has built a program (men's, as well) that has dominated the Atlantic 10. Conference USA will be another kind of challenge, however.

Team-by-team roundup

Cross-country: The women's team finished third in the A-10 meet, led by senior Amanda Goetschius, who was third individually. The men were ninth.

Women's soccer: A down year by 49ers standards. Charlotte was 7-10-4 and lost in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to Dayton. Striker Amanda Jones had a strong freshman season.

Men's soccer: See above.

Volleyball: Charlotte finished 13-14, with junior Bianca Rouse making second-team all-conference.

Men's basketball: The 49ers finished 13-17, 5-11 in the league and lost in the first round of the conference tournament to Saint Joseph's. Three starters -- Henry, center Chris Braswell and forward DeMario Mayfield -- return, with some freshmen who could make an immediate impact.

Women's basketball: The 49ers (16-14) made the WNIT -- again. Hailey and Amanda Dowe formed one of the league's top front courts and Hillary Sigmon made the all-freshman team.

Baseball: A down season (21-32) for the 49ers, who didn't even qualify for the conference tournament. Shane Brown won the conference batting title (.365), though.

Softball: Led by Gwaltney, the 49ers finished 29-26 and made it to the league tournament. Alex Rogers and Lexi Betancourt made the league's all-rookie team.

Tennis: Both the men's and women's teams had strong regular seasons and played at the new Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex. The men won the Atlantic 10 regular season, but lost in the tournament semifinals. Freshman Alex Calott (Ardrey Kell High) won 18 singles matches and four 49ers -- Calott, Kamil Khalil, Jack Williams and Paul Cisti -- made the six-player all-conference team. Freshman Natsuko Takayanagi was 22-6 for the women, who also lost in the league tournament semis. 

Golf: The 49ers' six-year dominance of the Atlantic 10 ended when they finished second to George Washington in a rain-shortend league tournament, in which Menard was medalist. The 49ers did qualify once again for the NCAA regionals, however.

Track and field: Charlotte swept the women's indoor and outdoor conference championships this season, while the men won the outdoor and were runners-up indoor. The list of standouts is long, but women's is led by Mungo and sprinter Joann Blakney and, on the men's side, Cordell Livingston, the school-record holder in the 400 hurdles.

Keep checking in on the Gold Mine over the summer, I'll be updating as news and events warrant. Otherwise, see you in the fall when, believe it or not, there will football practice on which to report.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Is Virginia Tech transfer headed to Charlotte 49ers?

Are the Charlotte 49ers on the verge of bringing in Virginia Tech-transfer J.T. Thompson?

If they are, Thompson will need to be granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA to play for the 49ers.

A source close to Thompson -- a 6-foot-6 forward -- says he is enrolled at summer school at UNCC. 49ers officials can't comment on prospective players until they have signed with the school.

Thompson, who is from Monroe, has graduated from Virginia Tech and would wrap up an injury-plagued career with the 49ers. After playing three seasons for Hokies, during which he averaged 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds, he missed the 2010-11 and '11-12 seasons with injuries to both knees.

Last season was his fifth at Virginia Tech, so he would need a special injury waiver from the NCAA to play one more season at Charlotte.
 
Thompson was granted a release from Virginia Tech in March and said at the time he wanted to play at a school in North Carolina so he could be nearer his daughter. Thompson began his high school career at Marshville Forest Hills and finished at Hope Christian Academy in Kings Mountain.

He played in 92 games and started 17 in his three-year career at Virginia Tech. He tore the ACL in his left knee before the 2010-11 season and missed the entire year. He then tore his right ACL before the 2011-12 season and didn't play. Thompson also missed the first 10 games of his sophomore season after surgery for an inguinal hernia.

The addition of Thompson would round out Charlotte's roster for the 2012-13 season. The 49ers have also added freshman forwards Darion Clark and Willie Clayton and guards Shawn Lester, Denzel Ingram and Ivan Benkovic.

Three starters return for the 49ers, who went 13-17 last season -- center Chris Braswell, forward DeMario Mayfield and point guard Pierria Henry. Two other rotation players, wings Terrence Williams and E. Victor Nickerson, are also back.
 
-- Charlotte's Shane Brown was named to the Atlantic 10 all-conference baseball first team and Shane Basen made the second team. Brown hit .365 and won the league's batting title. Outfielder Leland Clemmons made the league's all-rookie team, while Basen and DH Corbin Shive made the A-10 all-academic team.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Charlotte 49ers leaving a conference they've dominated


Before Charlotte heads off to Conference USA in 2013, this week might be a good time to quickly reflect how dominant the 49ers have been in the league they're now one year away from departing.

Charlotte's victories in the Atlantic 10's men's and women's outdoor track championships last weekend are a reminder of how strong the 49ers have been in most every sport since they joined in 2005.

The 49ers have won 44 regular-season or tournament conference team championships over that period of time, far more than any other Atlantic 10 school.

Yes, none of those titles have come in men's basketball. But sports like baseball, golf and track have been the A-10's unquestioned standard bearers over the years. Other sports, like women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, softball and men's tennis have all won league crowns.

Will there be that kind of across-the-board success in Conference USA for Charlotte?

Notes

• The 49ers baseball team (20-26, 8-9) remains in ninth place in the Atlantic 10, two games out of the sixth and final spot for the league tournament in the standings. Charlotte is two games (but tied in the loss column) behind sixth-place Fordham (12-9). Charlotte's final two league series are at home this weekend against first-place Saint Louis (33-15, 14-7) and St. Bonaventure (18-22, 6-12).
• Charlotte's fifth-seed softball team opens play in the Atlantic 10 tournament Wednesday against No. 4 George Washington in St. Louis … The 49ers golf team, which had its string of six consecutive Atlantic 10 championships snapped last week, will play in the NCAA tournament for an eighth straight time this week. The 49ers will be the 12th seed in the 14-team regional Friday through Sunday at Greensboro's Grandover Resort.

49ers golfers earn 8th straight NCAA tournament bid

The Charlotte 49ers earned their school-record eighth straight NCAA tournament bid, an at-large spot as the runner-up in the Atlantic 10 tournament.

Charlotte will compete May 17-19 at the East Course at Grandover Resort in the Greensboro Regional.

The 49ers are seeded 12th in the 14-team region. Auburn, Nevada-Las Vegas, Florida, Duke and Indiana are the top five seeds in the region.

East Carolina, Wake Forest and UNC Wilmington will play in the Athens (Ga.) Regional.

- Observer News Services

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Charlotte 49ers call Friday news conference

The Charlotte 49ers will have a news conference Friday to "discuss conference affiliation" -- in other words, to announce they're leaving the Atlantic 10 for Conference USA.

The news conference will be at 11:30 a.m. on the third floor of UNC Charlotte's student union. 49ers coaches -- including football's Brad Lambert, men's basketball Alan Major and women's basketball Cara Consuegra -- will be there, along with chancellor Phil Dubois, AD Judy Rose and board of trustees chair Gene Johnson.


The news comes the same week that the Atlantic 10 announced the addition of Butler. Also, it's been reported that Charlotte will be joined in an expanded CUSA by Florida International, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Texas-San Antonio and Old Dominion. UTSA and ODU, incidentally, have recently started football programs, as Charlotte will do in 2013.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Charlotte 49ers headed to Conference USA

The Charlotte 49ers are heading back to Conference USA.

A source with knowledge of the football-driven situation confirmed to the Observer on Tuesday afternoon that the 49ers will return to the league they played in from 1995-2005. The announcement could come as soon as Friday, according to a report on CBSSports.com, which first reported Tuesday that the 49ers will be joined by five other schools in an expanded CUSA – Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Florida International, Texas-San Antonio  and Old Dominion.

49ers athletics director Judy Rose neither confirmed nor denied the move on Tuesday, but said that Conference USA officials met with Charlotte officials earlier in the day. That was the second time in recent weeks the two had met.

The addition of the six schools would bring Conference USA’s membership to 14. The league – which recently lost Memphis, Southern Methodist, Central Florida and Houston to the Big East – currently has East Carolina, Marshall, Alabama-Birmingham, Rice, UTEP, Tulane, Tulsa and Southern Mississippi as its members.

The timing of Charlotte’s move is not known. The 49ers begin playing football in 2013 as an FCS (formerly I-AA) independent and must stay at that level for at least two years before moving up to FBS. Charlotte’s other sports programs could conceivably join CUSA earlier than that.

And it appears the Atlantic 10, Charlotte’s current league which has recently lost Temple to the Big East, is prepared to absorb another defection as it is reportedly considering adding Butler, Virginia Commonwealth and George Mason.

And more news is probably coming: It is expected that Conference USA will merge with the Mountain West sometime later this spring, forming an alliance that would span the country.

Charlotte played in Conference USA from 1995-2005, but had to leave the conference because it didn’t have a football program. The 49ers had men’s basketball rivalries with schools like Louisville, Memphis and Cincinnati at the time – but they’ve all left the league for the Big East since then.

Conference USA future?

New 14-team league could be split into two divisions:

EAST: East Carolina, Florida International, Marshall, Southern Miss, Ala.-Birmingham, Charlotte, Old Dominion

WEST: Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Texas-San Antonio, Tulane, Tulsa, Texas-El Paso