Atlantic 10 officiating is bad

Charlotte 49ers coach Bobby Lutz found himself Wednesday night repeating something he had just recently said while talking of sophomore point guard Michael Gerrity playing his "best game yet" in Charlotte's 84-78 win.

I, too, find myself repeating things I have stated, sadly, quite often in the past.

To say Wednesday's night's game was badly officiated would be an understatement. It would be an affront to all the other badly officiated games this season in the Atlantic 10.

And when I say the officiating was bad, I mean it was bad on both ends of the court. Not just in Charlotte's favor or against the 49ers.

I will recount one incident from Wednesday's game, which to me, illustrates why this conference needs an overhaul in referees from top to bottom.

During the second half of Wednesday's game, while La Salle had possession of the ball under its basket and the ball was in play, official Frank Scagliotta turned and walked toward where I sat near halfcourt, next to an A-10 evaluator of officials (his name I don't have at the moment).

Scagliotta said looking at the evaluator, "Has Bobby been giving you (expletive) from across the court?"

The evaluator looked dumbstruck. He turned to me, looked down, then said softly, "No" and Scagliotta walked away.

This incident is bad for several reasons:
(a) The ball was in play and there was one less referee paying attention to what was transpiring on the court while La Salle was trying to score.
(b) I do not believe it is appropriate for any official to conduct a conversation at any time with someone who is not involved in the management of the game or players or a coach (it may also be a rule, I don't know).
And the most important:
(c) What was Scagliotta going to do if the evaluator had said "Yes?" Was he going to stop play and issue a technical on Lutz for something Lutz directed at someone other than the officials? Not to mention the information Scagliotta would be using to make such a call would come second-hand. Can you imagine what such a call would open up in the future?

The thought of that is scary and goes to show how much influence officials can have on the game, sometimes whether they intend to or not.

Everyone who is part of the A-10 knows the officiating is bad. It's been mentioned and written by numerous beat writers for schools in the league; it's openly joked about by the league's coaches.

With the conference rebounding this season with several ranked teams and playing an exciting brand of basketball, isn't it about time the conference put as much effort into improving itself as the schools have?

Football: Time for waiting is over

The Observer's editorial board on Tuesday offered an unsigned editorial in which it questioned the timing and expense of UNC Charlotte adding a Division I football program.

Part of its reasoning is that expenses incurred to operate such a program would somehow detract from unmet funding needs the university requires to pay for classroom and office space and to continue to develop its doctoral programs.

First, let me say as a 1991 Charlotte graduate, I agree the university does not get its fair share of funding relative to its size in the state university system, its impact on the Charlotte community or the quality of graduates it produces.

However, I believe the editorial position mistakenly equates methods of funding of athletic and academic programs. They could not be more different.

If Charlotte is not receiving proper funding for its academics and not getting its fair share in comparison to other state universities, that is an issue for state government and the university's board of trustees. It is not a burden to be placed on potential contributors for an expansion of an athletic department. Nor should they be made to feel guilty for not doing so.

Corporate sponsorships that would be solicited for support of athletic facilities or their expansion are not monies that could instead but simply shifted over to the department of mechanical engineering, for instance. To make it appear that could be the case is misleading. This is not a question of if you give to one, you must take from the other.

A university is in many respects a microcosm of our country, a "city within a city" if you will. All aspects of the university must be attractive to potential students in order for the university to establish the best, brightest and most diverse collection of students.

To be fair, all athletics programs at all state universities could be shut down and the total emphasis of all solicitation of donations be put toward academics. But does anyone really believe the same amount of money would instantly transfer? Do we honestly expect this same "academics-first" philosophy will next be asked of schools in Chapel Hill, Raleigh or Greensboro?

A 10-member committee, handpicked by Charlotte's chancellor, came back with a unanimous recommendation that the school should add Division I football, and for a multitude of reasons.

One that was not emphasized was an increased feeling of attachment by students and graduates that could produce increased contributions to the school - in other words, a new revenue stream. Is that not what the end result should be?

For too long, Charlotte has stood back and waited -- waited for funding, waited for its fair recognition, waited to expand its athletics programs and waited to take the next step in expanding the profile and the reach of a strong university.

The time for waiting is over. The school should not be left on the sidelines again while the rest of the country is still playing the game.

What do you think? Post your opinion in the comments section below.

Maybe 49ers' surprises aren't over

Who would have thought?
When Massachusetts finally pulled away for an 86-79 victory against the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass., the Minutemen had toppled the last team undefeated in Atlantic 10 play – three games into the conference season!
Even more striking is the fact the battle of top teams was taking place between UMass and Charlotte – teams picked to finish eighth and 10th, respectively, in the conference’s preseason poll.
And what of the A-10’s nationally ranked teams – No. 14 Dayton, No. 20 Xavier and No. 23 Rhode Island? They all lost last week. Charlotte, which finished 14-16 overall and 7-9 in the league last season, was the last one without a loss.
The number of ranked teams, the quality of most teams’ nonconference schedules and the solid Ratings Percentage Index rankings of so many teams bode well for the conference.
This is going to be an exciting season of A-10 basketball. Home games will become all that more important. The teams that are able to pull win on the road likely will rise to the top.
In the past, some of Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz’s most successful teams have been those that performed well on the road. This group of 49ers got off to a shaky start away from Halton Arena, but the Jan. 9 win at then-No. 18 Clemson seemed to turn the tide.
The 49ers made a good accounting of themselves Saturday. Could they have done some things better? Of course. But this was not the same team that played Hofstra and Tulsa, and that can only mean good things ahead.

Weather forces cancellation of 49ers' noon flight to Massachusetts

AMHERST, Mass. - I have safely arrived in western Massachusetts for Saturday's game between the Charlotte 49ers and Massachusetts Minutemen, but the team is a different story.

I had an early morning flight from Charlotte to Hartford, Conn., on Friday, which went off without a hitch, even though this area was hit with snow and some ice early this morning.

Hours before the 49ers' scheduled flight at noon, they were notified their flight was canceled because of a missing flight crew (delayed somewhere else with weather problems) and will not be able to leave Charlotte until at least 8:15 p.m.

That's not exactly the best scenario for the team, which plays at 4 p.m. Saturday. There will be no practice today at UMass' Mullins Center. The team will instead practice in Charlotte before departing on its flight this evening.

Also, the scheduled 9 a.m. shoot-around on Saturday doesn't bode well for Charlotte, since the team will not arrive at his hotel near Springfield, Mass., until probably close to 11 p.m. Team officials hope they can reschedule the shoot-around for late morning.

All in all, not a good sign heading into Charlotte's first Atlantic 10 road game of the season.

Vitale nice to Niners, A-10

Veteran college basketball analyst Dick Vitale had several nice things to say about the Charlotte 49ers and the Atlantic 10 Conference this week in his column posted on USAToday.com on Tuesday.

Among them:

•Brian Gregory has done an outstanding job at Dayton this season. Remember, the Flyers were picked to finish sixth in the A-10 preseason poll. Brian Roberts has been one of the All-Solid Gold performers.

• Oh, yes, my friends, the most improved conference is the Atlantic 10, with quality teams Xavier, Rhode Island, Dayton, UMass, Charlotte, Saint Joseph's and a host of others. There are no cupcakes, baby! Best of luck to Commissioner Linda Bruno, who retires at the end of the year.

And this tidbit from his "All need-more-pub team" list:

•Leemire Goldwire (Charlotte), 5-11 senior guard: Has shown explosiveness at times. Ask Bob McKillop, since Goldwire put up 34 against Davidson.

Women have noon start Tuesday vs. UMass

The Charlotte 49ers women’s basketball team is getting off to an early start in Atlantic 10 play. Not early as in time of the season, but rather time of the day.
The 49ers (10-7, 1-0) open their home conference schedule on Tuesday with a game at noon at Halton Arena against Massachusetts (8-7, 1-0) in what is being billed as "Education Day" on campus.
Charlotte’s athletics department has invited three local charter schools to the game -- Lake Norman Charter School, Charlotte Christian and Sugar Creek -- and students from the schools will participate in daylong informative and interactive events familiarizing them with the college experience.
More than 600 middle school students will take part in four sessions beginning at 9:30 a.m. After a welcome to campus by athletics director Judy Rose and women’s basketball coach Karen Aston, the students will take part in sessions regarding admissions, experiences of student-athletes, a campus tour and a "21st Century version" of gym class featuring a video by HOPSports.
They conclude their day with attendance at the 49ers’ game with UMass. Admission to the basketball game is free.

49ers get A-10 accolades

After an impressive week, with a victory at No. 18 Clemson and home win against Temple on Saturday night in the conference opener, a pair of Charlotte 49ers picked up individual honors Sunday.

Senior guard Leemire Goldwire was named the Atlantic 10 Conference’s co-player of the week, sharing the award with Dayton’s Brian Roberts.

Goldwire averaged 21 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 50 percent (7-of-14) from 3-point range in leading Charlotte to a pair of wins. He earned his first career double-double in the Clemson game, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Charlotte redshirt freshman Charles Dewhurst, a former standout at Charlotte Latin School, was named the league’s freshman of the week. He averaged 11 points and 8.5 rebounds in the 49ers’ two wins. He earned his second double-double of the season in the win against Temple, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds and scored nine consecutive points in the first half.