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Posted: Monday November 04, 2002 4:07 PM Charlotte 49ers
The following preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the most thorough preview available of the upcoming season, order the 2002-03 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518. Team Preview | Blue Ribbon Analysis
Charlotte fans have viewed their team’s success of the last four seasons with mixed emotions. On the one hand, the two Conference USA Tournament titles, three NCAA tournament appearances and an NIT trip represent one of the most successful runs in school history. On the other hand, with each passing season, fifth-year coach Bobby Lutz proves to an ever-growing audience (including rival schools’ athletic directors) that, after a sterling career coaching at NAIA school Pfeiffer, he has taken his act to Division I and gotten similar results. How long will it be, some 49er fans must be wondering, until another school waving obscene amounts of cash spirits Lutz away? For now, Charlotte supporters can rest easy. Lutz, who has six years left on a contract that was extended after last season’s 18-12 record and NCAA tournament trip, thinks he has more to accomplish. "You never know [when other offers might materialize]," Lutz said. "But right now, I don’t have plans to go anywhere. My family loves it here. And I want to build this program as high as it can possibly be built."
Charlotte’s remarkable Final Four appearance in 1977 stands as proof that the program can rise to the heights Lutz seeks. And his recent recruiting efforts would suggest he’s capable of finding the type of talent that could fuel a deep run in the NCAAs. Two members of his incoming class were consensus Top 100 players, and both -- 6-foot-6 freshman Vincent Grier and 6-8 freshman Curtis Withers -- are from Charlotte. What better way to sustain a program than with homegrown talent? Grier and Withers join a solid nucleus and give Lutz more depth than he has had since he took over the program from Melvin Watkins in 1998. Ironically, that depth could present Lutz his greatest challenge. "We’ve kind of known the last four years what our rotation would be," Lutz said. "The coaches have known. The players have known. That made us a happy team and gave us good chemistry. This year, we’re deeper. We also have more guys who think they have a legitimate chance to play. That’s going to be the challenge for us -- to get the chemistry right and find the right mix of players." Lutz has two solid returning starters in guards Curtis Nash (10.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.6 apg), a 6-6 senior, and Demon Brown (11.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.2 apg), a 6-1 junior. A year ago, Brown paced the 49ers in assists (125), passing for more than 100 for a second straight season. He handed out a career-high 12 against Valparaiso. Brown can also score, as his 27-point performance against Long Beach State would suggest, but Lutz is hoping he can improve on his 2001-2002 shooting performance (37 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3-point range). Lutz will use Brown at shooting guard this season as the multi-talented Nash plays more point. "We’re probably going to put the ball in Curtis’ hands more than a year ago and let him play the point," Lutz said. "Demon can move over to the two, and he’s got a scorer’s mentality. Curtis is more of a pass-first guy. But they’re interchangeable. Curtis had to play the three last year, which was a sacrifice offensively. He’s more of a one-two combo guard." Nash -- who leads his teammates with a Dennis Rodman-like eight tattoos -- scored in double figures 16 times a year ago and shot a solid 36 percent from 3-point range. He led the 49ers in assists (70) in league games only and passed for 109 for the year. With Brown and Nash holding down the guard spots, Kevin "Butter" Johnson (8.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg), a 6-8 junior, and Eddie Basden (4.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg), a 6-5 sophomore, will probably handle the starting forward positions. Last season, Johnson established career highs in points (17 against DePaul) and rebounds (12 against Temple). Johnson reached double figures in 14 games, including eight of his last 12. He had a double-double (17 points, 10 boards) against DePaul and scored 16 in an important win over Memphis. "Butter had some tremendous games," Lutz said. "Other games he struggled. His development could really help us. He’s a key. He can really create for himself and his teammates to be that size. He’s got the ability to take bigger guys off the dribble. But he sometimes tries to do too much. He needs to cut down on turnovers and become more consistent." Basden never fully recovered from preseason knee surgery and was also hampered by back spasms in his rookie season, but he showed promise as a defender, finishing second on the team in steals (42) and rebounding. "He was the guy we’d put on a wing scorer," Lutz said. "For a freshman, that was a lot to ask. He did a good job when he was 100 percent healthy. He can also score some, and he helps you in so many other ways." A newcomer could end up starting at center. Calvin Clemmons, a 6-8, 250-pound junior, sat out last season after transferring from South Carolina, where he averaged 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds as a sophomore. "He’s by far the strongest player we’ve ever had," Lutz said. "He’s undersized, but we’ll play him at the five. We’ve had a lot of success with undersized post players. The year off was a positive for Calvin. He really developed his scoring ability. He’s going to have to guard bigger people, but we think he’s strong enough and quick enough to do that and get some rebounds for us." Torey Reed (2.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg), a 6-8, 240-pound junior, will also see time at center. Three freshmen will give Charlotte’s frontcourt a depth transfusion. Besides Withers and Grier, the other front-line newcomer is 6-8 Tyler Best, who averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists last season at Central Catholic High School in Lafayette, Ind. The versatile Best was his school’s all-time assists leader. At 230 pounds, Withers, the MVP of North Carolina’s East-West All-Star game, should help Charlotte’s inside scoring. He was ranked the No. 79 by PrepStars and No. 86 by Insiders Hoops. "The thing Withers does best is score," Lutz said. "He’s a guy that can score inside in our league, but he can also step outside and shoot the three and drive the ball. He’s our type of combo forward. And he’s worked hard on being a better rebounder and has gotten into the best shape of his life." Grier was rated the No. 52 prospect in the country by Insiders Hoops, No. 86 by Bob Gibbons’ All-Star Sports and No. 100 by PrepStars. He’s got the potential to become a big time defender. "He’s going to play major minutes for us as a freshman," Lutz said. "He’s so versatile. He’s got the wingspan of a 6-8 guy, so he can guard the three spot very easily. He’s not a college point guard, but he played point in high school. We think he can do a lot of things for us." Two transfers from Division I programs who become eligible this season will help in spots. Chris Sager, a 6-4 sophomore from Wisconsin Green-Bay, is a great 3-point shooter. That endears him to Lutz, who isn’t afraid to let his players fire away from behind the arc. The 49ers averaged 8.2 3-pointers a game last season, which ranked 24th in the nation. Two years ago, Sager led the Phoenix in scoring as a freshman, averaging 11.8 points. He shot 43 percent from the field, 44 percent from 3-point range and 89 percent from the free-throw line while also averaging 3.1 rebounds. "Sager’s an excellent 3-point shooter," Lutz said. "That’s what we brought him in for. He’ll definitely have a chance to play from the standpoint he can shoot the ball." Colon Largent, a 6-3 senior, played his first three seasons at Wofford, where he averaged six points and had a 2-1 assists to turnovers ratio as a junior. He could see some time as a designated defender. Another newcomer at guard is 6-2 Mitchell Baldwin, who played in five games last season before taking a medical redshirt. Like Grier and Withers, Baldwin is a former North Carolina high school player and Top 100 prospect. The Winston-Salem native was rated the top prep player in North Carolina in 2000-2001 and was ranked as high as No. 30 in the country by All-Star Sports and No. 76 by PrepStars. "He’s an extremely athletic and quick player who can add to our style of play in future years," Lutz said of Baldwin. Lutz has things rolling at Charlotte. He’s already regarded as one of the top coaches in Conference USA after leading the 49ers to postseason tournament berths in each of his first four seasons. Charlotte is one of just 21 schools in the country to play in the NCAA tournament in five of the last six years. Among C-USA teams, only Cincinnati can match that accomplishment. Charlotte appears capable of returning to the postseason in 2002-2003, but Lutz will have to get consistency from three key players for that to happen. The backcourt of Brown and Nash has potential, as does forward Butter Johnson. Particularly in the case of Johnson, whose turnovers doubled his assists (68-32) last season, Lutz is looking for solid contributions game after game. If those three players take charge of the team and talented newcomers Grier, Withers, Clemmons, Sager and Baldwin can contribute the way Lutz expects them to, the 49ers should continue along the path Lutz has guided them.
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