| | By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bobby Lutz looks like a professor rather than a coach. Maybe it's because he is a frighteningly smart former valedictorian who carried over a 3.9 GPA at UNC Charlotte long before becoming the university's head basketball coach.
While he was hungry to be a player, he had better grade point average than points per game average, which is why Lutz walked away with multiple degrees and high honors -- if not high games for the 49ers.
It's also why Lutz is at home tutoring players in their class work as he is with their court work. He's a fine technician of the game who operates in the shadows of the flashier personalities and universities nearby that garner most of the media attention, and most of the recruits.
|  | | Bobby Lutz hopes Charlotte's success speaks for itself this season. |
But Lutz worked his way up through the coaching ranks the hard way, without the big name that precedes so many other coaches. Lutz has had a long background in the game, just not in the national spotlight. Ever heard of Pfeiffer College? Well, Lutz spent nine seasons turning the perennial NAIA school into a winner.
Lutz took Pfeiffer to six straight NAIA tournaments before being named an assistant at his alma mater and then suddenly finding himself as the head coach when Melvin Watkins unexpectedly left to become the head man at Texas A&M. It's safe to say Lutz took over at Charlotte in 1998 without a fancy basketball pedigree.
But in his first season just off Tobacco Road, Lutz guided the 49ers to their third straight NCAA Tournament, while also beating Cincinnati twice and winning the school's first Conference USA championship. And while the 49ers slipped to 17-16 last year and lost to Mississippi in the first round of the NIT, there is no reason to think Lutz's program can't return to the NCAA Tournament, or compete for the C-USA title.
Even if the 49ers do return to their 1998-99 form, Charlotte will likely be overlooked. Lutz and his team live in ACC country with plenty of high-profile programs to steal the spotlight. Lutz, however, doesn't complain. He just works to change things, which starts with making Charlotte a more common destination for top talent. He's already making major strides in that area.
Suiting up for the 49ers this season will be redshirt freshman Rodney White, a powerful 6-foot-9 athlete who will be a focal point of Charlotte's offense this season. White is skilled, and possesses a terrific array of moves in the post and facing the basketball. He can make the spectacular play, which should help a Charlotte team that relied way too much on the perimeter shot a season ago.
"We had to have more balance inside," Lutz said of his team, which has been one of the top perimeter-shooting teams in the country. "Rodney will definitely help us with that. There's not much he can't do out there, and we want to take advantage of that."
"We relied on the 3-point shot so heavily last year, we need to score inside. We need to get more post touches to open things up, and Rodney will help with that."
After four straight appearances in the postseason, including three straight NCAA berths before last season's NIT, Charlotte is deserving of attention. If the 49ers handle their brutal early schedule, in which 8 of the first 11 games are away from home, Charlotte will be on everyone's radar screen.
"We have to grow up quickly," Lutz said. "But we have a good group."
If an effort to excel his players' learning curve, Lutz is meticulous, always on time, and always prepared. But there is something small town about him, even though he operates on a big-time level. Lutz seems more comfortable in a small barbecue joint with paper napkins than in a country club setting, and he coaches the same way.
"Fundamentals! Pay attention to fundamentals!" Lutz shouts out in practice. "It carries
over into everything you do!"
Lutz doesn't really shout, because he couldn't intimidate anyone. But he gets his team's attention because he
displays a belief in what he is doing and saying. And they listen intently.
"I know you're tired," Lutz tells his team toward the end of a two-hour workout. "But we have more to do. Concentrate. Play when you're tired."
Another redshirt freshman arriving on the scene is point guard Demon Brown, an ultra-quick primary ballhandler who will push the ball up the court in the style Lutz likes best -- up-tempo. Brown gives Lutz a point guard who can penetrate with strength and change ends in a hurry. While Brown is learning, Lutz can also rely upon sharp-shooting guard Diego Guevara to run things.
"We want to run more, to get early offense," Lutz said, his conservative look belying his penchant to let his players run and gun. "But we have to be patient with it, to know what's a good shot and what isn't when going full speed. Just because we push it doesn't mean that we should shoot quickly. That's a challenge for anyone, and with our youth and newness, it's especially a challenge."
In addition to White and Brown, Lutz has brought in former Purdue recruit Cam Stephens and Kevin "Butter" Johnson.
"Cam has been our most consistent guy in practice," Lutz said of the former Gene Keady apprentice. "He can really rebound and is scoring more, and he's very aggressive. Along with James Zimmerman, Cam is our hardest worker.
"'Butter' is learning, and he has tools. We just need to get him some experience and be patient with the
learning process."
If White's consistent inside presence opens things up, Charlotte's long-range bombers will be even more effective this season. But make no mistake, the 49ers can really shoot, and shoot it deep. That isn't likely to change.
"That's the way we recruit," Lutz said of his shooters. "I want kids that can shoot the ball."
During a recent practice, Lutz wanted to work on his team's zone defense, and had to caress and cajole his defensive players into believing they were doing a good job in it, despite the 3s raining in from all over the court.
"We don't see much zone," Lutz told his team. "And that's why. You're doing a good job on defense. Keep going."
Chief among the sharpshooters is Jobey Thomas, who has one of the quickest triggers in the nation.
"All he needs is a split second," Lutz said of Thomas. "He's not only a great shooter, he's a player. He's a pleasure to
coach."
Add in Guevara, a fine shooter, and Dee Tolliver, a solid long range threat, and Charlotte will provide White plenty of room to operate inside.
But Charlotte is not just a run-and-gun team. The 49ers will defend opponents with the same zest.
"We will be changing defenses more this year," Lutz said. "We want to be more aggressive. Last year, we pressed to slow people down, but this year, we will press to speed people up. We'll be creative, and we'll go after it. I think it's a fun way to play."
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