Charlotte

2008 NIT Capsule: Charlotte

Joel Welser — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:09:36 -0700

Charlotte 49ers

Atlantic 10 (20-13, 9-7)

Seed: #6

RPI: 66

Big Wins: 12/5 Davidson (75-68), 1/9 at Clemson (82-72), 1/16 St. Joseph’s (70-66)

Bad Losses: 11/19 vs Monmouth (56-58), 12/15 at Hofstra (68-70), 2/17 at Fordham (51-53)

Coach: Bobby Lutz

Probable Starters:

Dijuan Harris, Sophomore, Guard, 3.5 ppg, 3.2 apg

Leemire Goldwire, Senior, Guard, 19.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.0 spg

Lamont Mack, Junior, Forward, 12.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg

An’Juan Wilderness, Freshman, Forward, 8.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg

Charlie Coley, Junior, Forward, 8.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.4 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Ian Andersen, Sophomore, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg

Michael Gerrity, Sophomore, Guard, 4.9 ppg, 3.5 apg

Charles Dewhurst, Freshman, Guard, 4.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg

Phil Jones, Sophomore , Center, 3.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Charlotte started off the year pretty slow, but that is because there are a whole lot of new faces on this team. After a little slump in February, the 49ers reeled off five consecutive wins in March before falling to Temple in the semi-finals of the Atlantic 10 conference tournament. The experienced piece on this team is senior and leading scorer Leemire Goldwire. Goldwire hits 3.8 three-pointers per contest and will take a large majority of his shots from beyond the arc. He will occasionally get to the basket too and leads the team with 4.4 free-throw attempts per game.

The ball handling is done by Dijuan Harris and Michael Gerrity. Both first year players have done a great job keeping the turnovers down, although the rest of the team rarely follows suit. Harris, a junior college transfer, will not do much scoring, but he does open up opportunities for his teammates. Gerrity, who spent his freshman year at Pepperdine, leads the team with 3.5 assists per game while mostly coming off the bench.

Why They Can Disappoint:

The inexperience factor will still play a role. Of the nine players who average over 13 minutes per game, only Goldwire and roleplaying guard Ian Andersen saw significant game time last season. Most are junior college transfers, so they do have some experience playing college ball, but even the NIT is a whole different experience than most of these players have been through.

Who To Watch:

Lamont Mack immediately added some toughness to the frontcourt after spending a couple years at Angelina Junior College. The 6-7, 230 pound forward is a good athlete and can stretch the defense with his outside shooting. Averaging 12.8 points per game, Mack is the second scorer behind Goldwire. Charlie Coley is not any taller than Mack, but he will use his great leaping ability to dominate the glass. If the frontcourt can continue to develop and Goldwire is hitting his shots, Charlotte can be a tough out in the NIT.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 71.0 (133^rd in nation, 8^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 67.6 (142, 6)

Field-Goal Percentage: 40.8 (292, 14)

Field-Goal Defense: 42.2 (95, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.1 (49, 2)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.6 (146, 9)

Free-Throw Percentage: 67.7 (206, 11)

Rebound Margin: -0.2 (186, 8)

Assists Per Game: 13.0 (186, 11)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.5 (181, 11)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Nebraska

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2008 NCAA Tournament: Charlotte Regional

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 12:28:29 -0800

East Regional

Thursday and Saturday, March 27 and 29, 2008

Charlotte Bobcats Arena

Charlotte, North Carolina

Host: UNC Charlotte
Web site: www.charlottebobcatsarena.com

Tickets

Arena Information

Charlotte Bobcats Arena
The Charlotte Bobcats Arena or “Bobcats” for short, is located in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina and boasts a 20,200 seating capacity for college basketball games. As the name indicates, it serves as the home for the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats. When built, the arena was designed with multiple purposes in mind like hosting concerts, professional wrestling, and Monster Truck events. Bobcats also features the largest scoreboard of any indoor entertainment venue and the largest video screen in use in any NBA facility.

More:

2008 NCAA Tournament

NCAA Tournament Venues

Three Stars of the Night: Christmas, Goldwire, Vaden

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:22:08 -0800

Three Stars of The Day

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Dionte Christmas - Temple

Scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half as Temple beat a ranked team for the first time in 2 years

Leemire Goldwire - Charlotte

Set a new season-high with 36 points in a close win over A10 foe St. Joseph's

Robert Vaden - UAB

Tied a season-high with 33 points against USM, as the Blazers won their fourth in a row

Other Top Performers

Devan Downey - South Carolina - The Gamecocks go to player was at it again with 28 points in a win over Arkansas

Wesley Johnson - Iowa State - Had his first double-double of the year with 20 & 11 in a home win over Missouri

Sean Singletary - Virginia - Despite a 1-point loss to VT, Singletary was a one-man team for the Cavs with 34 points and 10 rebounds

Previous Stars of the Day

January 14th - Roy Hibbert, Georgetown

January 11th - Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin

January 9th - DJ White, Indiana

January 8th - Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin

January 7th - Wayne Ellington, UNC

January 6th - Shan Foster, Vanderbilt

January 5th - Damon Huffman, Brown

January 4th - Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

January 3rd - Damon Huffman, Brown

January 2nd - Martin Zeno, Texas Tech

November/December Star of the Day Archive

Lutz to Take Over at South Alabama?

Jeff Borzello — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 23:37:39 -0700

Atlantic 10 Weekly Honors

Press Release — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 08:26:25 -0800

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

De’Angelo Alexander - Charlotte

Senior, Guard/Forward, 6-6, Midwest City, OK/MIdwest City HS
Averaged 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds as Charlotte went 2-1 at the Rainbow Classic...in the 49ers’ opener on Dec. 21, Alexander posted 10 points and 10 rebounds against Houston - his first double-double of the season...the next night he had 24 points and four boards in a 74-62 win against Valparaiso...he closed the event with 23 points and eight rebounds in a 79-78 win over Wyoming.

Aaron Jackson - Duquesne

Sophomore, Guard, 6-2, Hartford, CT/Worcester (MA) Academy
Registered one of the best single game stat lines of the year...had 16 points on 7-10 shooting from the field, nine rebounds, seven assists, and five steals to lead Duquesne to a 72-71 win at St. Francis (PA) on Dec. 22...the five steals were a career high and his seventh assist led to Kieron Achara’s game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer...the win snapped a seven-game losing streak and a 17-game non-conference road losing streak.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Dan Geriot - Richmond
Freshman, Forward/Center, 6-9, Springfield, PA/Springfield HS
Averaged 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in a pair of games...on Dec. 20 against VMI, Geriot had 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists...then at Wake Forest on Dec. 22, he tallied a game-high 21 points to go along with three rebounds in just 23 minutes of action...was 11-20 (.550) from the field for the week.

Daily Dribble: 12/05

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 21:21:10 -0800

6-3 Winthrop gave it another good run against a ranked team.. falling in overtime to Wiscosnin. The Eagles pose an interesting problem for how we look at mid-major teams. For example, well-played, close losses at UNC, Maryland, and Wisconsin are impressive and have to count for something. But on the flip side, Winthrop's best win so far is at Mississippi State. We had Winthrop in our CHN Top 50 Ranking.. and I still believe they are a top 50 team.. but there gets to the point that they have to win a big game to warrant the ranking. If Purdue for example lost to those three teams and had only beaten Mississippi State and some nobodies, then it would seem perfectly normal not to put them in the Top 50. The difference though when comparing a Purdue and a Winthrop is that a Winthrop will never have the chance to play the likes of a UNC, Wisconsin, and Maryland on their home floor. Winthrop plays a 5th BCS team this year, Texas A&M, but also on the road. I'd say its an assumption that if a team goes on the road and takes a team to OT, that they would be the favored team at home. Unfortuntely, we may never know. Kansas struggled to put away USC, eventually winning 72-62 in Lawrence. USC is a solid team, about average for a BCS school.. though arguably with out its best player in Gabe Pruitt.. so why cant Kansas simply put a team like this away? I think its getting to the point though that we have to realize Kansas' supposed stockpile of talent is overrated. And here I'm particularly talking about Brandon Rush.. who is a player I have hyped since high school as being a potential NBA star. That Rush is still averaging 12 ppg at this point in his career simply shocks me. More important for Kansas, if he can't be their go to player.. then they simply will not have a go to player on offense. No doubt, the Jayhawks will score their share of points.. but without a go to player on offense and without a suffocating defense.. I guess you just have to get used to Kansas underachieving against such supreme expectations. You don't hear much about Charlotte these days. Coach Lutz almost always has his teams competing for a CUSA-now A10 title.. but the 49ers are just 3-4 after beating UNC Asheville. With a core of D'Angelo Alexander and Leemire Goldwire, this was supposed to a team capable of winning 15-20 games. The problem has been the lack of productivity from heralded newcomers. Transfer Carlos Williamson was supposed to be the answer at point, but he's averaging more turnovers (2.5) than assists per game (2.0). David Booker, a rare Top 150 recruit to go a non-BCS school, was supposed to make an impact as a freshman. The 6-7 forward though is averaging just 6 minutes per game so far this season. Its nice to see players improve and play a bigger role as their career's progress. Herbert Hill of 6-1 Providence is one of those player. The Friars starting center has substantially increased his output every season. Year one: 1 ppg, 1 rpg. Year two: 5 ppg, 3 rpg. Year three: 9 ppg, 5 rpg. So far in year four: 15 ppg and 7 rpg. Hill added another 18 points and 7 boards in their easy victory over Fairfield. You may remember Arizona AZ Reid from last year's All-Name team (the 06 version, by the way, will be out by the end of the month). Reid had 22 points and 9 boards to lead High Point over struggling Elon. High Point, like Winthrop above, is part of a Big South conference that was supposed to be one of the underrated mid-major leagues. But the conference is a disapppointing 13-27 overall against D1 teams. Granted, the league's teams, like Winthrop, have played tough schedules (9th best SOS so far) so the record is misleading. But greater things were expected out of teams like Coastal Carolina (just 1 D1 win so far.. and a bad loss to Campbell and a blow out against Xavier) and High Point (who lost to Tennessee Martin to start the season). - Show some love.. bookmark the Dribble -

Charlotte 88 - Hofstra 82

Press Release — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 15:57:51 -0800

Charlotte, NC (Nov. 11) - Junior guard Leemire Goldwire scored 26 points, including 10-10 at the foul line in the final 1:07, as the Charlotte Men's Basketball team held off Hofstra in the second half for an 88-82 win in the season opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at the Dale F. Halton Arena.

Senior guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) had 24 points for Hofstra, while junior guard Antoine Agudio (Huntington Station, NY) added 22 and sophomore forward Zygis Sestokas (Vilnius, Lithuania) had a career-high. Charlotte senior guard De'Angelo Alexander tied Goldwire for game-high honors with 26. The Pride had won its last three season openers, since falling at Gonzaga in its first game of the 2002-03 season. Hofstra is now 4-2 in opening games under Head Coach Tom Pecora.

The Pride trailed 47-29 at the break, but almost came all the way back in the first three minutes of the second half, scoring 13 unanswered points in the first 2:25 after the break to pull within 47-42. Stokes had seven of the Pride's points during the run.

Hofstra was unable to get any closer than five points, though, until the final two minutes, when Stokes hit a foul shot with 1:23 left to pull within 77-73. A running jumper in the paint from Agudio while being fouled cut the score to 81-77 with 42 seconds left, but Agudio missed the ensuing foul shot. The Pride forced a steal off the rebound, and senior guard Carlos Rivera (San German, PR) had an open look at a three-pointer to cut the lead to one, but had it hit off the rim. After two Goldwire foul shots, Rivera's three-pointer with 24 seconds left cut the lead to 83-80, which was as close as Hofstra came in the second half, but Goldwire shot 4-of-4 from the line after that point to seal it.

- From Hofstra Media Relations

Top 10 Coaches in the Atlantic 10

Nick Fasulo — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:43:02 -0800

Writing this article only a year ago, it would only be natural to rate John Chaney as the premier coach in the Atlantic 10. But after 24 seasons, Chaney left his position that will be filled this year by Fran Dunphy (perhaps a member of this list next year).

In a conference that many coaches use as a stepping-stone to larger schools and larger contracts, there are still some well tenured and exceptional coaches in the Atlantic 10.

#1 Phil Martelli (St. Joesph’s)

When Martelli led his Hawks on a magical run during the 2003-2004 season, the entire college basketball world seemed to embrace Martelli and his ability to remain cool, calm and collected with all the national attention this small Jesuit school was receiving.

Martelli is a very passionate coach and fights for his players. During that seasons Selection Sunday, he angrily refuted analyst Billy Packer’s belief on air that St. Joe’s really wasn’t that good and despite only one loss, were not deserving of their No. 1 seed. Martelli asked Packer to suit up himself and see how tough he team was. His team responded by advancing one game short of the Final Four, proving to everyone that they were the real deal.

In 11 seasons at St. Joes, he has posted a 222-135 record, been voted as the Atlantic 10 Coach of the year four times (2005, 2004, 2001, 1997), and was National Coach of the Year for the 2003-2004 season.

#2 Bobby Lutz (Charlotte)

While Lutz is new to the A-10, he has posted impressive numbers since taking over the 49ers in 1998. His team has been a part of post season play in all but one season, including five appearances in the big dance.

Lutz has also won two Conference USA tournament championships and one regular season title in 2003-2004; and this is before the Big East ransacked the conference and made it fairly non-competitive.

His consistency as a coach has constantly put him on lists for coaching vacancies in larger conferences. Nonetheless Lutz has remained in Charlotte, where this year he has a fairly inexperienced team with the exception of NBA prospect De’Angelo Alexander. Regardless, if past years are any indication, he should be able to conjure up another winning season.

#3 Karl Hobbs (George Washington)

In 2001 when Hobbs took over George Washington, there was a dark cloud hanging over the program. His predecessor, Tom Penders, was unsuccessful and there was speculation of a scandal. Since then, GW fans have enjoyed his intensity on the sidelines that seems to extend to his players on the court.

Last season was George Washington’s best. They went undefeated in the conference and Hobbs was the unanimous choice for A-10 Coach of the Year. Nearly all of their opponents were frustrated by the frenetic pace the Colonials played at on both ends of the floor, a trademark of Hobbs. This year will be challenging though as George Washington loses 60% of their offense from a year ago; but knowing Hobbs he’s excited to prove the critics wrong.

#4 Travis Ford (UMASS)

Probably the most intriguing team in the conference this year is led by the most intriguing coach in the conference this year. The former University of Kentucky guard is only 37 years old and seems to have a bright coaching future. He landed the UMASS job after turning around an Eastern Kentucky program that went from 7-19 in his first year, to 22-9 and an Ohio Valley Confrence championship in 2005.

Arguably with the best recruiting class in the conference coming into this season, it will be interesting to see if Ford stays at UMASS for the long run and tries to get the Minutemen back to where they were in the 90’s. His name will constantly come up for higher profile jobs and we will see how dedicated he is to this program.

#5 Sean Miller (Xavier)

When Thad Matta somewhat unexpectedly left Xavier in 2004 and went 100 miles north to Columbus to coach Ohio State, many called the promotion of then assistant coach Sean Miller a seamless transition. The word was that Miller was the brains behind much of Xavier’s game plans and Matta simply orchestrated the team during those 40 minutes when the ball was in play.

After two seasons at Xavier, the verdict is still out…somewhat.

There is no doubt Miller is passionate and knowledgeable about basketball and deserves the job, and he may very well be like past Xavier coaches who are highly sought after and jump to greener pastures after a few seasons.

This year will be huge for Miller’s reputation. The Musketeers return four starters plus transfer guard Drew Lavender and are expected to win the A-10.

Live up or exceed expectations and Miller will instantly be loved (like any head coach in sports). But if he fails to produce, Xavier fans will once again question his decisions.

#6 Dereck Whittenburg (Fordham)

In what was probably the most famous air-ball in college basketball history, Dereck Whittenburg is best known for his shot with seconds left in the 1983 NCAA Championship game that was put back by Lorenzo Charles at the buzzer to lift underdog NC State over powerhouse Houston.

Fast forward to 2006 and Whittenburg is slowly turning around a basketball program that has virtually been expected to lose year in and year out. Fordham has increased their season win total in each of his three seasons at the helm and the trend figures to continue this year.

Whittenburg has all-conference forward Bryant Dunston who is very versatile and will carry this year's Rams. Whittenburg’s main task will be to find players who compliment Dunston best. Fordham may be a year away from truly contending, but they should be in the mix this year, and if Whittenburg sticks around, for years to come.

#7 Brian Gregory (Dayton)

In three years at Dayton, Gregory has posted a 56-37 record, second best of all UD coaches in their first three years of coaching. The program itself will continue to look to Gregory to be the man to keep Dayton as a perennial contender in the A10--- they recently extended his contract through the 2012-2013 season. This year UD features a solid combination in Monty Scott and Brian Roberts, and Gregory will look to them to help the Flyers win games.

#8 John Giannini (La Salle)

While I may be a bit biased here as Dr. Giannini once helped a young Nick Fasulo work on his jump shot at a clinic while he was a coach at Maine, the Explorers landed a great teacher of the game of basketball and a very well respected person.

Entering his third season at La Salle, the team will be young but athletic and aggressive. Expect Giannini to make up for the teams lack of height with lots of running and a full court press.

#9 Brad Soderberg (Saint Louis)

Soderberg may have something going in at Saint Louis. Last year he coached a Billikens squad that was predicted to finish near the bottom of the A-10, to a second place finish. Last seasons ROY Tommie Liddell and NBA prospect Ian Vouyoukas return to a squad that is now expected to finish in the top of the league. There’s also legitimate talk of making the Big Dance, which would be their first since 2000.

#10 Jim Baron (Rhode Island)

While wins and losses don’t necessarily make Jim Baron an outstanding coach, creating a well- rounded student athlete does. As the second most tenured coach in the conference, Baron stresses academics, proof being in that all four seniors are set to graduate this spring. This is something not many Division I schools can boast.

URI as a school defiantly believes in Baron and values his commitment to creating quality young men. Like UD’s Gregory, his contract extends through the 2012-2013 season.

Atlantic 10 Conference Preview

CHN — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Conference Previews | Top 144 | 06-07 Preview Home

ATLANTIC 10 Preview

Conference Rank: 9th

Conference Page

All-Conference

Player of the Year - Stanley Burrell, Xavier, G

Brian Robers, Dayton, G

Bryant Dunston, Fordham, F

Rashaun Freeman, UMASS, F

Ian Vouyoukas, Saint Louis, C

Nat'l	Team (Click for Preview)	Conf	Tourney
35	Xavier	1	NCAA
47	George Washington	2	NCAA
51	Massachusetts	3	NIT
60	Charlotte	4	NIT
66	Saint Louis	5	NIT
86	Fordham	6
97	Dayton	7
124	Temple	8
136	St. Joe's	9
170	Rhode Island	10
180	Richmond	11
234	La Salle	12
269	Duquesne	13
280	St. Bonaventure	14

Head Coach Interviews:

Bobby Lutz - Charlotte

Ron Everhart - Duquesne

Chris Mooney - Richmond

Sean Miller - Xavier

2006-07 Preview: #60 Charlotte

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 13:07:54 -0700

Leemire Goldwire and De'Angelo Alexander give Charlotte a potent one-two punch.