| Bobby Lutz |
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 | Hometown:
Harrisburg, N.C.
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| High School:
Bandys High School
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| Last College:
Charlotte, 1980
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| Position:
Head Coach
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Well-respected and highly-regarded by some of the top basketball minds in the country, Bobby Lutz continues to make a profound impact on the Charlotte 49ers basketball program. In nine years as head coach, the 49ers have been to seven post-season tournaments, five NCAA Tournaments and posted four 20-win seasons. Charlotte has won three conference championships including two tourney titles and one regular-season crown and reached the post-season seven times. The individual achievements that have accompanied the team success include a USA Basketball U-21 World Championship Team member, a National Freshman of the Year, an Academic all-America, an NBA Lottery Pick, a Conference USA Player of the Year, 10 first-team all-conference selections and six all-conference tournament choices. The 2007-08 recruiting class has been ranked as high as 13th by HoopScoop, the highest ranking ever for a 49ers' incoming class.
Recognized for his intensity and competitive spirit, Lutz is also known as a masterful strategist who maximizes potential. He has completely changed the landscape in which the 49ers recruit, regularly attracting top players and nationally-ranked recruiting classes.
In addition, Lutz is intelligent and loyal. He tutors players, stresses academic importance and takes pride in each graduate's success.
On top of all that, Lutz is one of the good guys in the business.
He's a two-time participant in the the Defense Department's "Operation Hardwood - Hoops With Troops" program (August, 2005; June, 2006) in which NCAA coaches visited Kuwait to coach troops in a week-long tournament. He participated in NASCAR's Elliott Sadler's 2004 "Hoops For Hope" Charity Basketball Game. He was named a Carolinas' Father of the Year by the National Father's Day Council in 2002 and has been given "The Key to the City" of Harrisburg, N.C., where he and his family reside and where he has served as Grand Marshall of the small town's 4th of July Parade and is still regarded as a "Hometown Hero". He has a basketball tournament named in his honor, by his former school: Pfeiffer University, where he is an inductee into the Athletic Hall of Fame. He is a member of Pfeiffer's Board of Directors. He was inducted into UNC Charlotte's Alumni Hall of Fame in 2002.
On the court, Lutz's 49ers teams have amassed a 168-112 record. He attracted the 2001 National Freshman of the Year (Rodney White - ESPN.com and All-Star Sports) as well as three Top 20 recruiting classes (1999 - 19th; 2000 - 15th; 2002 - 19th).
In the spring of 2003, he signed a one-year contract extension that will carry him through 2008-09. That will give him 11 seasons at the Niners helm, matching icon Jeff Mullins for the longest tenure among 49ers coaches.
In 2006-07, the 49ers fell to 14-16 in their second season in the Atlantic 10, despite the high-scoring efforts of all-A-10 choice De'Angelo Alexander, who finished fourth in the league in scoring. Injuries hampered the 49ers all season and limited Lutz's ability to find a constistent rotation due to inconsistent training sessions.
In 2005-06, the 49ers debuted in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a runner-up finish, a 19-13 slate and a post-season appearance in the NIT, behind the strength of double-double man Curtis Withers and scoring phenom De'Angelo Alexander. The NIT bid was the 49ers seventh in Lutz's first eight seasons.
In 2004-05, Lutz notched his fourth 20-win season (21-8) and earned the school's 11th NCAA Tournament appearance, the school-record fifth that he has overseen. He became the first coach in school history to go to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments twice in his career. The 49ers finished as Conference USA runners-up with a 12-4 league mark, led by C-USA Player of the Year Eddie Basden and fellow first-teamer Withers. The season was highlighted by a perfect 7-0 record in February that led the 49ers back into the national rankings for four straight weeks, peaking at #18 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' polls. The 49ers also posted an unbeaten league record in home games (8-0). Lutz finished as one of 10 finalists for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award. In addition, he picked up his 300th career coaching victory.
In 2003-04, Lutz picked up his third 20-win season and the 49ers first 20-win regular-season since 1991-92. He led the 49ers to a share of their first C-USA regular-season title with a 12-4 record (the 49ers second-best league record since joining C-USA) and his school-record 4th NCAA Tournament trip. For his efforts, Lutz was named Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year by Basketball Times and Conference USA Coach of the Year by Dick Vitale. He won his 100th game as the 49ers head coach, joining only Jeff Mullins as 100-win coaches for the 49ers. He also landed the 49ers first-ever Top 10 wins in true road games, winning at #7/#7 Syracuse and at #8/#7 Cincinnati.
Determined to rebound after the 2003 season, he attacked the 2003-04 season with a renewed vigor. He made greater demands of himself, his staff and his players. Mostly, he demanded results. And, beginning with the win over Syracuse in which the 49ers became the first team in NCAA history to defeat the defending national champions in the champs' home opener, results are just what the 49ers produced. They rode through a school-record 10 true road wins, posted a first-ever victory at Cincinnati and three Top 10 wins. They earned a share of the program's first-ever regular-season crown and earned the school's 10th NCAA Tournament bid.
In 2001-02, Lutz claimed career coaching win #250 with a victory over #25 Marquette. With a schedule strength of 15 that included eight games against Top 25 RPI teams and seven wins vs. the Top 100 RPI, the 49ers earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, landing a #9 seed in the program's ninth NCAA appearance. Three of those bids belong to Lutz-coached teams, matching Mullins (1988; 1992; 1995) for most NCAA bids for a 49er coach. With the 49ers second straight bid, in 2001, Lutz joined Melvin Watkins (1997; 1998) as the only 49er coaches to post back-to-back NCAA Tournament seasons. The season included a 6-5 record against the 49ers toughest non-conference schedule, which was ranked 18th by Basketball Times, and an 11-5 record within Conference USA, with key wins over Marquette and Memphis as well as road wins at South Florida and Houston. Two late home wins secured the 49ers' bye in the C-USA Tournament, where the 49ers advanced to the semifinals for the sixth straight year.
In 2000-01, Lutz led the 49ers back into the national rankings. Led by National Freshman of the Year (ESPN.com and All-Star Sports) Rodney White, the 49ers raced to a 6-1 start that included double-digit victories over NC State, South Carolina and Miami. The 49ers would put together a late-season rally, as well, to capture the Conference USA Tournament Championship and the 49ers fourth NCAA bid in the last five years. With a top 20 recruiting class, the 49ers finished the season with a 22-11 record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in its last four trips. White was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year to complement his national awards.
The previous year, the 49ers went 17-16 and earned a berth in the NIT despite a season of adversity that began with the death of forward Charles Hayward (leukemia), included an emergency appendectomy for star guard Diego Guevara and concluded with a groin pull for team MVP Tremaine Gardiner in the C-USA Tournament that sidelined him for most of semifinal matchup with DePaul and all of the NIT showdown at Mississippi.
In his first season at the helm, Lutz made a quick impression by working some coaching magic. With a team picked to finish fifth in the American Division of Conference USA, Lutz posted a 20-win season, captured the C-USA Tournament Championship and earned the school's third straight NCAA berth. The 49ers finished the season ranked in the final AP poll (#24) and earned the program's best-ever NCAA Tournament seed at #5.
Lutz became the third first-year coach in school history to notch a 20-win season and Lutz' initial 23-11 campaign was highlighted by a program-best home win over #3 Cincinnati, 13 wins over 1998 post-season participants and an incredible run of four wins in four days, over three of the top four seeds, to win the Conference USA Championship.
In addition to the C-USA crown and the trip to the NCAA second round, Lutz was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year by The Birmingham News.
Charlotte Director of Athletics Judy Rose recommended the hiring of Lutz as the program's eighth head men's basketball coach to the University's Board of Trustees, April 9, 1998. Lutz replaced Melvin Watkins, who resigned March 31, 1998, after two seasons. In 2002, Lutz signed a six-year contract extension and in 2003, he added another year, which runs his current contract through 2008-09.
Lutz' hiring was a dream come true for the 1980 UNC Charlotte grad and three-year 49er assistant.
"This position remains a labor of love for me," he said. "People who know me know I am relentless in my pursuit, be it recruiting, scheduling, game preparation and development of players. My staff and I will provide 49er basketball fans and our students a well-prepared, entertaining and hard-working team."
Lutz joined his alma mater's basketball staff as an assistant coach to Jeff Mullins in 1995 for the program's first season in C-USA. When Watkins was named head coach in April, 1996, he retained Lutz as an assistant.
Lutz, who turned 49 on April 4, 2007 said, "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. (In 1995) when I joined Jeff Mullins' staff, my goal was what it has always been, that when the time came, I wanted to be considered for the 49ers' basketball job. First, I want to say how proud I am to be part of the 49er basketball coaching family. Second, I want to thank the administration, namely Judy Rose, for having the confidence in choosing me to lead this program to even greater heights.
"I am extremely grateful, as well, to Jeff and Melvin for providing me the opportunity to prove that I can make a difference as their primary assistant coach at a major NCAA Division I program. Each made a lasting impression on me and 49er basketball."
The 49ers amassed a record of 56-35 during Lutz' three seasons as an assistant, with records of 22-9 and 20-11 and back-to-back NCAA berths in the final two.
The author of an ultra-successful career as head coach and athletics director at Pfeiffer University in rural Misenheimer, N.C., Lutz produced a 181-91 record from 1986-95, including six straight NAIA Tournament berths, three "Final Four" appearances, one "Final Eight" and one "Sweet 16". From 1990-95, his teams had an amazing .785 winning percentage (153-42). He developed 10 NAIA All-Americans and sent six players on to professional playing careers in Europe and the NBA, including all-time leading scorer Tony Smith ('92) and former L.A. Laker Antonio Harvey ('93). The Falcons played in one NAIA Tournament prior to Lutz's reign. During it, Pfeiffer was one of the nation's Top 10 programs of the 1990s.
He was named head coach at Gardner-Webb University in March, 1995. He left Gardner-Webb to join Mullins' staff two months later. "I told (Gardner-Webb's) administration, the only position I would leave for is one with UNC Charlotte. They were good to me and allowed me to pursue my lifeplan."
Lutz graduated from UNC Charlotte in 1980 with "High Honors", a B.A. degree in Economics and Psychology and a 3.82 G.P.A. He was a charter member of the UNC Charlotte Honor Society. Lutz holds a Master's degree from Clemson University (Education in Administration and Supervision, 1986) and Winthrop University (Arts in Teaching Secondary Social Studies, 1985) achieving a perfect 4.0 G.P.A. in both programs.
After a playing career at Bandys (Catawba, N.C.) High (1976), where he was class valedictorian, Lutz entered UNC Charlotte and enjoyed the 49ers run to the 1977 NCAA Final Four as a student after failing to make the team as a walk-on. He was an instructor in Economics and Psychology labs at his alma mater, 1979-80. He coached and taught Social Studies at Parkwood (Monroe, N.C.) High, 1982-83; and Bunker Hill (Claremont, N.C.) High, 1983-84.
In 1984, Lutz joined Cliff Ellis' staff at Clemson as an assistant for two years. He was named head coach at Pfeiffer prior the 1986-87 campaign. Of his 37 recruited student-athletes at Pfeiffer, 30 graduated during his career.
Lutz and his wife, Janet, are the parents of Natalie, 18, who is beginning her freshman year at the University of Florida and Christine, 16. The Lutz family lives in Harrisburg.
