Bobby Lutz has signed high-scoring wing player Rashad Coleman. |
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Lutz Signs Coleman For 2008-09 Season
April 18, 2008
Halton Arena - Charlotte 49ers head men's basketball coach Bobby Lutz has announced the signing of Rashad Coleman to a National Letter of Intent and Grant-In Aid Scholarship.
Coleman, a 6-5 wing, played this past season with the Heat Basketball Academy in Martinsville, Va. Coleman averaged 26.0 points and 6.2 rebounds, while leading Heat Academy to a 31-6 record. A native of LaGrange, Ga., Coleman spent one and half years at NAIA school Brewton-Parker in Georgia before enrolling at Heat Academy. He will have two years of eligibility remaining with the 49ers.
"We're very excited to have Rashad join our program. He's a versatile perimeter player who's a very good long-range shooter but also an exceptional athlete," said Lutz. "He has the capability of playing a number of positions for us and at 6-5, he can score at any of the perimeter positions. He's a great fit with the chemistry and make up of our team and we look forward to having him for the next two years."
"I felt at home with the players and the coaching staff when I came for my visit. They just made me feel at home and I wanted to be part of that," said Coleman of his decision to sign with the 49ers. "They play open-court ball. They have a fast-paced, high-scoring game and that works well with the way I play. I like that style of play."
Coleman was named team MVP for the Heat and earned all-tournament honors at a National Prep Tournament in Texas and the Holiday Shootout in Maryland. He shot 45% from the field, including 41% from three-point range, added 2.8 assists and shot 79% from the foul line.
"Rashad can play anywhere between the 1, 2, and 3," said Heat Academy head coach Jason Niblett. "He's a good ballhandler and an excellent three-pointer shooter -- and he's a high flyer who can play above the rim. He's very explosive and an exciting ballplayer to watch. I can definitely see him going in and being a difference maker for the 49ers. He was offered scholarships by some (BCS) conference schools. He was heavily recruited by schools like Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, UConn, South Florida and others. I really have to commend (49ers Associate Head Coach) Rob Moxley for his hard work in recruiting Rashad."
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Coleman joins Shamarr Bowden (Greensboro, N.C.) in the 49ers' 2008-09 recruiting class. Bowden, who signed in the fall, is a 6-3 shooting guard. He starred at The Miller School in Charlottesville, Va. for two years, averaging 17.0 points as a senior and 20.7 points as a junior. The Mavericks went 26-4 this past year, including an unbeaten league record and posted a 22-7 record in his junior year. Bowden, who was named first team all-state, all-conference and all-area, attended Greensboro Grimsley High prior to transferring to the Miller School.
With the nation's 13th-ranked recruiting class in camp, this past year, head coach Bobby Lutz produced his fifth 20-win season. The 49ers went 20-14, earned a berth in the National Invitation Tournament and finished in fourth-place in the Atlantic 10. The bulk of that post-season team returns. Only one player that averaged over five minutes of playing time: graduating senior and leading scorer Leemire Goldwire, is lost from this past year's team.
Charlotte has been to eight post-season tournaments with five NCAA appearances in Lutz's 10 years as head coach. This past season, Lutz became the program's all-time winningest coach. He signed a five year contract with the 49ers in March that will extend his tenure through the 2012-13 season.
