Bobby Lutz Interview

49ers Basketball Forum 🏀
1

Saw a tweet with this link…Worth a listen
http://wfnz.com/2017/02/17/bobby-lutz-on-nc-state-his-passion-to-coach-and-much-more/

I’m sure the passage of time is what provides such a different perspective…as I thought it was time for Bobby to go when it happened. But after listening to this interview and thinking back to what he accomplished here and to see the struggles of other coaches since…I would take him back in a second.

He mentioned in the interview that most coaching gigs are 6-8 year gigs at best. Insinuating that you either have a great run and get hired away to a bigger opportunity or you fall out of favor because the program needs a new direction or fresh energy. And his tenure here definitely fell into the latter.

Mullins took us to a level that Melvin extended but Bobby extended and maintained that for a long enough time that we became an NCAA mainstay and a program with a reputation for being a basketball power. In CUSA 1.0 he had a winning record vs Pitino, Crean and Calipari…and owned the best head to head record vs Huggins than any other coach in the league at that time. Consider the players he brought in…Withers, Basden, Jobey, Diego, Plavich, etc. And his performance in the CUSA tourney literally got enough pub that re-naming it the Bobby Lutz invitational actually was thrown about (jokingly… but still).

I get that the move to the A10 sapped alot of his mojo…and his terse relationship with Judy is legendary…and he didn’t like to do the political schmoozing that you need to do with boosters and such. He even admits all of that in the interview.

I guess my point is…it felt so familiar and nostalgic to hear his passion and energy come through on this interview and I have missed that more than I ever would have imagined.

It was time for a new start for him and us back then…but despite the things that were and continue to be his shortcomings…what I wouldn’t give to get him back and make another run with him at the helm right now. With all due respect to Mullins and Melvin before him who absolutely laid the foundation, I still look back and see it as Lutz that gave us our identity, he gave us our attitude, he gave us a swagger and he brought us respect during a run that will be hard to match by anyone (especially in the heart of ACC country) else…maybe ever again.

I miss the wins and the respect the program had with him here…but I miss just as much his fiery persona and how the team fed off of that in how we played back then.

I’m sure I’m in the minority…but I felt like I had to say it. I wanted him gone back then. I now think I was wrong. And even though I completely understand how there is absolutely no chance of it happening…I would welcome a Lutz Charlotte 2.0 with open arms.

2

That was a good and heartfelt read dude.You come through as a tired but loyal longtime fan.I too took the CUSA 1.0 victories and the ncaa berths somewhat for granted.I miss the packed houses with Cinci…Mempiss etc. when Halton was rocking.

But his time as an asset here had come and gone,I still firmly believe that when he didn’t get the Tennessee job he was never the same coach.I’m still hanging on and hoping that Price brings in a good/big class next year…and as far as i’m concerned noone could be worse for our program than Major was…ever!

3

Just listened to the podcast…Everyone NEEDS to listen to that. Great.

4

[quote=“TRLeader, post:1, topic:30816”]Saw a tweet with this link…Worth a listen
http://wfnz.com/2017/02/17/bobby-lutz-on-nc-state-his-passion-to-coach-and-much-more/

I’m sure the passage of time is what provides such a different perspective…as I thought it was time for Bobby to go when it happened. But after listening to this interview and thinking back to what he accomplished here and to see the struggles of other coaches since…I would take him back in a second.

He mentioned in the interview that most coaching gigs are 6-8 year gigs at best. Insinuating that you either have a great run and get hired away to a bigger opportunity or you fall out of favor because the program needs a new direction or fresh energy. And his tenure here definitely fell into the latter.

Mullins took us to a level that Melvin extended but Bobby extended and maintained that for a long enough time that we became an NCAA mainstay and a program with a reputation for being a basketball power. In CUSA 1.0 he had a winning record vs Pitino, Crean and Calipari…and owned the best head to head record vs Huggins than any other coach in the league at that time. Consider the players he brought in…Withers, Basden, Jobey, Diego, Plavich, etc. And his performance in the CUSA tourney literally got enough pub that re-naming it the Bobby Lutz invitational actually was thrown about (jokingly… but still).

I get that the move to the A10 sapped alot of his mojo…and his terse relationship with Judy is legendary…and he didn’t like to do the political schmoozing that you need to do with boosters and such. He even admits all of that in the interview.

I guess my point is…it felt so familiar and nostalgic to hear his passion and energy come through on this interview and I have missed that more than I ever would have imagined.

It was time for a new start for him and us back then…but despite the things that were and continue to be his shortcomings…what I wouldn’t give to get him back and make another run with him at the helm right now. With all due respect to Mullins and Melvin before him who absolutely laid the foundation, I still look back and see it as Lutz that gave us our identity, he gave us our attitude, he gave us a swagger and he brought us respect during a run that will be hard to match by anyone (especially in the heart of ACC country) else…maybe ever again.

I miss the wins and the respect the program had with him here…but I miss just as much his fiery persona and how the team fed off of that in how we played back then.

I’m sure I’m in the minority…but I felt like I had to say it. I wanted him gone back then. I now think I was wrong. And even though I completely understand how there is absolutely no chance of it happening…I would welcome a Lutz Charlotte 2.0 with open arms.[/quote]. Yep

5

I hope Bobby gets another shot as a head coach somewhere. I miss his candor and interviews. He might be the only coach on the planet that would describe Charlotte as his “dream job”. Hindsight is 20/20 and Judy and Phil look like idiots for firing him after a 19 win season. We’ve only exceeded 19 wins once since he left.

6

my 2 cents worth. the entire culture would have to change. bobby said it and it is generally known that one of his downfalls was his distaste for schmoozing, political crap, etcetcetc. he wanted to coach basketball.
then and now, charlotte needs to court the community unlike many other established programs. neither the chancellor nor the AD has this particular arrow as the sharpest in their quiver, so they need the community-involved coach.
you can win really big and not need to sell (rather winning IS selling) or you have to get out there, whip up charismatic excitement and THEN win. bobby didn’t win enough to simply let his record become the magnet. most us know, and he realized, that community relations was not his deal.
in my opinion, bill foster and lee rose came to us at exactly the right times. bill was so folksy and aw-shux that he charmed the community beyond belief. every club and organization in town wanted him. and he obliged them. lee wasn’t nearly so public (he preferred close, trusted friends) but he won! AND he could present the smooth, polished appearance when he had to. add mullins. he brought a mystique and a name and was fortunate to get the thing going quickly.
on top of all that, Charlotte is not the same town it was when foster, rose and mullins arrived. different crowd i’m afraid.

7

[quote=“lucky57, post:2, topic:30816”]That was a good and heartfelt read dude.You come through as a tired but loyal longtime fan.I too took the CUSA 1.0 victories and the ncaa berths somewhat for granted.I miss the packed houses with Cinci…Mempiss etc. when Halton was rocking.

But his time as an asset here had come and gone,I still firmly believe that when he didn’t get the Tennessee job he was never the same coach.I’m still hanging on and hoping that Price brings in a good/big class next year…and as far as i’m concerned noone could be worse for our program than Major was…ever![/quote]

This^ this^ this^.

8

Wow!!!

He is just like all of us, Charlotte alum, the underdog and extremely competitive.

He also knows exactly what is required to be a winner…

His point about winning 19 games and being optimistic about his returning team… and then getting fired (wow!), we then fell off this cliff!!

9

[quote=“49er1, post:7, topic:30816”][quote=“lucky57, post:2, topic:30816”]That was a good and heartfelt read dude.You come through as a tired but loyal longtime fan.I too took the CUSA 1.0 victories and the ncaa berths somewhat for granted.I miss the packed houses with Cinci…Mempiss etc. when Halton was rocking.

But his time as an asset here had come and gone,I still firmly believe that when he didn’t get the Tennessee job he was never the same coach.I’m still hanging on and hoping that Price brings in a good/big class next year…and as far as i’m concerned noone could be worse for our program than Major was…ever![/quote]

This^ this^ this^.[/quote]

Agree

10

Hearing the hosts talk about the city buzzing about the Charlotte 49ers is what really depresses me from this interview.

2005 was 12 years ago, the city has completely transformed, if we had that sort of success again, I could totally see the city fully embracing it.

Instead we’re battling to make the CUSA tournament :confused:

11

Great interview. He still has that passion for coaching basketball. Looking at it in hindsight, we obviously should have kept him. (I thought he deserved at least one more year at the time)
People are bringing up the Tennessee gig but I didn’t think that effected Bobby as much as the Delonte Hill/Michael Beasley thing. I really think that move blindsided him. I remember him mentioning a “really talented PF” was coming in on one of the post game shows sometime before that went down. He was absolutely counting on Beasley being here. I think that was a massive blow Bobby’s A10 era tenure. Leemire and Beasley could have been fun. Oh well, what could have been…

12

I was one of the fans pushing for Coach Lutz to be gone. If I knew then what I know now then I never would have wanted that. He was so so so much better than what we have had since that it’s scary. I’d take Bobby back in a second.

13

clt remembers walking up to haltron and seeing ticket scalpers.

14

I feel worst for the classes of students who have come and gone here and who never witnessed the excitement of Dickie V. being here to cover a game…or us beating Cinci on a last second shot…those kids are going to go out in the world and maybe never have the opportunity to say…"Hey Charlotte’s in the tourney,I went there "…Never going to happen imho while we have a fossil as AD.

15

How many of you were students when Bobby used to hand out doughnuts to all the students camping out for tickets and/or waiting in line for tickets?

We fired him after a 19 win season in a good multi-bid A10 Conference. Phil wanted him gone for reasons other than the wins and losses, and our AD was too busy fighting the battle for us to get football.

16

My passion for Niner basketball was off the charts during the Bobby Lutz era. I think most Niner fans associate Bobbys tenure in CUSA 1.0 as a success and we miss being relevant in the basketball world. Nostalgia drives this thread. I want that feeling back. I want coach Price to succeed. If we need to add an assistant coach that can recruit quality bigs, please do it. I want that Niner passion to return!

17

I like Bobby as much as the next guy but I’m glad he is gone and would not want him back. Just because major was awful and Judy is awful, does not mean Bobby was a good coach. The guy is a diehard niner and I love him but his time as coach is in the past and should stay there.

18

A Bobby Lutz 2.0 in CUSA 3.0 is not bringing back the basketball glory. Why are we talking about this?

19

He needs to focus on getting his Windy City team out of last place.

20

Like someone posted earlier, nostalgia is driving this thread. That, and the fact that nostalgia over seasons past is about all many of us feel we have to cling to. I was one of the lucky ones who was there from 97-01 when it was REALLY fun to be a Niner basketball fan. My personality has always been one to get behind the underdog, so being a Niner fan was in my DNA. Those times sitting in 104, watching the clock expire as the #3 Bearcats failed to get a tip-in, the house packed to the rafters, everyone going nuts, will stick with me the rest of my life. Our games being one of the first set of highlights on SportCenter following one of our big upsets and the pride that came with that is what keeps me hanging on nearly 20 years later. I give a little, at least just enough to keep my FSL, but damn, it keeps getting harder and harder to stay interested every season.

Since college, I’ve moved away, just far enough for me to only make it to a couple football and basketball games a year, yet I STILL talk about the Niners of old any time I enter into even a casual convo about college basketball. The question, “where did you go to school?”, when they’re really asking what team I pull for, invites a long history of Niner basketball, clinging to any recollection of others memory of either “UNCC” or “Charlotte” in their brackets every year way back then.

Those were the good ole’ days, I guess. When thinking about what it would take to become relevant again, I wonder where our place in college basketball today equates to our past. Meaning, when in our past were we in a conference this irrelevant, losing at the pace we lose, and therefore, how many years from there did it take to build to what Lutz eventually built into the team we feel so nostalgic about now? Before we ever get to relive those glory days, we’ll not only have to win, but dominate in CUSA 3.0, climb the ranks somehow to a more relevant conference, find a Lutz type coach who can recruit, motivate AND coach the way Lutz did when at his best, but feel loyal enough to stick around. That’s a long damn road, and unlikely, no matter how you slice it.

Here’s to the Lutz memory lane! I’m happy to talk abut it if it keeps any of my lingering warm fuzzy’s I have for our program stoked.