[B]Charlotte Team Preview[/B]
[B] [/B]
[B]COACH AND PROGRAM[/B]
Expectations can be hard to fulfill.
Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz was reminded of that last year, when a team he touted as an A-10 championship contender quickly degraded into one that finished third to last in the conference because of a few ill-timed injuries and transfers.
So Lutz has no expectations this season; not even when it comes to his starting lineup.
“Nothing’s guaranteed to anybody when you have a bad year; you’re really starting over,” Lutz said. “Whoever’s ready to play the best in November, they’ll play.”
[B]PLAYERS[/B]
The best example to prove that Lutz isn’t joking when he says that nobody’s safe from losing playing time is 5-9 senior point guard DiJuan Harris (9.0 ppg, 6.1 apg).
[B]Charlotte 49ers[/B]
Last Season11-20 (.355)Conference Record5-11 (12th)Starters Lost/Returning2/3CoachBobby Lutz (Charlotte '80)Record At School199-146 (11 years)Career Record380-237 (20 years)RPI Last 5 years36-99-147-73-209
Harris was supposed to split time last year with Michael Gerrity, but Gerrity quit the team in September and later transferred to USC, where he’s sitting out this year per Division I transfer rules. By January, Harris was his team’s only healthy point guard, but he seemed to flourish in the role, finishing sixth in Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.93). But his game had deficiencies for which Lutz hoped Gerrity would compensate, and for which Lutz will find someone who can if Harris doesn’t improve.
“He’s got to score more, to the point where people have to guard him,” Lutz said. "He can shoot, but he needs to be a little less unselfish. He told me he’s been shooting, and I believe him. It’s just a matter of repetition, and him being willing to take more shots."
Even if Harris boosts his scoring output, he’ll likely share time with 6-0 sophomore guard Derrio Green, a transfer from Gulf Coast (Fla.) Community College. Green, who received interest from A-10 and SEC schools, averaged five assists for Gulf Coast CC last year. But more importantly, at least in Lutz’ eyes, he averaged 13.6 points and shot 44 percent from the three-point line.
“He can play the point or two,” Lutz said. "He can really shoot the ball, and he’s every bit as quick [as Harris]."
Playing opposite Harris and Green in the backcourt could be any of a number of players, one of whom received no playing time last year. Shamarr Bowden, a 6-3 red-shirt freshman, led the 49ers in scoring last year when they visited Canada in August. But he injured his right knee in the preseason and decided to red-shirt instead of trying to come back in the spring. Lutz doesn’t hold back when assessing Bowden’s abilities.
“He’s our best shooter, and it’s not really close,” Lutz said. "Nobody shoots more shots [in the gym] than Shamarr. He has a chance to play at the two. I anticipate him playing minutes; how many, I’m not sure."
The more conventional option is 6-4 senior Ian Anderson (9.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg). Anderson was the 49ers’ second-leading scorer last year and hit the most threes (81). His greatest value is that he’s played in A-10 pressure situations and succeeded, including a team-high 16 points last year in a five-point win over Xavier.
“Whether he starts or comes off the bench, he’s a great energy guy,” Lutz said. "In the past, he’d had some good moments but didn’t make big shots; last year he did."
The wild card could be 6-5 senior guard RaShad Coleman (8.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg). Lutz raved about Coleman before last year the way he raved about Bowden this season, saying: "I’ve had a lot of great shooters and athletes, but Coleman combines those better than any guy I’ve ever had."
Coleman, however, didn’t quite fulfill the hype, shooting just 23 percent from three-point range. Lutz expects Coleman to be improved in his second year at the Division I level, after transferring from an NAIA school.
“Usually with a junior college transfer, the second year is so much better than the first,” Lutz said. "I think last year was tough for him individually. This year, we’re not counting on him [to score points], but he could be a wild-card guy, and all indications are that he’s playing better."
Rounding out the backcourt is 6-6 sophomore Javarris Barnett (2.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg), who played in 28 games last year.
Blue Ribbon Previews
Take an Inside look at the Atlantic-10 with Blue Ribbon’s 2009-10 team reports: 
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536496][COLOR=#225fb2]Charlotte[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536495][COLOR=#225fb2]Dayton[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536494][COLOR=#225fb2]Duquesne[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536493][COLOR=#225fb2]Fordham[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536492][COLOR=#225fb2]George Washington[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536491][COLOR=#225fb2]La Salle[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536490][COLOR=#225fb2]Massachusetts[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536489][COLOR=#225fb2]Rhode Island[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536488][COLOR=#225fb2]Richmond[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536485][COLOR=#225fb2]St. Bonaventure[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536487][COLOR=#225fb2]Saint Joseph’s[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536486][COLOR=#225fb2]Saint Louis[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536484][COLOR=#225fb2]Temple[/COLOR][/URL] 
[URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4536483][COLOR=#225fb2]Xavier[/COLOR][/URL]
One player who probably won’t appear in the backcourt is 6-5 junior Charles Dewhurst (4.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg).
Dewhurst was set to play most of his minutes last year at small forward. But when Gerrity left, Lutz moved Dewhurst to back-up point guard, a position he’d never played. Dewhurst struggled with the switch for 12 games, then dislocated his knee cap in a Jan. 3 loss to Maryland, causing him to miss the remainder of the year. Dewhurst still isn’t fully recovered from the injury, but if he does, Lutz believes Dewhurst’s point guard experience will benefit him.
“It helped him become a better player,” Lutz said. "It helped him be more comfortable on the court."
If Dewhurst returns healthy, he’ll bolster a frontcourt that Lutz believes is the deepest he’s had since 2001, when Charlotte qualified for the NCAA Tournament and beat Tennessee in the first round.
The only area where Lutz allows himself some positive speculation is in the case of 6-6 junior Shamari Spears. Spears excelled at Boston College two years ago, averaging 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. But he transferred to Charlotte to be closer to his family in Salisbury, N.C. In Spears, the 49ers have a player who could be the most dominant post presence in the A-10, and he should push Xavier’s Jordan Crawford for newcomer of the year.
“He’s going to be our No. 1 scoring option,” Lutz said. "He’s a legitimate post presence that demands attention from the opposition. Whether they choose to double-team him or not, he’s going to cause problems for people.
"Our post players start with Shamari."
Another newcomer Lutz likes is 6-8 freshman forward Chris Braswell. Braswell, who’s from Maryland, was a Top 100 recruit and originally chose Georgetown, but he reopened his recruitment last year and attended Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, where he averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds. One knock on Braswell pre-college was that he sometimes appeared apathetic on the court. Lutz, however, believes he’s outgrown that trait.
“He has a chance to start; he’s that good,” Lutz said. "He can play high and low. He’s fast and has exceptional feel [around the basket]."
Braswell and Spears will push Dewhurst and the other two returning post players: 6-6 junior An’Juan Wilderness (7.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and 6-10 senior center Phil Jones (7.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg).
Wilderness has always been known as a good defender and driver of the basketball, but last year his outside shot began to come around. That progress, however, was stunted on Dec. 30, when he was injured against Long Island. He missed seven of the next 10 games (five of which the 49ers lost), and when he came back he couldn’t regain his shooting touch.
“For six weeks, he was never able to practice,” Lutz said. "For a guy that’s not a natural shooter, that’s a tough thing to overcome. After that, he became one-dimensional.
"But nobody’s worked harder on his offensive game than he has. He can pull up and hit a mid-range jumper; he just needs to get confident to do it in a game."
Jones led Charlotte last year with 43 blocked shots. He should have more this year after dropping his weight to under 250 pounds for the first time in his college career. Last year, conditioning issues caused Jones to foul out of nine games.
“He was fouling because he was tired and out of position,” Lutz said. "For him, the next step is to play more minutes without getting tired, and blocking more shots without fouling out, because we don’t need any more fouls."
Rounding out the frontcourt is 6-7 freshman power forward KJ Sherrill from West Rowan High School in Mount Ulla, N.C., who was ranked among the top 50 power forwards in the country by some scouting services, and 6-9 freshman forward Gokhan Sirin, who is known more for his outside shooting.
Sherrill averaged 20.5 points and 12.5 boards as a senior. Sirin played high school basketball in Maryland last year but hails from Istanbul, Turkey.
[B]BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS[/B]
[B]BACKCOURT[/B]: B
[B]BENCH/DEPTH[/B]: B
[B]FRONTCOURT[/B]: A-
[B]INTANGIBLES[/B]: B-
A team like Charlotte, with a roster built on blue-collar rather than blue-chip recruits, can have chemistry problems. Some years, the roster melds perfectly and the wins come easy. Others, one or two transfers or injuries ruin the entire rotation, and it’s a struggle to reach the .500 mark.
Last year produced the latter result, and it remains to be seen what this season holds. On paper, the 49ers have a ton of talent, especially in the frontcourt, where Spears not only has a chance to average double figures in points and rebounds, but also to make Wilderness, Jones and Dewhurst better. But that will only happen if Dewhurst is healthy, Jones improves his conditioning, and Wilderness continues to improve offensively.
The position to watch is guard. Lutz appears ready to immediately throw Green into the point guard mix to offset Harris’ offensive shortcomings, but it’s hard to tell if that will help or hurt the team, considering Harris’ ability to run the offense. Also, who among Anderson, Coleman and Bowden will emerge as the shooting guard? If all three can contribute, Charlotte will no doubt be a better scoring team than last year.
The guard situation might not work itself out, but the 49ers’ forwards should be good enough to keep them in the upper half of the league.