Oh well,,,,,
49ers coach Lutz staying at Charlotte
49ers coach Lutz staying at Charlotte
JENA JANOVY
Staff Writer
Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said Monday he was not disappointed that Tennessee has opted to name Wisconsin-Milwaukee coach Bruce Pearl its next men's basketball coach.
Lutz, who was contacted by Tennessee shortly after the 49ers lost in a first-round NCAA regional game against N.C. State, said he wasn't looking for another job and never said he'd accept the Tennessee position if offered. Tennessee fired fourth-year coach Buzz Peterson after the SEC tournament.
Lutz said he didn't know what he would have done had he been offered the job. He said he knew he wasn't Tennessee's "lead guy." Other coaches in the mix were UAB's Mike Anderson and Creighton's Dana Altman.
In seven seasons as head coach at Charlotte, Lutz said, this was the first school he's ever been willing to talk with about a head coaching job. He said there were five other occasions when schools wanted to talk with him, but he didn't allow it to reach the point where he'd even consider talking.
He said he told athletics director Judy Rose that he wants to be at Charlotte, "but I felt like I needed to at least listen to what they were saying."
"I wasn't looking for a job," Lutz said. "The timing of this was different, though. We have a new chancellor. We're going to a new league next year (Atlantic 10). If you're ever going to look at a job, it was more just the timing of it."
Charlotte is 135-83 with Lutz as coach and has gone to the NCAA tournament five times.
Lutz said that during the past week while the job was open, he'd continued to work in his office, tutor student-athletes and work on recruiting matters. He said he'd been focused on preparing Charlotte for its move from Conference USA to the Atlantic 10.
Lutz said had "some issues with their situation," which he expressed to the Tennessee athletic representatives. He declined to elaborate on what those issues were, but said he wished Tennessee well and thought the team and the program have great potential.
"But I have a great job at Charlotte," he said, "and I look forward to coaching in the A-10 next season."