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Charlotte 49ers
Charlotte 49ers
Published by Whacker
11-02-2010
Post Charlotte 49ers

CINCINNATI (OH) – Charlotte 49ers Preview

Previous Record (Conf)
19-12 (9-7)

Key Non-Conference Games
at Oregon St (24 Nov), Tennessee (17 Dec), at Georgia Tech (02 Jan)

Conference Home-and-Home Partners
Richmond, George Washington, Xavier

Overview
Charlotte has all of the components to be at or near the top of the A10 every year – high expectations, great facilities, a fertile recruiting area, a rabid fan base and the requisite internal financial commitment. Yet they have never finished higher than sixth or made it farther then the conference quarter-finals more than once.

Departed head coach Bobby Lutz was 41-39 in the regular season in the A10 and 2-5 in the conference tournament. He made the NIT twice. Lutz was unable to sustain success – even within the same season, much less from year-to-year. Charlotte was always tantalizingly talented yet maddeningly inconsistent under Lutz. They were a threat to beat any team or themselves on any given night. With the talent and swagger to occasionally deliver a knockout blow, they were too often TKOed by more methodical and disciplined opponents.

New head coach Alan Majors biggest challenge will be meeting those expectations and establishing a consistent winning culture. Majors needs to establish a commitment to defense so they can get stops and not just steals. Instilling discipline on offense starts with a crash-course on the difference between a good shot and a bad shot. Bombs away needs to become body blow after body blow.

Majors inherits a talented front court, but will need to piece together an effective backcourt. He’ll have to find some consistent perimeter threats to keep defenses honest. Last season the 49ers only shot 31% from behind the arc and the 49ers front court saw a steady stream of double teams as the season progressed.

Spotlight On
Sophomore Jamar Briscoe (5-10 165) who sat out last year after transferring from NC Central should have the inside track at point-guard having practiced with the team for a year. During the 2008-09 season, Briscoe was the nation’s second leading scorer at 17.8 points per game and will provide the 49ers with a reliable perimeter scoring threat.

"I've got two words for Jamar," said head coach Alan Majors. "Energy and efficiency. He's also going to have to understand that at Central, he might have had a game where he shot 10-for-17. Well, that might be four-of-seven for us because he's got guys around him who he can spread it around to a little bit.”

Outlook
Charlotte will have one of the best frontcourts in the A10 with returning starters senior Shamari Spears (6-6 245) and sophomore Chris Braswell (6-9 235). Together they averaged 25.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game while shooting 46% from the floor and 76% from the free-throw line. Spears was a Second Team All-Conference preseason pick and Braswell was elected to the Third Team.

However, the 49ers are thin and inexperienced in the backcourt. Junior Derrio Green (6-2 160) should inherit the shooting guard spot despite shooting a paltry 31% from behind the arc and jacking up 252 of the teams 646 3FGA. Briscoe will battle it out with freshman Luka Voncina (6-4 195) from Slovenia for minutes at point guard.

On the wing senior forward An’Juan Wilderness (6-6 220) has the experience, but not the perimeter game. Sophomore Gokhan Sirin (6-9 200) proved to be a deep threat, but lacked the size and strength to battle inside. Junior Javarris Barnett (6-7 200) has the skills to thrive at the position but lacks the consistency. He should benefit from a change of scenery since he seemed to often find himself in Lutz’s doghouse.

The 49ers will be learning a new system and Majors will need to find at least three reliable perimeter threats to open up the inside for their talented forwards. Briscoe appears to be at least one and Green could be another, but they’ll need Sirin or Barnett to emerge as the other. They’ll need reliable point-guard play from players who have yet to suit up in the A10 and a team-wide commitment to defense and better shot selection. That’s a lot that needs to break right for a successful season. Charlotte should still be dangerous on any given night, but consistency will again prevent them from finishing in the top four. However, Charlotte fans will be looking for signs of progress and for Majors to lay a foundation to build upon in the following years.
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