| | By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
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Friday, Oct. 13
Coach Bobby Lutz finally has the pieces to play the way he wants to -- a style that showcases running and pressing. With a solid recruiting
class coming in to blend with some experienced backcourt players, the 49ers
can make some noise in Conference USA.
The key questions will be where Diego Guevara will play, and whether Lutz can get consistent play out
of the center position.
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Frontcourt
The key to the Charlotte season will be the play of 6-foot-9 freshman
Rodney White. He is the most high-profile recruit Charlotte has
ever landed and has the potential to be a big-time player.
White can shoot it to three-point range, put it on the floor and post up. He is also a very
good passer and rebounds as much as he wants to. White has a city flavor
to his game, and he is a natural performer that should make an immediate
impact on the 49ers and Conference USA.
Newcomer Kevin Johnson, whose nickname is "Butter," is a freshman who will play significant minutes. Johnson is a wing player who can get the ball to the basket and finish. He has a very good handle on the basics but needs to let others score and adjust to being a defender.
James Zimmerman (10 ppg, 6.1 rpg) is an undersized small forward at 6-5 who was Charlotte's top rebounder a year ago. He is tough and plays with great effort and energy. A good athlete, Zimmerman brings it every day, and he should be a leader by example for this team. He is so tenacious that coach Bobby Lutz will not be able to keep him off the floor.
Former Purdue and Vincennes Junior College transfer Cam Stephens is a 6-7 swingman who once hit the winning shot for the Boilermakers against Texas in the NCAA Tournament. Stephens is an excellent athlete who can play almost anywhere on the floor and will be able to add scoring and quality defense.
Tory Reed is a physical freshman power forward from Maine Central Institute who will play early. Reed is a good rebounder and can score some inside. Jermaine Williams, Malik El-Tamer and KenKay Jones are the centers, and they need to combine to give Charlotte a presence. None are proven commodities but should be able to contribute.
Backcourt
Diego Guevara and Jobey Thomas each return, so Lutz has added a true point guard to the team to allow the duo to concentrate on shooting.
Thomas was Charlotte's best player last season and is an incredible worker at the off guard spot. He averaged 13.9 points on 42-percent shooting, while emerging as a scorer last season without a real playmaker to find him easy shots. Lutz had to run Thomas off an inordinate amount of screens to spring him for
open looks.
When he shoots in rhythm, Thomas can knock down threes with
regularity. He shoots 300 jumpers a day and never gets outhustled.
Guevara did not have his best year in 2000, in part because he never got started. Guevara (11.9 ppg, 4 apg, 36 percent FGs) had an emergency appendectomy early in the season, and it was tough to recover. Guevara has been enigmatic as an off guard playing the point, but he can shoot and pass very well.
With the arrival of Demon Brown, a great defender who is very tough and strong, Guevara can move back to the off guard position. Brown is very quick and supremely confident. He is a true point guard who can break you down off the dribble and get people shots, which Charlotte has not had for a while. Brown could be the difference in the backcourt and in Charlotte's ability to run and press because he can really guard people and play help and recover defense.
Bottom Line
Charlotte might take some lumps here and there, but this team has a chance and will show the depth of Conference
USA. Charlotte has been good without great talent in the past few years, and now that the 49ers have some great talent to work with, Charlotte should be a team to watch. Lutz, and his team, are on the rise. | |
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