Charlotte Basketball: Where do the 49ers turn after firing Mark Price?

After the firing of head coach Mark Price, where will Charlotte basketball turn to help rebuild the program this time around?

The Charlotte 49ers basketball program has not been a model of consistency in the recent past and has not made the NCAA tournament since the 2004 season. The coach of that team, Bobby Lutz, is long gone at Charlotte and their latest head man, Mark Price, was given a large rebuilding project. Despite efforts, Coach Price’s time was cut short at Charlotte after just two full seasons and nine early games this year. It did not seem like the arrow was pointing upward for this program anymore and therefore Price was let go.

Coach Price’s team seemed to get worse year by year and Charlotte was limping out of the gate this year with a 3-6 record, albeit against decent competition, but there were games that this roster should have won. Even though his teams seem to regress every year, it is hard to hand a coach a rebuilding project, and then pull the plug on that rebuilding project not even three years into it. Rebuilding in basketball is harder than it is in football because each team is allotted fewer scholarships.

Now that this job will be open at the end of the year, the new coach will have some nice pieces to work with. It will be hard for any coach to come right in and turn this program around, especially in the tough Conference USA. It is a reasonable expectation for Charlotte to finish in the top half of this league, however. The talent that is currently assembled on this roster is good enough to compete in the league.

One player of note that any young coach would love to have on their roster is Jon Davis. Davis is having a down year so far to start, but when Davis plays to his potential he is one of the better guards in the league. Davis is a great 3-point shooter and is a player who can score from all three levels. He was able to pour in just under 20 points per game last year and shot the ball at 50% from the field. Davis has one more year of eligibility left, and if the new coaching staff can convince him to stay in Charlotte, they will have a nice point guard and floor leader to build around for one year.

Another player who will be a key piece for the new coach is Andrien White. White is the younger brother of former Kansas, Nebraska, and Syracuse guard Andrew White. The younger White is a great 3-point shooter and a good compliment at guard for Jon Davis. White is not as prolific of a scorer as Davis is, but is a 3-point shooting specialist and can change a game when he gets going. White, like Davis, will have a decision to make at the end of the year and the new coaching staff at Charlotte will hope both stay.

The rest of the roster fills out with some very talented freshman. Ryan Murphy and Najee Garvin are two players to keep an eye on if you are a 49er fan. Garvin is a good post player who has a nice touch around the basket. Garvin has taken a large step forward on the offensive end this year. If his development continues under the new coaching staff, he could be the focal point of the offense when Jon Davis leaves.

Ryan Murphy is a backup guard, and can really shoot the ball. He is currently shooting 50% from the 3-point line and most of his shots are from deep. His penchant for shooting threes will help Charlotte get some quick offense and if he is he continues his torrid pace of shooting threes, he will continue to get minutes for the 49ers. Neither player will get much of a look from other programs if they decide to transfer.

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The expectations for Charlotte for the rest of the season should be to play .500 basketball. The Conference USA is just good enough that this could be a tall task. The 49ers need to ride Davis and White to win them games. Charlotte needs to win the games on their schedule against the lesser opponents which is the main reason that Mark Price got fired.

Charlotte is going to look to hire a young up-and-coming coach and there is no guarantee that the next coach is not currently at the school. Depending on how the 49ers finish out the year will determine who gets the coaching nod. If the interim coach shows progress and turns this team around, he could potentially be given the job. He has a major opportunity to get a win in the 49ers next game against bottom feeder East Carolina.