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MARCH MADNESS
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1977 NCAA Final
Four
It was just 26 years
ago, 1977 to be
exact, the
proverbial glass
slipper made its way
down "Tobacco Road"
to another North
Carolina institution
and onto N.C.
Highway 49 to find a
perfect fit on the
foot of Charlotte
49ers basketball and
head coach Lee Rose.
After just missing a
chance at the NCAA
Tournament a year
earlier when the
49ers stunned New
York City and
college basketball
with their run to
the NIT Finals,
Rose's squad won the
inaugural Sun Belt
Conference
Tournament in
Charlotte and the
automatic berth into
the NCAA field. With
four starters
returning from that
24-6 team, the 49ers
were newcomers to
the "dance" but
experienced and
tournament tested
for the national
playoffs.
The lineup featured
a senior center with
folklore in his
name, Cedric
“Cornbread’’
Maxwell, a bionic
man in senior guard
Melvin Watkins, a
fearless rookie in
Chad Kinch, a jump
shooting wizard
named Lew Massey and
a stalwart and
steady swingman
known as Kevin King.
Consistency blended
with chemistry
joined by a cast of
contributors such as
silky southpaw
shooter Jeff Gruber
and role players in
Jerry Winston, Todd
Crowley, and Henry
Caldwell among
others to lead the
49ers through a
storybook journey, a
28-5 final record
and #17 final
ranking.
The six-year old
NCAA Division I
program began its
spectacular run with
drubbings of Georgia
College and Eastern
Kentucky. A
last-second
two-point loss at
Tennessee dropped
the 49ers to 2-1,
but Rose & Co.
strung together 11
straight wins only
to have their streak
snapped in another
last-second loss at
Wake Forest, again
by two points. Four
more wins ran the
49ers record to 17-2
before a
uncharacteristic
lackluster setback
at St. Francis
(Pa.), 96-87.
Rose and captains
Watkins and Maxwell
found the bitter
loss to be the drive
they needed to
continue their trek
as the 49ers
collected 13
consecutive wins --
among them the Sun
Belt championship, a
stunning overtime
upset of Central
Michigan in the
first round of the
NCAA Tournament, a
thumping of #6
Syracuse, and the
crown jewel in the
masterpiece, a 75-68
win over #1 Michigan
for the NCAA Mideast
Regional
Championship.
Maxwell was named
the Mideast Regional
Most Outstanding
Player. Atlanta
awaited Cinderella.
The win over the
Wolverines in
Lexington's Rupp
Arena stunned the
college basketball
world. The 49ers,
media darlings all,
were infants playing
for college
basketball's most
elusive prize. The
scene was the Omni
and coach Al
McGuire's Marquette
Warriors. The 49ers
entered the field at
28-3 joining North
Carolina and UNLV.
In a game that lives
on as one of the
greatest endings
ever, Jerome
Whitehead tipped in
a full court pass
over Maxwell's
outstretched arms
and the ball dropped
through the net at
the buzzer. The
court was mayhem and
anarchy until the
referees met at
center court and
received word from
the official scorer
that Whitehead's tip
did, indeed, beat
the buzzer for a
51-49 victory. The
49ers dream of a
NCAA title ended
with, ironically, a
score of 49 points.
In the final game of
the season, the
Eddie Owens and
Reggie Theus-led
UNLV Runnin' Rebels
proved their
nickname well with a
106-94 win in the
third-place game.
Had the 49ers beaten
Marquette, a date
with North Carolina
would have sent
shockwaves
throughout the
nation.
Following the
season, Cedric
Maxwell's #33 and
Melvin Watkins's #32
jerseys were retired
by Coach Rose.
Maxwell and Watkins
never lost a home
game in their
distinguished
careers.
1987-88: Sun
Belt Player of the
Year Byron Dinkins
led the Niners to a
regular-season and
tournament
championship. His
37-point effort in
the season finale
gave the 49ers a
80-78 triumph before
a sellout crowd of
11,222 at
Independence Arena.
After Cedric Ball
hit two free throws
with one second left
to give the Niners a
73-72 first round
win over
Jacksonville, the
Niners downed South
Alabama, 71-67 and
topped host VCU,
81-79, in a see-saw
battle to win the
tournament title.
The 13th-seeded
49ers fell in OT to
BYU after a Jeff
West three with :01
left sent the game
into extra time.
1991-92:
All-time leading
scorer Henry
Williams rallied the
Niners to an 11-1
start, a spot in the
national rankings
and top 20 wins over
DePaul and Alabama
in the Diet Pepsi
Tournament of
Champions. As second
seed in the Metro
Tournament, the
49ers enjoyed what
Charlotte Observer
columnist Tom
Sorensen phrased a
“WilliamsFest” as
Henry hit 13 threes
and scored 79 points
in wins over #21
Tulane, Virginia
Tech and Southern
Mississippi to give
the Niners the
tournament title.
With the title, the
49ers earned an
at-large berth but
fell to Iowa State,
72-70, in the first
round.
1994-95: The
49ers captured the
final Metro
Conference title
behind the powerful
inside play of
Player of the Year
Jarvis Lang, Jermain
Parker and freshman
DeMarco Johnson. The
49ers built a 19-9
record and went 8-4
in the Metro, which
sent six teams to
post-season and
ranked third in the
nation in league RPI.
The 49ers fell to
Stanford in the
opening round of
NCAA East Regional.
1996-97: In
his first year as
head coach,
long-time assistant
and former team
captain Melvin
Watkins produced a
C-USA White Division
Championship and an
NCAA berth. Behind
juniors DeMarco
Johnson and Sean
Colson and with
effective Shanderic
Downs and Versile
Shaw, the Niners
logged a 22-9 season
that included a key
win over #20
Louisville in the
C-USA tournament.
Shaw scored a
career-best 19
points with five
assists and four
blocks as the
seventh-seeded
Niners toppled
Georgetown in the
NCAA first round
only to fall to
#2-ranked Utah in
round two as Watkins
earned C-USA Coach
of the Year honors.
1997-98:
Back-to-back trips
for the first time
in school history,
thanks to C-USA
Player of the Year
DeMarco Johnson,
first team guard
Sean Colson and
newcomers Galen
Young and Kelvin
Price. With a
preseason Top 25
ranking for the
first time ever, the
Niners started 3-5
and quickly fell out
of the polls. The
49ers rallied with
wins in 14 of their
last 18. Home wins
over #23 Marquette
and #20 Cincinnati
and road wins at
Marquette and
Louisville landed
the Niners in
second-place in the
league. The 49ers
fell to Cincy in the
C-USA title game but
advanced to the
NCAAs, where they
beat
Illinois-Chicago in
the first round to
set up a showdown
with top-ranked
North Carolina. It
was the first
meeting between the
two schools and
after freshman Diego
Guevara launched a
three-pointer over
the outstretched
arms of Antawn
Jamison, the game
went to overtime,
where the Tar Heels
prevailed.
1998-99:
First-year coach
Bobby Lutz worked
his magic as the
Niners earned their
third straight NCAA
bid. With new heroes
appearing every
night and seniors
Galen Young and
Kelvin Price
supplying steady
play, the Niners
continued to shock.
Picked in the lower
half of the division
due to the loss
Johnson and Colson
from the year
before, the Niners
carded wins over
eventual top 10
Miami and #3
Cincinnati before
rattling off four
wins in four days to
claim the C-USA
title, beating top
seed Cincinnati, #2
seed Louisville and
#4 seed Southern
Miss along the way.
The 49ers beat Rhode
Island in the first
round, in what most
analysts called the
best first round
match-up of the
tourney and advanced
to the second round
for the third
straight year. A
loss to Oklahoma
ended the season but
the 49ers stood tall
with a final AP
ranking of #24, a
program-best fifth
seed in the NCAAs
and a final RPI of
23.
2000-01:
Riding the
phenomenal play of
ESPN.com Freshman of
the Year Rodney
White, who led the
nation’s freshmen in
scoring with an 18.7
scoring average, and
the three-point
shooting of junior
Jobey Thomas and
senior Diego
Guevara, the 49ers
captured the
Conference USA
Tournament title and
advanced to the
second round of the
NCAAs. Thomas led
C-USA in
three-pointers made
for the second
straight year,
averaging 14.0
points along the way
while both Thomas
(236 treys; 1181
pts.) and Guevara
(235 treys; 1210
pts.) eclipsed 200
career threes and
1000 career points.
Thomas and Guevara
finished 1-2 on
C-USA’s all-time
three-point charts.
White, a first team
all-C-USA choice,
became the first
frosh in league
history to earn
C-USA Tourney MVP
honors. He was
joined by third-teamer
Thomas on the
all-conference team
and by Guevara on
the all-tournament
team.
2001-02: With
senior Jobey Thomas
breaking three-point
records from the
perimeter and senior
Cam Stephens causing
double-trouble
inside, the 49ers
road to their fifth
NCAA Tournament in
the last six years.
Thomas led the
Niners with an 18.5
scoring average,
becoming the
school’s and
Conference USA’s
all-time
single-season (110)
and career (346)
leader for
three-pointers made.
Stephens meanwhile
posted 13
double-doubles,
including a string
of five straight as
the Niners raced to
an 8-1 start in
league play. The
Niners finished 11-5
in the American
Division of C-USA,
beating each league
opponent it played,
except Cincinnati.
Against the 22nd
ranked toughest
schedule in the
nation, the Niners
finished 18-12, good
for a #9 seed in the
South Region.
2003-04: The
Charlotte 49ers put
together one of
their most meorable
campaigns, grabbing
a share of their
first Conference USA
regular-season
title, posting a
perfect 3-0 record
vs. Top 10 teams and
advancing to the
program's 10th NCAA
Tournament. Head
coach Bobby Lutz,
who has overseen a
school record four
of those NCAA trips,
led the 49ers to
their first 20-win
regular-season since
1991-92. With 21
overall wins, Lutz
claimed his third
20-win season as
49ers head coach as
the 49ers won a
school-record 10
“true” road games
(neutral sites not
included), including
road wins at Top
10’s Syracuse and
Cincinnati.
Sophomore Curtis
Withers was the
team's star, earning
third-team
all-America honors
(Basketball Times)
and first-team
all-C-USA
recognition. Junior
Eddie Basden was
named C-USA’s
Defensive Player of
the Year and
freshman Martin Iti
was named to the
league’s
all-Freshman team.
Withers led C-USA
and ranked 4th in
the NCAA with 16
double-doubles.
Senior guard Demon
Brown finished his
career as one of
just two 49ers
(Henry Williams)
that rank in the
program’s all-time
Top 10 in scoring,
assists and steals.
Basden became the
first 49er to post
back-to-back seasons
with at least 60
steals. Junior
Brendan Plavich led
C-USA with 97
three-pointers,
giving Charlotte the
league leader in
that category for
the sixth straight
season. |
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