Hoiberg Adds Experienced Lutz to Staff

AMES, Iowa- Iowa State head men's basketball coach Fred Hoiberg stressed the importance of surrounding himself with top-notch assistants at his introductory press conference. Without question, Hoiberg hit a home run by announcing today that former Charlotte head man Bobby Lutz, a winner of 399 games in his head coaching career, will join the Cyclone men's basketball program as an assistant coach.

Lutz (pronounced LOOTS) is a marquee name in college basketball, establishing himself as one of the best coaches in the nation over the past 12 seasons as the head coach at Charlotte. Lutz led his alma mater to eight postseason appearances ? five NCAA, three NIT ? and became the winningest coach in 49er history, amassing a 218-158 mark from 1999-2010.

“I can't tell you how thrilled I am that Coach Lutz will be joining the Cyclone basketball family,” Hoiberg said. “Bobby is one of the most experienced and well-respected coaches in the nation. He will be a key member of our staff and I most definitely will rely on his knowledge and expertise. Anytime you add someone to your staff who has close to 400 wins as a head coach it's a huge plus.”

A native of Denver, N.C., Lutz led Charlotte to a school-record five 20-win seasons, averaged over 18 wins a year and won three league titles (1999, 2001, 2004) in his brilliant 12-year tenure with the 49ers.

“I was really content on taking a year off, but then I was approached by Fred and I was immediately interested and intrigued,” Lutz said. “As we kept in touch I became more and more excited about coming to Iowa State. I think it's a great fit for me with the skill set and experience I have and I hope I can help Fred build this program into a very competitive level in the Big 12. In addition to the professional side, I wouldn't work for anyone I didn't feel extremely good about as a person. That is extremely important for me and I am confident that will not be an issue with this staff.”

Lutz was responsible for significantly upgrading the talent level in his coaching stint at Charlotte. He had four top-20 national recruiting classes and tutored 10 players who earned first-team all-conference honors. Five times in his career a Lutz-coached 49er squad knocked off a top-10 opponent, including a win over No. 3 Cincinnati in 1999. Five of Charlotte's eight wins over top-10-ranked opponents in school history came under Lutz' watch.

The 52-year-old Lutz led Charlotte to 23 wins and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his inaugural season in 1998-99. Charlotte again made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament two years later (2001) after compiling a 22-11 record. Lutz' 2001 team was led by Rodney White, who was named National Freshman of the Year by ESPN.com and was the No. 9 pick of the 2001 NBA Draft after his sensational collegiate rookie season.

In 2004, Charlotte tied for first in the Conference USA standings and earned its fourth NCAA Tourney bid in the Lutz era with a 21-9 record. He was named Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year by Basketball Times and Dick Vitale tabbed him Conference USA Coach of the Year.

The 49ers and Lutz continued to roll the following year (2004-05) by going 21-8 and earning his fifth NCAA Tournament bid in seven years. Eddie Basden, who was named C-USA Player of the Year, and Curtis Withers, who was an All-American and a three-time first-team all-conference pick, helped lead Charlotte to a lofty No. 18 ranking by the Associated Press during the season. Lutz was a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award.

Lutz joined the staff at Charlotte as an assistant in 1995. He aided Melvin Watkins for three seasons (1995-98) before taking over head coaching duties after Watkins took the Texas A&M post. The 49ers compiled a record of 56-35 and went to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments when Lutz was an assistant for Watkins.

Lutz molded Pfeiffer University, a NAIA school in Misenheimer, N.C., into a national power from 1986-95 before his time at Charlotte. He produced a 181-91 record and qualified for six-straight NAIA Tournament berths, including three Final Four appearances. His teams had an incredible .785 winning percentage (153-42) from 1990-95 and he developed 10 NAIA All-Americans, including all-time leading scorer Tony Smith and former NBA star Antonio Harvey.

He was an assistant for two seasons for Cliff Ellis at Clemson from 1984-86.

Lutz graduated with “High Honors” from UNC Charlotte in 1980 with a degree in Economics and Psychology and a 3.82 GPA. He has four degrees: Lenoir-Rhyne, 1981 (A.B. Secondary Education); Winthrop, 1985 (M.A.T. Secondary Social Studies); Clemson, 1986 (M.A. Education- Administration & Supervision).

Lutz has been extremely active in off-the-court endeavors and goodwill campaigns in his successful career. He served as the Honorary Chair of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light Up the Night Campaign as well as the Coaches' Curing Kids' Cancer organization just to name a few.

He is a proud member of Pfeiffer's Athletics Hall of Fame and UNC Charlotte's Alumni Hall of Fame.

Lutz and his wife, Janet, are the parents of Natalie, 21, who is a recent graduate of the University of Florida and pursuing her master's degree at North Carolina, and Christine, 19, who attends the University of Kentucky on a soccer scholarship.

Iowa State University Athletics

Hoiberg Adds Experienced Lutz to Staff

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