By Jim Utter
jutter@charlotteobserver.com

Asked how he approached his first meeting with his team on Sunday night, newly hired Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball coach Alan Major answered with two words: “clean slate.”

And that’s essentially how the 49ers approached the hiring of their first coach in 14 years who wasn’t already on staff.

“Whatever has happened in the past, whatever issue the players have dealt with in the past, yesterday was day one for us. For me to be judgmental about any of that would be unfair,” said Major, who was offered and accepted the Charlotte job during a visit to campus Friday.

“I’ve got a clean slate with them. I have to earn the right to have their trust and they have to earn the right to have mine. I can’t begin to understand what they have been through.”

Major was introduced as Charlotte’s new coach on Monday in a room packed with media, fellow coaches, players and 49ers fans. He received a warm welcome, and his candor and humor in answering a litany of questions about his new job were well-received.

Major has spent the past nine seasons as an assistant coach for Thad Matta – three years at Xavier and the past six at Ohio State. He replaces Bobby Lutz, the longest serving (12 seasons) and winningest coach (218-158) in school history.

Lutz was fired on March 15 after the 49ers had failed to make the NCAA tournament the past five seasons.

Lutz, then an assistant coach, replaced two-year head coach and former 49ers player, Melvin Watkins, after he left for the top job at Texas A&M. Watkins had been an assistant under former 49ers coach Jeff Mullins.

When 49ers athletics director Judy Rose and the school’s chancellor, Dr. Philip Dubois, elected to fire Lutz they went in a vastly different direction. Although Rose said she spoke to some current head coaches, she decided quickly she was going to focus on assistants at major programs.

The final four candidates were Major, Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins, Xavier associate head coach Pat Kelsey and Kansas assistant Joe Dooley.

Only two visited the campus. Major was one and sources said the other was Kelsey. Rose said Major was the only one offered the job.

Major, 41, was offered a five-year deal with a base salary of $225,000 plus a guaranteed additional salary of $225,000 from non-state funds. Rose said incentives could push Major’s annual salary to between $500,000 and $600,000 a year.

Major declined to name any of his assistants on Monday. However, the Observer reported Sunday night that Boston University associate coach Orlando Vandross and Virginia Tech assistant coach Ryan Odom are expected to join the program.

“I feel like our first order of business is to set the basketball tone for our program,” Major said. “I think the focus is the team, getting a staff together and recruiting, in that order.”

An informal poll on Monday showed all the players who were expected to return next season are likely to do so. In fact, multiple sources confirmed that former 49ers freshman shooting guard Shamarr Bowden, who left the team in January, has made initial inquiries about the possibility of returning.

“When coach Lutz left we were all shocked,” said junior forward Shamari Spears. “I think we’re feeling a lot better now that we’ve had a chance to talk to coach Major.

“We haven’t had any direction. We’ve just been taking care of each other. I think we will be an even better team going through this experience.”

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