Bobby Lutz, fired Monday morning as the head men's basketball coach at UNC Charlotte, won't rush into a decision about his future.
In an afternoon telephone interview with HDR Sports, Lutz said staying in coaching is a decision that's ahead for him.
"I think I do. Today, yes," Lutz, a Catawba County native, said when asked about remaining in college coaching. "But I've never thought any other way.
"I need to take some time to be sure what I want to do."
Lutz, 51, met with UNC Charlotte officials at 8 a.m. on Monday morning and was told he would not complete the final years of a contract that was to run through the 2013-14 season.
Lutz said he was surprised by the move "but it's just part of the business.
"It's a surprise but every coach serves at the pleasure of the administration, and for us it's been a pleasure to serve (UNC Charlotte) this many years."
Lutz just completed his 12th season as head coach at UNC Charlotte, where his teams went 218-158. He came to his alma mater as an assistant coach under Jeff Mullins and was named the head coach after Melvin Watkins, who replaced Mullins, left for Texas A&M.
Lutz and his entire coaching staff were terminated on Monday, a day after the NCAA Tournament and National Invitational Tournament pairings were released and the 49ers didn't get in.
The 49ers, coming off an 11-20 record the year before, finished 19-12 this year. They were 9-7 in the Atlantic 10 and lost seven of their last eight games.
Monday's news brought many inquiries from friends and other coaches, said Lutz, whose 399 career coaching wins also includes a stint at Pfeiffer.
"Just friends in the business," Lutz said. "I've had hundreds of calls and e-mails."
Right now, Lutz said he hasn't received any job inquiries, nor is he looking for any.
"I'll need some time to figure out what I want to do," he said. "Right now, I don't know what I'll do. I'm going to step back and take some time and see what happens."
Lutz is a 1976 graduate of Bandys High, where he played point guard, and he was later a Trojans assistant boys' coach during a four-year run when Bandys finished second, fourth and state 2A champion.
Lutz began his head coaching career at Parkwood High in 1982-83, beating Bandys in the West 2A Regional title game in Hickory and then winning the state title the next weekend.
In 1983-84, Lutz coached the Bunker Hill boys to a record of 18-7.
Lutz spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Clemson on Cliff Ellis' staff and was named the head coach at Pfeiffer in 1986. He guided three of his Falcons teams to the NAIA Final Four.
At UNC Charlotte, his teams made the postseason eight of 12 seasons. But the 49ers' last trip to the NCAAs was in 2005, and not getting to postseason play in back-to-back seasons didn't seem to settle well with the school's fans.
Lutz turned down an opportunity to coach elsewhere in 2007.
Athletic director Judy Rose granted South Alabama permission to discuss its coaching opening with Lutz, but Lutz declined an offer to instead remain as head coach of the 49ers.
UNC Charlotte went 20-14 the next season and to the NIT, then went 11-20 in 2008-2009. The 49ers started this season 18-5 and won eight of their first nine Atlantic 10 games.
The 49ers' roster includes former Hickory High star Trevin Parks, a walk-on freshman, and only four of the 17 players on the preseason roster were seniors.
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