Bobby Lutz coming home to NC State

I am so jazzed about the overall breadth and depth of NC State’s new men’s basketball coaching staff that I don’t think we can draw enough attention to the staff coach Gottfried has assembled.

You might have missed this one from the Fayetteville Observer over the July 4th holiday weekend.

Bobby Lutz had never coached outside the Carolinas, but relocating to Ames, Iowa, last summer wasn’t a complicated ordeal.

Hired as an assistant at Iowa State, Lutz didn’t bother with moving trucks because he rented a furnished house. Clothes were the primary items he and his wife had to pack for the 1,100-mile trip in their Chevrolet Suburban.

That left plenty of room for Sun Drop. Fifteen cases, to be exact.

The Southern soda wasn’t yet available in the Midwest.

“I’m a creature of habit,” he said.

Lutz remained loyal to his North Carolina roots throughout his 10-month stint with the Cyclones, and he’s back in the comfort of his home state. He joined new N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried’s staff in April, giving the Wolfpack an experienced assistant with strong recruiting ties and an in-depth understanding of the ACC landscape.

For Lutz, who spent 12 seasons as the head coach at Charlotte before being fired last March, he can again visit family and friends with relative ease when he’s not working to rebuild a once-proud program in Raleigh.

“It’s perfect as it can be,” Lutz said.

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11-12 Basketball

32 Responses to Bobby Lutz coming home to NC State

  1. PackHooligan 07/13/2011 at 8:41 AM #

    The Sun Drop part has me liking Lutz even more. When I was living in Colorado, I would have Sun Drop shipped to me.

  2. RTPMedic 07/13/2011 at 8:50 AM #

    “…visit family…with relative ease…”

    Nice one..

  3. ironmonger_captain 07/13/2011 at 9:07 AM #

    We probably should have hired him when we hired Sidney.

  4. Pack78 07/13/2011 at 9:10 AM #

    Hooligan-Amen on the Sun Drop; ‘I don’t always drink soft drinks, but when I do, I prefer Sun Drop’.

  5. LRM 07/13/2011 at 9:11 AM #

    If Lutz is a Sun Drop man he must be an alright guy. It’s a daily habit and the only soft drink I’ll touch (glass bottles are the best). The brief time I lived outside of NC I had to stock up as well, PackHooligan.

  6. TruthBKnown Returns 07/13/2011 at 9:32 AM #

    I don’t think I have EVER tasted Sun Drop. Seriously.

    Now I have to go out and get me one, because if five SFN users are singing its praises, then it MUST be good! 🙂

  7. packalum44 07/13/2011 at 9:33 AM #

    Cheerwine anyone??? That’s my go-to when I come home. Also, vinegar based BBQ. I’m starting to salivate.

  8. packplantpath 07/13/2011 at 9:42 AM #

    Packalum44, around here, we just call that bbq. Everything else is good, but imitation

    (ducks and hides)

    Lets hope this staff can get it done. I’m impressed so far.

  9. WolfInVolCountry 07/13/2011 at 9:44 AM #

    If your near the NC/TN border, try a Dr. Enuf. I am with alum44 though… Cheerwine!

    Oh yeah… REALLY glad to have Lutz on board. This sizes up to be a great staff.

  10. Astral Rain 07/13/2011 at 9:49 AM #

    One of the things I got from my time at State was an appreciation for Cheerwine.

  11. LifeLongWolf 07/13/2011 at 10:35 AM #

    I’ll happily participate in the ‘cue wars. Vinegar based cue is heaven on a plate. With sweet tea, preferably, and some good Brunswick stew and hushpuppies.

    God, I’m hungry.

  12. ryebread 07/13/2011 at 10:46 AM #

    The hiring of Lutz was the single biggest thing to me that suggest that Gott might work out. The key for this hire would be the assistants and I personally think Lutz is about as good of an assistant as a North Carolina team can have.

    My only concern is that Lutz says he wants to be a head coach again. I worry about how long he’ll stay around and who we’ll replace him with. I have a feeling that we’ll take a step down in talent when he leaves.

  13. Rick 07/13/2011 at 11:02 AM #

    Link to the NCSU-UNC scrimmage
    http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=8245510

  14. TeufelWolf 07/13/2011 at 11:19 AM #

    agree with ryebread. Couldn’t really hope for a better assistant coach. It tells me a lot about how Gott is viewed in the coaching community.

  15. PoppaJohn 07/13/2011 at 12:41 PM #

    First impressions of MG are good because he has been smart enough to cover his weaknesses with assistant coaches. He brought in guys that can coach defense, and people that know the area from a recruiting perspective.

    The whole package should result in our having less of a rebuilding gap, we could have as good a recruiting class next year as Sid’s best, we should see defense on the court for a change, and a highly regarded base offensive strategy.

    I’m trying hard not to get excited because we all know the “Wolfpack Law of Expectations.” Wolfpack basketball performance will be the exact inverse of general fan expectations. (ie. we think they will be great, they stink out loud)

  16. fullmoon1 07/13/2011 at 12:42 PM #

    I love the regional soda aspect of the thread. Im big on Dr. Enough and it mixes better with rum than any of the afore mentioned. Lutz seems like a solid, proven coach at a high level with bonus knowledge of basketball in the region. Now I have a mental image of Luztz dropping it as though it were hot.

  17. PackMan97 07/13/2011 at 12:56 PM #

    @ryebread, Lutz still has two years left from his Charlotte buyout. He keeps getting paid unless he takes a HC job somewhere. I imagine he’ll be here at least two seasons unless he gets a perfect offer. Not to mention, I’m sure he wants to use the success NC State will have over the next two seasons to help him get a perfect offer 🙂

    So, I’m guessing 2-3 seasons he’ll be here…maybe more if we start looking like a title contender as this would be his only chance for some really nice hardware.

  18. IamGumbyDammit 07/13/2011 at 1:10 PM #

    Love me some Sun Drop. Love me some Cheerwine even more (it’s RED after all). Don’t forget Cheerwine-flavored cream-filled Krispy Kremes are available through the end of the month. Oh, and Dr. Enuff is THE BOMB! I wish they sold it in Raleigh…

  19. MattN 07/13/2011 at 1:26 PM #

    Had some REALLY good ‘Q for lunch. Now I’m ready for a nap…(urp)

  20. lawful 07/13/2011 at 2:49 PM #

    Sun Drop & Cheerwine? You guys must be running around like Beavis all day….are you threatening me? I am the great Cornholio…

  21. OldWuf 07/13/2011 at 3:03 PM #

    I have a friend that has been an avid UNCC BBall fan for 35 years. He has always had season tickets. I would attend games with him occasionally in the 90’s. I often left those games impressed with Lutz’s teams, especially when he whipped Pitino’s butt. I also thought he would have been a logical fall back hire when we hired Sidney. I’ll bet he wouldn’t work for Fowlup.

  22. Khan 07/13/2011 at 4:01 PM #

    Not to start a whole thing here and granted, Sun Drop is very good, but it is only a shadow of the greatness of Mountain Dew. The Dew is simply the very best soft drink ever concocted and will never even be approached in its thirst-quenching glory.

    Oh yeah, and Bobby Lutz is cool too.

  23. JeremyH 07/13/2011 at 4:23 PM #

    having this kind of experience in a assistant coach, seems huge. It’s like a second pair of eyes out there that can help prepare, help make sure players are doing the right things to improve, and has familiarity with the NC recruiting grounds. Sounds like a good start. Oh and I don’t know what the fascination is with the mellow yellow knockoff : P

  24. ryebread 07/13/2011 at 5:08 PM #

    I stopped drinking soda (was drinking multiple ones a day) about 4 years ago as part of a plan to get healthier. I’m down 45 pounds and with 10 more I’ll be back to the same weight I was as a college freshman. I attribute a great part of that due to the fact that I don’t take in empty calories outside of beer and milk.

    When I was drinking soda, I thought that Dr. Pepper was the best. While I don’t miss the flavor of any of the others (and absolutely despised the yellow sodas like Sundrop, Mountain Dew and Mello Yellow), I do occasionally want an ice cold Dr. Pepper on a hot day.

    As for Lutz, I hope he stays a while. I think he’ll stay 2 years. I hope we have someone good lined up for when he departs, but I’m afraid that everyone on the staff is going to “slide up a seat.” We need to make the most of him being here.

    As for defense, I hope that Gott focuses here and I’ve read articles that state that we should. At the same time, that’s a large concern of mine with this hire. I don’t see anyone on the bench (Lutz included) that strikes me as a strong defensive coach.

  25. Primewolf 07/13/2011 at 7:30 PM #

    Being a son of Hickory, I too had a few SunDrops in my youth. It has been a while, but this conversation has me thinking about buying some.

    Also, Pepsi>>>Coke for any decent North Carolinian.

    Vinegar based BBQ is the only real BBQ. If you are ever in Hickory, stop by the Arcade in Downtown. Best BBQ I have ever had and I have had alot of NC BBQ. They include pickles and slaw. Unbelievable.

    I suspect Lutz knows more defense than all of our past coaches combined.

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