Who will be the Charlotte 49ers’ next men’s basketball coach? Here are some possibilities

The Charlotte 49ers’ search for their next men’s basketball head coach is narrowing — and fast.

Ron Sanchez, who had been the 49ers’ head coach for five seasons and was Mike Hill’s first hire as athletic director, stepped down last Tuesday, returning to his previous school to become associate head coach under Tony Bennett with the Virginia Cavaliers.

Assistant coach Aaron Fearne was named interim head coach, and his responsibilities have already shifted as summer workouts started Monday.

Following Will Healy’s dismissal and Biff Poggi’s hire for the football program, another major decision looms for Hill, but with a much tighter window to hire.

“This is not a decision that Ron arrived at lightly. In the days leading up to his announcement, he and I had several conversations before he arrived at that decision,” Hill said. “I’ve certainly told our team and our people that just like John Wooden says, ‘We’re going to be quick but not hurry.’ We don’t want to rush to a bad decision, but time is of the essence just because of the time of year. And we owe that to our players, our coaching staff and our program.”

Recent commit Dishon Jackson already hit the transfer portal, and more names are expected to follow as the search lingers, per sources.

Hill has been in this situation once before, in 2007 during his time with the Florida Gators, when Billy Donovan accepted a head coaching position with the Orlando Magic in early June, before backing out of the offer to return to Florida just days later.

Financials are sure to play a role in finding the next head coach at Charlotte. Sanchez’s annual salary was $650,000, with $450,000 being university funded. Charlotte no longer owes Sanchez the remaining $1.2 million in his contract and will likely get a chance to host Virginia, the 2019 national champions, according to Hill.

“I don’t know if it will be a home and home, but I think the 49ers and Cavaliers will be playing, and our fans will have a chance to see it,” Hill said.

The 49ers will use Collegiate Sports Associates, an executive search and consulting firm, to assist in the search for the next head coach. But who is the ideal candidate for the 49ers, the lone open job in Division I college basketball?

According to Hill, “Experience is certainly at a premium.”

“To us, it’s important to identify someone who really wants our job. There is no shortage of candidates that are expressing a strong interest in the job. Now, expressing an interest and being able to actually leave their programs to come here are two different conversations,” Hill said. “We want someone that brings a competitive disposition and edge that we’re looking for to build upon the foundation that’s here now. Obviously, someone who is of high character and integrity, and who’s a great identifier and developer of talent.”

Hill stressed that many of the candidate lists that are on social media are fabricated.

“Fans should know — don’t believe everything you read on the internet and social media about who we’re talking to, who’s interested and who’s not,” he said. “I would say 75-80 percent is not even close to accurate, and the rest of it is just in the neighborhood. It’s unbelievable the amount of falsehoods out there and what happens is people’s expectations ebb and flow based on what they read on Twitter. These sources are at best partially informed, and it’s not coming from us. It’s speculation, that’s all it is.”

Charlotte’s next coach will be tasked with breaking an 18-year NCAA Tournament drought. Charlotte posted 22 wins and earned a CBI Championship a season ago, and seemed to have significant momentum heading to the American Athletic Conference prior to leading scorers and rebounders Brice Williams and Aly Khalifa departing for Nebraska and BYU, respectively. Now, without a head coach and a huge void in production, Charlotte has more questions than answers — and a short time to come to a resolution.

So, who should get the job?

Here are four candidates that make sense for the Charlotte 49ers moving forward.

Internal Candidate

Aaron Fearne — Interim Head Coach

Fearne has been with the 49ers for more than five seasons and was promoted to associate head coach nearly a year ago under Sanchez. He played a major role in Charlotte signing highly ranked recruiting classes in C-USA the past three years and has made connections with key returning players that could cause a ripple effect if not selected for the role.

“I’m thankful to Mike Hill for the opportunity to lead our program during this time,” Fearne said. “We are focused on welcoming back all of our players for workouts starting Monday. We have recruited some excellent pieces to help elevate the program to another level for our first season in the American Athletic Conference.”

Fearne joined the 49ers after nine years as a head coach in the National Basketball League, Australia’s top professional league. He coached 264 games with the Cairns Taipans, leading the team to three playoff appearances and one NBL Finals during his tenure, including garnering NBL Coach of the Year honors in 2015.

The Australia native has the desired head coaching experience, as well as familiarity and good standing with the current roster. If retained as interim head coach, Fearne could provide the university with a bridge through the 23-24 season to a more fruitful coaching pool, and if he excels, potentially be named as the full-time head coach moving forward.

Free Agent

Chris Mack

Mack is by far the biggest name on this list, coaching nine seasons at Xavier and most recently four seasons at Louisville before the Cardinals called for a separation midway through the 2021-22 season.

There is familiarity between Mack and the 49ers dating back to Xavier’s tenure in the Atlantic 10 conference. Mack has coached in Halton four times, splitting the series with the 49ers from 2009-2013. He knows the facilities and what type of draw the 49ers can bring when the program is trending upward.

Mack took Xavier to the NCAA Tournament in eight of his nine seasons as head coach, reaching the Sweet 16 three times and the Elite Eight once. He boasts a 278-133 record as head coach and checks every box for Hill and the 49ers.

The question is, can Charlotte afford him? Following his termination at Louisville, Mack settled the initial $12 million buyout for $4.8 million over a three-year period.

For reference, the median salary for programs in the AAC as of July 1 (including Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, Texas San Antonio and Alabama-Birmingham) is $1.1 million. The recent buyout at Louisville could be favorable for the 49ers, but the program would likely have to use new funding from the AAC toward the hire, as Mack’s most recent annual salary was upwards of $4 million.

This would be a home run hire for the 49ers, but many pieces would have to fall into place in a very short amount of time.

Active Head Coaches

Bart Lundy — Milwaukee

Lundy is connected to the 49ers from two stints and 14 total seasons as head coach at Queens University, where he recorded a 335-102 record and played a major role in the Royals’ jump to Division I. Following the success at Queens, Lundy accepted his current position as Milwaukee’s head coach. He posted a 22-12 record in his first season and was eliminated by the 49ers in the second round of the CBI.

Lundy is making approximately $350,000 annually and just completed the first year of his five-year contract with the Panthers. While the buyout terms are unclear, there has been clear interest between the two parties, per sources.

His offensive prowess, energy and emotion on the sidelines would be a near 180-degree flip from Sanchez, which aligns with Hill’s decision to hire Poggi, a 62-year-old former hedge fund manager following the dismissal of Healy, a 37-year-old “up-and-coming head coach.”

A portion of Lundy’s family remains in Charlotte, and one of his five children is enrolling at Charlotte in the fall. Lundy shared this on social media, seeming to pull his name from the 49ers’ search, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out:

“My place is in Milwaukee. Thanks for wanting me to be here. It is an honor. Go Panthers!!! Ring chasers!”

Ben McCollum — Northwest Missouri State (Division II)

McCollum’s track record at the Division II level is off the charts. He’s continuously brought home the hardware for the Bearcats, recording four national titles over 14 seasons, five NABC Division II National Coach of the Year awards, six MIAA Tournament championships, and 10 MIAA regular-season titles, including a 38-0 season in 2018.

Since 2009, McCollum is 334-83 overall. Over the past five seasons alone, the Bearcats have gone 162-11. He’s accustomed to winning and moving up to Division I seems like the clear next step, if he decides to move on from his alma mater.

McCollum would be an experiment. Some would say a risk, as he’s without any Division I coaching experience. Many of the 49ers faithful desire a head coach who has won on this stage and at this level. McCollum would be the biggest stretch of the three, but Hill has taken the road less traveled in the past. While it hasn’t necessarily made all the difference, it wouldn’t be a shock this time with McCollum, who has 14 years of head Division II coaching experience.