NinerReport.com - Moxley Talks Coaching and Recruiting

June 4, 2009

Tim Parker
NinerReport.com Publisher

Stability: it's one of the hardest things to achieve in college basketball today. When looking at Bobby Lutz's career in the coaching ranks he has had one man by his side for most of his time at the helm. That man would be Charlotte 49er Associate Head Coach Rob Moxley. Moxley, considered one of the best recruiters in the business, has made his mark at Charlotte by pulling in big time recruits such as Demon Brown, Rodney White, and Brendan Plavich. Moxley will be entering his 13th season with Lutz this coming year. Moxley sat down with NinerReport recently for a Q&A session that covered many topics. In part one of this interview, Moxley talked about how he got into coaching, working with Coach Lutz, and recruiting.

NinerReport: What made basketball your sport of choice growing up?

Rob Moxley: I played and loved all sports like basketball, baseball and soccer. I attended Baltimore Colts, Orioles, and all of the University of Maryland games. I think Lefty Driesel was a huge reason why I chose [to get into] the coaching profession. I loved his flair and energy and he put basketball on the map in the Washington DC and Baltimore areas both at the college and high school level. Lefty was a great recruiter and one of the best ever! He also connected with us fans in Cole Field House with his left handed fist pumps and 'V' for victory signs. I played basketball though all the time from age 16 on and loved it. I would go from playground to playground and play with my best friend Rob Turner who was a great player. Playing on those courts around Maryland and northern Virginia was very tough and it made me so much better. I also think playing with so many great players opened doors for me later on in coaching.

NR: When did you realize that you wanted to coach basketball?

RM: I just touched on it but walking into Cole Field House before a big game was an amazing atmosphere. I loved everything about it. I have always wanted to be a college coach. I never thought of any other profession and probably from the time I watched Maryland games at the age of 3 or 4. What better profession is there? None for me. Watching Earl Weaver manage the Orioles in the good ole days [also played a factor.]

NR: When an assistant position became available at Pfeiffer did you seek out the position or did Coach Lutz seek you out?

RM: Actually I was all set to coach at Newberry College in South Carolina for Tom Quinn, who was my coach. As a senior in college I was already recruiting for Newberry, especially back home. I had Rob Turner and Jerome Williams (later Georgetown and NBA) considering Newberry. Rob signed, however Coach Quinn was fired at the end of the year so he called Bobby Lutz and told him he had a student assistant and a player who could come with me. I took Rob Turner to Pfeiffer to meet with Bobby and we hit it off great.

NR: How would you describe the relationship that you have with Coach Lutz?

RM: [It is] very special and it goes way beyond coaching. I have known him and his family, who are all great people, for over 15 years. My wife and children consider Bobby's parents to be like their grandparents and I talk to Bob Lutz Sr at least twice a week. My wife and I babysat Natalie and Christine when they were very young and it's amazing how time flies by. I think it's just a perfect fit and Bobby has always allowed me freedom to go and recruit whoever I think we need to get his style of player. We have been together so long that during games we will both suggest or make the same comments at the exact same time. I also think the success we have had at every level built a great relationship and trust factor. I know what he likes and wants in a player. I also consider him to be one of the best coaches in America and I have coached against them all.

NR: Were you certain that he would eventually become a head coach at the Division One level?

RM: Yes. He's a brilliant person who has compassion to match it. I never had any doubt he would succeed at any level. It was frustrating at Pfeiffer though because we had teams there that could win the Colonial Conference and it was a struggle for Bobby to get interviews. We dominated the Carolina's Conference which had a lot of big time players. NAIA and Division 2 basketball was very, very good back then.

NR: What qualities must a coach possess to be a good recruiter?

RM: First I think a great recruiter is born with instincts to really understand a player's strengths and weaknesses. Most great coaches grew up watching every sport and really studying the game. However having contacts who have great players and send you great players is the easiest and most effective way to recruit.

NR: How difficult is it to lure kids to play in the state for a school that is not in the ACC?

RM: I think North Carolina is by far the best place to live in the USA, so that's an easy sell. I tell recruits all the time if you come play at Charlotte you probably will never leave. [Many] of our former players make this their home from Galen Young, Diego [Guevara], Demon [Brown], Rodney [White], Tremaine Gardiner and the list goes on. I also tell kids I hope the ACC recruits you because that's the level of player we want at Charlotte. I show them our record and success versus the ACC and we are clearly better if you take out Duke and North Carolina.

NR: Would you say recruiting at Charlotte is one of the most difficult tasks in America due to the location of the school and what surrounds it?

RM: No. Recruiting to Charlotte is nowhere near one of the most difficult in the USA. Charlotte is a beautiful city with great opportunities and weather. Our school provides a highly respected degree and our campus is getting more impressive every day. We have a great on-campus arena and great fans, especially the students! I try to use the ACC to our advantage by selling that the state of North Carolina and tobacco road is the king of college basketball.

NR: Some people like to criticize Charlotte for recruiting JUCO's. What would you say to that?

RM: Without the juco's we have recruited here to Charlotte there is no way Bobby Lutz is the all time winningest coach and I doubt we would have all those NCAA Tourney banners. Most of the juco's we have signed had BCS offers and Conference USA was more of a juco league because of the proximity of the teams. Juco's saw us on TV so much more back then so it made sense to tap into. We developed many great relationships with juco coaches and it hurts me to see people criticize these kids because they take great pride in Charlotte. Fans are fans and they have the right to complain and critique our guys but remember these guys all had many options and chose us. Seth Greenberg was quoted as saying (Charlotte) does the best job in America of recruiting jucos who fit their system.

NR: What is the best part of your job?

RM: Winning is certainly the biggest thrill. Nothing beats it. But seeing our guys develop as people and raise families and have success in so many ways is a tribute to Bobby and the way he runs our program. Also coaching in the big dance is such a special moment, I can't wait until we get back.

NR: What is the most difficult part of your job?

RM: Being away from my wife and kids gets tough at times. They are five, eight, and eleven so it's becoming more difficult to go recruiting so often. That would be the most difficult part of my job and of course losing. I'm not a good loser at all.

NR: Is there a recruit or recruiting class that you are most proud of?

RM: My first recruit at Charlotte was Demon Brown. He was a tough point guard who backed down from no one. We won at Cincinnati in large part due to the confidence and toughness he showed when first walking on the court. Most teams were beat at Cincinnati during warm ups. Demon chose us over UCONN and Xavier and he really believed in Charlotte. Rodney White is by far the most talented guy I ever recruited. I never understood how good he was until he was gone. He was the highest NBA pick ever at Charlotte and he and his family live in the area. Brendan Plavich is another special one to me. Plavich set up three visits: Charlotte, Notre Dame, and Iowa. We watched film until 5a.m. in my office on his visit. He wanted to see every shot Jobey Thomas took. It was great and he's the best shooter versus big time teams I have ever seen. Brendan canceled his other two visits and became a 49er. There are so many more: Leemire is a special kid who had gone through so much growing up. He had such a will to win and had a great senior year here. Lee's grandmother raised him and on the day he signed with us we promised her that Leemire would get his degree from Charlotte, which he did. Eddie Basden just was a great winner and kid. He improved more than anybody I ever recruited from his freshmen to senior year. Lamont Mack more recently was a huge recruit for us because again he had Big 12 offers but he really bought into Charlotte and Bobby. At Maryland Greivis Vasquez is such a winner and worker. He's going to play a long time professionally.

Check in tomorrow to see part two of the Moxley Q&A with NinerReport!

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