Q&A: New Charlotte 49ers basketball coach Ron Sanchez on the future – and the past

Ron Sanchez flew from Charlottesville, Va., to Charlotte on Tuesday morning to start his new job as the Charlotte 49ers’ new head basketball coach.

Sanchez, formerly Virginia’s associate head coach under Tony Bennett, takes over a program mired in mediocrity (at best) over the past several seasons. The 49ers fired Mark Price in December, then didn’t retain interim coach Houston Fancher after the 49ers finished with a 6-23 record.

So there’s plenty of work to do for Sanchez, 43, who will be in his first head-coaching job. He’s back in Charlotte after the No. 1-seed Cavaliers’ upset loss against Maryland-Baltimore County in the first-round of the NCAA tournament last week at Spectrum Center -- a subject he’d rather not talk about, thank you.

He talked with the Observer’s David Scott from an Uber ride taking him from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to Charlotte’s campus:

Q. What have the first few hours as the 49ers’ coach been like for you?

A. It’s really interesting. It’s like when you attend all these head-coaching seminars and prep things. Or when you do your marriage seminars and child-birthing classes – it’s not the same when it actually has happened! But the one thing that is very similar is the excitement for what’s coming.

Q. When and how did you become interested in the job?

A. Charlotte was one of those places that I personally had an interest in. I kind of kept my eye on it quietly. I wasn’t much doing about it, just observing from a distance to see what happens. When I saw Mike Hill got the (athletics director job), I got really excited. I can’t really recall when it all starting coming together, because I was focused on the ACC and NCAA tournaments. I was trying to stay away from all that stuff.

Mike I talked while I was in Charlotte, very briefly. Mike had done a lot of homework. He had way too much information on me! But he had communicated with coach Bennett and other people. He had taken care of every facet.

Q. What’s your impression of the program?

A. Charlotte’s one of those places that has things in place to provide a coach with the opportunity to be successful. I know the staff here was working so hard; all of us do when things are not going the way we anticipate. You work harder than when things are going really well. I knew there was a good core (of players) here. Mark had done a good job of putting the pieces in place. It wasn’t successful at the moment.

Q. How crucial will recruiting the Charlotte area be for you?

A. There are a lot of different things to like about Charlotte. I’d recruited this area before and had Anthony Gill and Akil Mitchell (both from Charlotte Christian) at Virginia. They were pivotal in what we’ve done at Virginia. I know a handful of coaches in this area already and there are a lot of people who have a lot of respect for (the 49ers).

Q. What’s your first task?

A. My first priority is just the team, just the guys. I want to make sure these kids are OK. They’ve been through a lot. I’m not going to be selfish in how soon get going on the rest. It’s about them first.

Q. How much do you know about the team?

A. I know a little about them individually. There are a couple of talented guards. I’ve some footage of the team and looked at the stats, but I haven’t had time to dive into that yet.

Q. It’s common for players to transfer out of a program when there’s a coaching change is common. How will you deal with that?

A. Those things will emerge. I can’t control them now. I’ll focus on things I can control.

Q. Three high school players signed with Price in November. Have you contacted them and what are your expectations about whether they will want to still come to Charlotte?

A. I’ve reached out to them to them to introduce myself and to see what they were thinking. I did a lot of listening and very little talking. I just wanted them to know who I was. People have to think things through. I’ll follow up with them in the days to come and honor them in whatever they decide.

Q. What will be your style of play? Will you bring with you Virginia’s “Pack Line” defense?

A. I will be open minded, but we’ve been able to have so much success with the way we’ve done things that I would be remiss not to stick with that. That is where I came from. I was hired because of the things we did at Virginia. Those will be the base from where I start.

Q. As a first-year head coach, what will you be looking at in your assistants and will you hire one who has head-coaching experience to help you in your first time in charge of a program?

A. That would be a bonus. But primarily I’m going to be searching for indivuduals that value what I value, the things that Mike Hill values. It will all flow from there. I don’t want to deviate from that. There will be certain experiences that will be valued from (assistants).

Q. The 49ers’ program has struggled over the past several seasons, with attendance slipping and a general sense of malaise around the team. Are you aware of that and how will you try and change it?

A. I don’t know that I can control that. All I can do is try to put forth the best product that I can. The rest of those things will take care of themselves. If the product is good, people will respect that. I haven’t paid attention to what’s happened in past and once I took the job I’m now paying attention to the future. It can’t be expected to turn around right away. It will take a lot of time.

But I’m aware of what I’m venturing into. It’s not comfortable. I’m leaving a comfortable situation at Virginia. I know things aren’t all rosy; I know what I’m getting into.

Q. Have you gotten over Friday’s loss against UMBC yet?

A. No, man, don’t even ask me that question! I’m so thankful for the season we had. It was the best coaching job Tony’s done. We won’t let one game define our team.　

This story was originally published March 20, 2018 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Q&A: New Charlotte 49ers basketball coach Ron Sanchez on the future – and the past."