| |||||||||||||||||||||
At Charlotte: An athletic walk-on guard who pushes himself and teammates in practice ... always, but always, works hard ... has scored 10 points in his two-year career, with a pair of three pointers ... is the son of former Charlotte 49ers women's soccer coach, Robbie Church, who is now the head coach at Duke.
2007-08 SEASON
Overall: 0.8 ppg; 0.0 rpg; .500 FG%; .500 3FG%
Played in four games, totalling 5 minutes .... for the second straight year, he hit his first attempted shot of the season: netting a three-pointer vs. Gardner-Webb .... saw action in a pair of post-season games: vs. Temple (A-10 semifinals) and at Nebraska (NIT) ...
2006-07 SEASON
Overall: 0.8 ppg; 0.1 rpg; .286 FG%; .200 3FG%
Made his first career shot memorable, hitting a three-pointer at Indiana's storied Assembly Hall ... scored a career-high four points vs. Richmond, hitting a basket and 2-of-2 free throws ... saw action in nine games with a high of three minutes vs. UL-Lafayette ... passed out three assists without a turnover.
At Riverside High:
Team captain who averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 assists a game as Riverside went 25-4 with a 15-2 league record ... Riverside won both the PAC-6 Conference regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the state playoffs, falling in the third round ... Kyle was an honorable mention all-Area player ... a four-year letterwinner and two-year starter for Riverside.
Personal: Born July 20, 1988 ... Son of Robert and Linda Church ... his older sister Ashley played soccer at UNC Wilmington ... his father, Robbie, played soccer at Pfeiffer and was the first women's soccer coach in UNC Charlotte history ... honor roll student ... majoring in History ... Dean's List in all four semesters with the 49ers: Fall, 2006; Spring, 2007, Fall, 2007, Spring, 2008 ... Fall, 2007 A-10 Commisioner's Honor Roll.
Church Up Close
Your Dad was the 49ers first women's soccer coach and is now a highly-successful coach at Duke.
What happened to your soccer genes:
I played a lot growing up. I still love the sport and watch it all the time. I kick around with friends when I go home, but I don't get to play as much as I'd like.
Was it tough to convince Dad that you enjoyed basketball more:
Not at all. He's a big sports fan and a big basketball fan. If he could do it again, he might try to be a basketball coach. He loves it.
How are the coaching styles of your father and coach Lutz similar, how are they different:
My Dad never coached me, or my sister Ashley. The biggest difference is that Dad coaches a women's team -- so he has to handle situations differently. The similarities -- Both work extremely hard, both are passionate about what they do and both really care about their players.
Do you aspire to be a coach one day:
I do -- and if I do end up coaching, Dad wants to be my assistant.
Kyle, a walk-on, gets limited minutes but plays all out at every practice.
How difficult is it to accept your role after having starred in high school:
Actually, it's not difficult at all. I understand my role and everyone on the team understands their role.
What do you tell yourself each day to get fired up for practices or games:
In order for us to be a good team, myself and my teammates have to bring their best everyday. The importance of playing your hardest and your best every day.
Do you have a most memorable practice moment:
My freshman year, before the season, I hit 2 or 3 threes in a row on consecutive possessions -- I don't think the others were expecting that. It was a quick way to earn respect.
Since coming to Charlotte you have enjoyed trips to Hawaii, Canada and the Virgin Islands and this year have a tourney in Anaheim.
What has been your favorite road trip:
Surprisingly, Rhode Island (Newport). I thought it was beautiful place. It's just a place I never saw myself going to and it turned out to be a really beautiful place.
What's the coolest thing you've done on one of those trips:
Hopping on mopeds in Hawaii and riding around the island.
What destination would you love to head to next:
Europe. The trip to Canada was the first time I'd been outside the country.
Church's Career Stats: Year G-S FG-A Pct. 3FG-A Pct. FT-A Pct. O-Reb.-Avg. Pf-D A To Blk St Pts-Avg. 2007-08 4-0 1-2 .500 1-2 .500 0-0 .000 0- 0- 0.0 0-0 0 1 0 0 3- 0.8 2006-07 9-0 2-7 .286 1-5 .200 2-2 1.000 0- 1- 0.1 2-0 3 0 0 0 7- 0.8 TOTALS 13-0 3-9 .333 2-7 .286 2-2 1.000 0- 1- 0.1 2-0 3 1 0 0 10- 0.8
