Longwood Lancers men's basketball
The Longwood Lancers men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Big South Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. Their current head coach is Griff Aldrich, who formerly served as the recruiting director for UMBC.[2]
Longwood Lancers | ||||
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University | Longwood University | |||
First season | 1976–77 | |||
All-time record | 545–684 (.443) | |||
Head coach | Griff Aldrich (2nd season) | |||
Conference | Big South | |||
Location | Farmville, Virginia | |||
Arena | Willett Hall (Capacity: 1,807) | |||
Nickname | Lancers | |||
Student section | Lancer Lunatics | |||
Colors | Blue and White[1] | |||
Uniforms | ||||
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NCAA Tournament Final Four | ||||
Division III: 1980 | ||||
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight | ||||
Division III: 1980 | ||||
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
Division II: 1994 Division III: 1980 | ||||
NCAA Tournament Round of 32 | ||||
Division II: 1994, 2001 Division III: 1980 | ||||
NCAA Tournament Opening Round | ||||
Division II: 1995 | ||||
NCAA Tournament Appearances | ||||
Division II: 1994, 1995, 2001 Division III: 1980 | ||||
Conference Tournament Champions | ||||
CVAC: 2001 | ||||
Conference Regular Season Champions | ||||
Mason–Dixon: 1988 |
History
Longwood was an all-female school for the majority of its history; however, a limited number of male day students attended the school following World War II, and those students fielded a basketball team under the name Longwood Pioneers.[3] The current NCAA men's basketball program began in 1976 under head coach Allan McNamee, when the school became fully co-educational that same year.[4] The Lancers finished 1–6 against four year institutions in the inaugural season, and 2–9 overall. The Lancers were NCAA Division III members for their first four years. In 1980, they became Division II members, until 2004, when they began a transition to Division I membership. They became full Division I members in 2007.
The Lancers have had nine different head coaches of their men's basketball team, as detailed below. The current head coach, former UMBC director of recruiting Griff Aldrich, joined the program in 2018.
Longwood has reached the NCAA Tournament four times in its history: in 1980 at the Division III level, and three times in Division II. In 1988, Longwood won a share of the Mason-Dixon Conference regular season title,[5] and in 2001, won their only tournament championship as a 3 seed in the CVAC.[6][7]
The Lancers have been members of three conferences in their history: the Division II Mason–Dixon Conference from 1983 to 1988 (not to be confused with another defunct conference with the same name, which disbanded in 1974) and the-then Carolinas–Virginia Athletic Conference from 1995 to 2003. Longwood spent nine seasons as an independent during and after reclassification to Division I, until they joined the Big South Conference in 2012.
Postseason
CBI
The Lancers have appeared in the Division I College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournament one time. Their record is 1–1.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
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2019 | First Round Second Round | Southern Miss DePaul | W 90–68 L 89–97 |
NCAA Division II tournament results
The Lancers have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament three times. Their combined record is 2–4.[8]
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
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1994 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional Semifinals Regional 3rd Place Game | Carson–Newman Norfolk State Elizabeth City State | W 76–63 L 59–61 L 87–88 |
1995 | Regional Quarterfinals | Shaw | L 76–83 |
2001 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional Semifinals | West Chester Queens (NC) | W 103–95 L 76–77 |
NCAA Division III tournament results
The Lancers appeared in the NCAA Division III Tournament once. Their record is 3–2.[9]
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1980 | Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game | Framingham State Clark Potsdam State North Park Wittenberg | W 73–63 W 70–60 W 78–61 L 55–57 L 47–48 |
Coaches
Head Coach | Years | Win–Loss | Pct. |
---|---|---|---|
Allan McNamee | 1976–77 | 2–9 | .182 |
Bill McAdams | 1977–78 | 8–17 | .333 |
Ron Bash | 1978–81 | 66–20 | .767 |
Cal Luther | 1981–90 | 136–105 | .564 |
Ron Carr | 1990–99 | 127–124 | .506 |
Mike Leeder | 1999–2003 | 55–57 | .491 |
Mike Gillian | 2003–13 | 93–214 | .303 |
Jayson Gee | 2013–18 | 42–120 | .259 |
Griff Aldrich | 2018–present | 16–18 | .471 |
Yearly records
Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
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Allan McNamee (Division III independent) (1976–1977) | |||||||||
1976–77 | Allan McNamee | 2–9 | |||||||
Allen McNamee: | 2–9 (.182) | ||||||||
Bill McAdams (Division III independent) (1977–1978) | |||||||||
1977–78 | Bill McAdams | 8–16 | |||||||
Bill McAdams: | 8–16 (.333) | ||||||||
Ron Bash (Division III independent) (1978–1980) | |||||||||
1978–79 | Ron Bash | 19–8 | |||||||
1979–80 | Ron Bash | 28–3 | NCAA Division III Final Four | ||||||
Ron Bash (Division II independent) (1980–1981) | |||||||||
1980–81 | Ron Bash | 19–9 | |||||||
Ron Bash: | 66–20 (.767) | ||||||||
Cal Luther (Division II independent) (1981–1983) | |||||||||
1981–82 | Cal Luther | 15–8 | |||||||
1982–83 | Cal Luther | 15–10 | |||||||
Cal Luther (Mason–Dixon Conference) (1983–1988) | |||||||||
1983–84 | Cal Luther | 15–12 | 7–3 | 2nd | |||||
1984–85 | Cal Luther | 11–17 | 3–7 | 4th | |||||
1985–86 | Cal Luther | 14–13 | 7–3 | 2nd | |||||
1986–87 | Cal Luther | 13–14 | 3–5 | 3rd | |||||
1987–88 | Cal Luther | 19–10 | 6–2 | T–1st | |||||
Cal Luther (Division II independent) (1988–1990) | |||||||||
1988–89 | Cal Luther | 20–7 | |||||||
1989–90 | Cal Luther | 14–14 | |||||||
Cal Luther: | 136–105 (.564) | 26–20 (.565) | |||||||
Ron Carr (Division II independent) (1990–1995) | |||||||||
1990–91 | Ron Carr | 11–17 | |||||||
1991–92 | Ron Carr | 14–14 | |||||||
1992–93 | Ron Carr | 17–10 | |||||||
1993–94 | Ron Carr | 23–6 | NCAA Division II Regional Semifinals | ||||||
1994–95 | Ron Carr | 19–9 | NCAA Division II Regional Quarterfinals | ||||||
Ron Carr (CVAC) (1995–1999) | |||||||||
1995–96 | Ron Carr | 11–17 | |||||||
1996–97 | Ron Carr | 11–17 | |||||||
1997–98 | Ron Carr | 13–15 | |||||||
1998–99 | Ron Carr | 8–19 | |||||||
Ron Carr: | 127–124 (.506) | ||||||||
Mike Leeder (CVAC) (1999–2003) | |||||||||
1999–2000 | Mike Leeder | 4–22 | 2–16 | ||||||
2000–01 | Mike Leeder | 23–8 | 15–7 | T–2nd[6] | NCAA Division II Regional Semifinals | ||||
2001–02 | Mike Leeder | 13–13 | 10–10 | ||||||
2002–03 | Mike Leeder | 15–14 | 11–9 | ||||||
Mike Leeder: | 55–57 (.491) | 38–42 (.475) | |||||||
Mike Gillian (Division II independent) (2003–2004) | |||||||||
2003–04 | Mike Gillian | 5–22 | |||||||
Mike Gillian (Division I independent) (2004–2012) | |||||||||
2004–05 | Mike Gillian | 1–30 | |||||||
2005–06 | Mike Gillian | 10–20 | |||||||
2006–07 | Mike Gillian | 9–22 | |||||||
2007–08 | Mike Gillian | 9–22 | |||||||
2008–09 | Mike Gillian | 17–14 | |||||||
2009–10 | Mike Gillian | 12–19 | |||||||
2010–11 | Mike Gillian | 12–19 | |||||||
2011–12 | Mike Gillian | 10–21 | |||||||
Mike Gillian (Big South Conference) (2012–2013) | |||||||||
2012–13 | Mike Gillian | 8–25 | 4–12 | 6th (North) | |||||
Mike Gillian: | 93–214 (.303) | 4–12 (.250) | |||||||
Jayson Gee (Big South Conference) (2013–2018) | |||||||||
2013–14 | Jayson Gee | 8–24 | 3–13 | 6th (North) | |||||
2014–15 | Jayson Gee | 11–23 | 5–13 | 9th | |||||
2015–16 | Jayson Gee | 10–23 | 5–13 | T–8th | |||||
2016–17 | Jayson Gee | 6–24 | 3–15 | 9th | |||||
2017–18 | Jayson Gee | 7–26 | 3–15 | 10th | |||||
Jayson Gee: | 42–120 (.259) | 19–69 (.216) | |||||||
Griff Aldrich (Big South Conference) (2018–present) | |||||||||
2018–19 | Griff Aldrich | 16–18 | 5–11 | 9th | CBI Quarterfinals | ||||
Griff Aldrich: | 16–18 (.471) | ||||||||
Total: | 545–684 (.443) | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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Notable players
Jerome Kersey #54
Jerome Kersey is widely known as the best player in Longwood history. Playing from 1980 to 1984 Kersey set school records for points, rebounds, steals and blocked shots while making 57% of his baskets. As a senior, his rebounding average of 14.2 led all Division II players.
In 1984, Kersey was selected 46th overall in the NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He became a starter and was part of the nucleus of a strong Portland team, along with Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Buck Williams, and Kevin Duckworth that made it to the NBA Finals two out of the next three years (in 1990 and 1992). Kersey also finished second to Michael Jordan in the 1987 Slam Dunk Contest. In 1999, Kersey won an NBA Championship with the San Antonio Spurs. He would eventually retire in 2001 as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks
In May 2006, Kersey graduated from Longwood, having only needed two more college courses to graduate for some years.
Kevin Jefferson #33
Kevin Jefferson played for the Lancers from 1986–1990. Jefferson ended his career with 1,806 career points, as record that would hold for 22 years.
Colin Ducharme #52
The 6'9" Ducharme would transfer to Longwood from the University of Virginia for his final year of eligibility in 2000. Ducharme averaged 19.6 points and 15.8 rebounds per game in his one year in Farmville. He led Longwood to a CVAC championship and a NCAA tournament appearance while being named the Division II National Player of the Year by multiple outlets. Ducharme remains only one of two retired numbers in Longwood history, with the other being Jerome Kersey.
Antwan Carter #4
Antwan Carter became the most efficient players in Longwood history and its best player so far in the Division I era. Playing from 2008–2012, Carter would break Kevin Jefferson's all-time scoring record and finished his career scoring 1,886 points. Carter also finished second in Longwood history in rebounds with 1,008.
References
- Longwood University Style Guide (PDF). Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- "Longwood Names UMBC's Griff Aldrich Head Men's Basketball Coach" (Press release). Longwood Athletics. March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- Shepherd, Barbara (June 12, 2014). Longwood University: The First 175 Years. Longwood University Foundation. p. 88. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- Prouty, Greg. "Coeducation and Men's Athletics at Longwood". Longwood Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- "Lancer Winning Streak Ends At The Mount". The Rotunda. Farmville, Virginia. February 22, 1988. p. 6. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- Underwood, Jared (March 1, 2001). "Men's Basketball Enters CVAC Tournament on a High Note". The Rotunda. Farmville, Virginia. p. 12. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- Prouty, Greg (March 8, 2001). "Men's Basketball Headed to the Big Dance!". The Rotunda. Farmville, Virginia. p. 12. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- "Division II Men's Basketball All-Time Tournament Scores". NCAA Championships.com. 2001. Archived from the original on September 9, 2001. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- "Year-by-Year Tournament Scores". NCAA Championships.com. 2000. Archived from the original on September 7, 2001. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. ESPN. 6 October 2009. p. 347. ISBN 978-0345513922. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- 2013–14 Men's Basketball Media Guide. pp. 83–93. Retrieved 14 November 2014.