Walking across campus, Lucas Woodhouse is more than just the extremely talented point guard of the Longwood men’s basketball team. He is a passionate, well-spoken youngster with a passion for basketball that is indescribable.
Woodhouse was born and raised in Huntington, N.Y., on Long Island. In the second grade, after playing multiple sports like baseball and football, his parents, Kristin and Michael Woodhouse, decided to put him in a church basketball league where he immediately found his niche. When it came to basketball, Woodhouse found himself looking up to his older brother Michael, as well as his parents, who have been giving him clear support since the beginning of his basketball career.
When he was in seventh grade, he quit playing baseball and football to focus on his passion for basketball. In the eighth grade, Woodhouse was called up to the varsity basketball team for Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, N.Y. After not getting much playing time his first two years at the varsity level, Woodhouse worked on bettering himself as a player and a person.
Off the court, Woodhouse and his father were very involved in the community and when he was not working on school, he dedicated his time to giving back to the people of Long Island. Together, they would package and deliver clothes and food to needy families and he also participated in Athletes Helping Athletes, where he went to different local elementary schools and explained to children the importance of athletics, education and a healthy lifestyle.
In his sophomore year, Woodhouse got more playing time and his skills continued to improve. Eventually, during his junior year, he led his team to the Long Island Class A Championship and the New York Class A State Championship Game in which Harborfields was the runner-up.
In Woodhouse’s senior year, Harborfields won the New York Class A State Championship, while he took home the MVP award of the tournament. That year, he averaged a Long Island-best of 16.0 points and 13.0 assists per game, and led team to a 23-3 record.
When asked the best thing about playing basket- ball in high school, Woodhouse replied, “I loved winning a state championship, and I enjoyed play- ing with my best friends and creating a great bond with one of my heroes, my high school basketball coach.”
In addition to a state championship during his senior year, he personally earned multiple awards such as First Team All-New York, All-Long Island, All-County, All-Conference and All-League. He also received recognition as Newsday’s Long Is- land Player of the Year.
With other schools like Columbia, Navy and Stony Brook looking at Woodhouse, choosing Longwood was easy because 10th-year head coach Mike Gillian simply believed in him. Transitioning from Long Island to Farmville was different for him because of the small size and stressful basket- ball schedule.
When Gillian was asked about Woodhouse and why he wanted him to play at Longwood, he said, “I thought Lucas was just really good. He is an under the radar player with great character that fits in with what we have here at Longwood. He personally was someone that I was going to enjoy coaching, who works hard and who I love having around. He is learning and understands this level of competition. He just fits.”
When asked about his favorite experience as a member of the team, Woodhouse replied, “I loved going and playing basketball in Las Vegas [in November] because I have never been to a city like that.”
Woodhouse’s favorite things about basketball include helping his teammates get better, improving himself, making assists and winning games. Although he stands at six-foot one, which is relatively small for a Division I basketball player, he remains a powerful presence in Willet Hall. His skills range from shooting to assisting, and his leadership at the point guard position as a fresh- man is already being noticed by Coach Gillian.
Averaging 5.5 points and 7.8 assists in his last six games and with three more years ahead of him, Woodhouse’s career at Longwood is just in its ear- ly stages. He is the type of player who just wants to win, give a positive attitude and help the people around him strive for the best. He continues to use basketball as an outlet not only to help with school, but to inspire others and improve him as a person and develop skills and relationships for a lifetime.
Woodhouse fights to keep control of the ball against PC.
