On Thursday, Oct. 15, Willett Hall opened its doors to over 200 students, giving them the opportunity to receive a unique fan experience with both the men and women’s basketball team in the program’s first Student Appreciation Day event.
Throughout the night, students got a behind-the-scenes view of how basketball players prepare for battle on the court.
Students participated in eight different stations that included VIP access to the locker rooms, several defensive and offensive skills stations where winners won prizes, a station where the coaches showed how the teams review their plays through film as well as scout players for an upcoming game, a rehab drills station guided by athletic trainers and a special photo shoot where students had their pictures taken in Longwood jerseys along with other basketball players.
Assistant Director of Athletics Marketing Steve Robertson III—famously known around campus as “Lancer Pants”—put on the event as a tie-in to Longwood Athletics’ ongoing “More Than a Game” campaign.
Understanding that every fan loves access, the event was made to showcase a true VIP fan experience in addition to connecting the teams with the rest of the student body.
“We want to build those relationships to be closer, tight knit, with the student athletes and our basketball players, so…at the end of the day, when it’s snowing and they have a chance to stay inside versus come out, it’s like ‘Hey…I met Kanayo, I met Lotanna. I want to come out and support them because I feel connected to them,’” said Robertson.
One of the players running the ball handling station, men’s basketball junior forward Isaac Belton talked about the quality of the experience.
“You get to interact with a lot of students who really want to get to know you and that’s a good feeling…I just to hope to see a lot of them out at the games and I hope a couple of them remember my name around campus,” said Belton.
Belton added that he hoped this event would help the team build its fan base and hopefully give the Lancers a home advantage.
“The more people that come out to the games, the louder the stadium is going to be, which gives us an advantage,” said Belton.
Women’s basketball sophomore guard Autumn Childress said it was good to give back to the student body and that their support is much appreciated.
“Well, I hope that really they (students) just get to understand that we really do appreciate their support and hopefully it got them excited for the season, (be)cause we’re definitely excited, but we can’t do it without the support of the other students,” said Childress.
As the night appeared to be a hit among the students, Robertson hopes that next year the event can be expanded to include fans from the community as well.
