As Presbyterian called their final timeout with 8.3 seconds remaining, Willett Hall was deafening on senior night last Thursday. Longwood senior guard Tra’Vaughn White had just sunk a clutch up-and-under layup to give Longwood a one-point lead. On the final possession, the Lancers forced the ball out to Blue Hose guard Will Adams, whose three-point attempt bounced off the rim.
The Lancer crowd's sigh of relief came too early as Adams grabbed his own rebound and hit a buzzer-beater jumper to give Presbyterian a 74-73 win. The crowd was silent as seniors Lotanna Nwogbo, Shaquille Johnson and White were denied victory in their final game at Willett Hall.
"It's tough," said White. "I don't want to say it's the story of our season, but it just seems like we can't catch a break."
White’s disappointment after the loss reflected what has been a frustrating and arduous season for the Longwood men’s basketball team. Injury woes and bad luck have left the Lancers with a 9-22 regular season record and ranked second in the conference for amount of single-digit losses, belying the talent of the team. However, it is that talent which has the team believing that they can make a deep run in the Big South Tournament for the second year straight.
Injuries to key players have been one of the major factors in the inconsistent nature of the team’s season, according to men's basketball head coach Jayson Gee. White missed seven games and Johnson missed 12, while junior captain forward Damarion Geter was sidelined for the entire season with a shoulder injury. Gee discussed the toll that injuries have taken from his squad.
“We’ve had a number of key injuries,” said Gee. “Tra’Vaughn White had a toe injury, broke his hand. And so that really is the story of our season, starting with Geter dislocating his shoulder, a two-year starter, and we lost him.”
Other players like Nwogbo, junior guard Darrion Allen, and redshirt-sophomore forward Khris Lane helped carry the burden, appearing in every game this season. But the grind of a full season, coupled with an injury-depleted squad, could leave some players heavily fatigued going into the tournament. However, Gee thinks his team can gain a second wind, starting with the team’s leaders.
“Sometimes, a ‘second season’ does that,” said Gee. “I think that happened to us last year. The thrill of a tournament, and sometimes it’s leadership. Challenging the guys that way, leadership-wise.”
Another recurring theme for the Lancers was coming up on the wrong side of close games. Longwood lost five games by five points or fewer, including a pair of one point heartbreakers to Liberty and Presbyterian.
But it was the leadership and determination that Gee spoke about which enabled the team to put their SeniorNight heartbreak behind them with a 92-81 comeback win against Radford. The Lancers overcame a 61-41 deficit with 14 minutes left to topple the Highlanders in the regular season finale, courtesy of a trio of 20-point performances from Nwogbo (29), Johnson (21), and White (20).
The win gave Longwood a 5-13 conference record and the No. 8 seed for the conference tournament, their highest ever finish. They will face No. 9 seed Charleston Southern on Mar. 3 in Buies Creek, N.C., with the winner facing No. 1 seed High Point on Mar. 4. The Lancers will look to emulate last season’s semifinal run, and Gee was clear about the key to another impressive tournament performance.
“I think our three seniors have the ability to carry us to a win against any team in our league,” said Gee. “Shaq showed that last year, Lotanna did not get play in the tournament last year so he’s going to be hungry for that, and you saw what Tra’Vaughn White can do.”
Gee will rely heavily on his ‘Big Three’ – White, Johnson and Nwogbo – with good reason: White is in the Big South top-10 in both points (13.7) and assists (2.7) per game, Johnson combines an all-around game with tournament experience and Nwogbo was named to First Team All-Big South, with 12 double-doubles and 12.5 rebounds per game.
With Longwood’s ”Big Three” at their best, alongside contributions from the rest of the roster, then the Lancers can put a bumpy regular season behind them, and have a chance to find postseason play.
