The first five months of the Longwood men’s basketball season has proven to be nothing short of historic. An early season upset over Atlantic-10 foe Richmond sparked their first 4-0 start, hot shooting and a top-ranked defense led to a 10-5 non-conference record and gritty performances over conference opponents have the Lancers fighting in the final stretch of the regular season.
With one games remaining, Longwood finds themselves locked at ninth place in the Big South standings. Their 86-66 loss at Hampton on Thursday night and a 74-72 loss to Campbell on Saturday has all but solidified an away game in the first round of the postseason. The Lancers are now likely to travel right back to Hampton for a win-or-go-home game against the Pirates.
Longwood’s 9-5 home record backs their enjoyment of playing in front of their home crowd, something head coach Griff Aldrich reflects on as they headed into their final game on Jerome Kersey Court.
“This program is for the university and for the community. The fact that the crowds are into it, that’s fun for our players for sure, but it also brings us joy that they have joy,” Aldrich said. “When I played at Hampden-Sydney, we had great crowds and it was an exciting event, and that’s what we want for Longwood basketball. We want it to be something that the community gets excited about, you know, to come to celebrate.”
Aldrich’s run-and-gun type offense with high velocity and consistent ball movement had the Lancers potentially looking at their first winning season since the 2008-09 season, when they finished with a 17-14 record. Their loss against Campbell torched those chances, but are still able to finish over .500 with a win against Gardner-Webb.
“The goal is to build a foundation. The goal is for our team to be as good as we can be and for these players to continue to grow and develop,” Aldrich said. “As you know, we really suffered a tough stretch losing four in a row, and the resilience of these guys, they could have cashed it in. These kids are continuing to battle and continuing to fight.”
Their resilience showed in games such as against Gardner-Webb earlier this season, when the Lancers climbed back from a 12-point deficit with two minutes left to tie the game, and alternatively in their match up against USC Upstate, where they gave up a big lead but fought in overtime to snag a conference win.
Fully aware they’re in the midst of their final months as Lancers, senior forward Spencer Franklin and graduate student forward Damarion Geter are laying it all on the court as the postseason approaches. Junior forward JaShaun Smith isn’t quite ready to let them finish their careers too soon, saying their day-by-day approach hopes to extend their season one game at a time.
“We’re trying not to think ahead too much, we’re just working and trying to get better each and every day,” said Smith.
Smith, who is averaging a career-high 10.8 points-per-game with a stellar 49.8 field goal percentage, is the only player alongside junior guard Shabooty Phillips to start all 30 games this season.
This past season has been eye-opening for those who saw Longwood finishing at the bottom of the NCAA, as the Lancers have long since defied their original expectations. Drawing larger crowds than in years past, hope has slowly been restored in a program after it seemed it had all been lost. Even after a four-game slide in late January to early February and a disappointing result at Hampton, heading into the win-or-go-home phase of the season, Aldrich and his staff are confident with the strategies he has instilled throughout the season.
“I don’t think we adjust anything, to be honest. Our goal is not adjusting; our goal is improving upon who we are,” Aldrich said. “For all of us, it’s more about refining and improving our principles.”
The Lancers approach March madness hoping to improve upon their principles to potentially make a run in the Big South tournament come the first week of March. Senior night on Saturday marked their final home game, and a road match up with Gardner-Webb the following Saturday will close the curtain on a memorable regular season.
Senior forward Spencer Franklin walks off the court dejectedly after the team suffered their 10th conference loss Saturday, putting them at 15-15 on the year.
Junior forward JaShaun Smith, who currently averages 10.8 points per game, has risen his offensive output from 6.2 points per game last season.
