After four years of waiting, the Joan Perry Brock Center was officially ready to host its first-ever NCAA Basketball game. The Longwood Lancers were pitted against the St. Mary’s (Maryland) Seahawks. The one factor that mattered more than the Lancers’ dominant play was the fans. The support from the first minute to the last was something to behold. There are many reasons to be not only optimistic but also thoroughly excited for the future and direction of the Longwood men’s basketball program.
In 2019, Longwood University announced that there were plans underway to build a new basketball stadium on the school’s main campus. It would be called the Joan Perry Brock Center and would lie adjacent to the old arena, Willett Hall. After four years of hypothesizing, planning, building, and reviewing, the brand-new building was ready to house its first game. On November 11, 2023, the waiting was over.
Following a narrow defeat in the opening game of the season on the road against St. Bonaventure, the Lancers looked to correct the mistakes against Division III opposition St. Mary’s College. When asked about things that could be improved upon for the team, assistant coach Marty McGillan stated “We’ve got a lot of new guys here that need to work on their cohesion.” If there was one thing that someone could notice from the pre-game warm-ups, it was the fact that despite the opening loss on Monday the team looked in great spirits and were clicking. Freshman Guard Zach Murphy said the team’s locker room atmosphere was “unbelievable, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”
A few minutes after the game tipped-off, the Lancers took control. After forcing multiple timeouts from the St. Mary’s head coach, Longwood put their foot down. What was so captivating about the performance on the court was that everyone was getting involved. After noticing a blowout brewing, head coach Griff Aldrich started to rotate the players more and delve deeper into his bench. By the end of the game, 13 of the 16 eligible players stepped on the court. The Lancers would score 95 points but the most any one player had was 13, which was Elijah Tucker who was also named Player of the Game.
From the first minute to the last, the Lancers’ dominance was on display. The game would end 95-43 which cemented the first win in this new era for Longwood men’s Basketball.
Jonathan Massie would grab a double-double, with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jaylen Benard picked up 12 points in 22 minutes on the court, but the very first points ever scored in the Joan Perry Brock Center would go to Jesper Granlund from Helsinki, Finland, who connected on a free throw. Szymon Zapala, a seven-footer from Poland, continues to impress fans and experts alike with his incredible post moves and footwork.
In a game where a team wins 95-43, it would seem a little far-fetched if someone said that the most impressive thing about the game was not the final score. There is serious validity to the perspective that the support from the fans was even more impressive than the emphatic victory. The fans were outstanding. They were loud and supportive, but most importantly, they were backing the team at every juncture. Despite it being a smaller stadium when compared to the rest of the country, it was rocking from tip-off to the final buzzer.
Senior Guard DA Houston was asked about how great it was to open the season in front of such great fans, he responded, “It was an amazing experience…been here a couple years…with a new arena it’s a whole different vibe and it was great to be back with my guys.” Walyn Napper, the starting Point Guard and also a senior, stated that it was so great for him to see everyone contribute to a dominant win.
From the fans, to the players, to hilarious halftime entertainment, the first game at JPB was an overwhelming success. A sold-out crowd watched as Longwood showed everyone watching either in the stadium or at home why they are solid challengers for the Big South title. While anything can happen from now until early March, the Lancers have the pieces to go far and control their own destiny.
