The news began spreading throughout Twitter and Facebook on Jan. 19, and before too long, the press conference was almost a mere formality.
The head coaches of the athletic teams of Longwood University finally had the good news that they had been waiting for since 2007 — Longwood was going to be a member of a conference sooner rather than later, and that conference was the Big South, no less. It was a release for everyone in the Longwood community, and the coaches were among those who felt the greatest relief.
According to ninth-year men's basketball head coach Mike Gillian, the ability to recruit for top-notch student athletes is enhanced. "It has happened to us more than one time that we are in the running for a great recruit, and when it gets to be decision time for him, he is told by somebody, be it a coach, parent, teammate, grandparent or anybody like that, that Longwood is a bad choice because of no conference affiliation. Well, they can't say that anymore. It's really going to help us out a lot."
Eighteenth-year women's soccer head coach Todd Dyer also acknowledged the leg up that Longwood finally has when it comes to recruiting, saying, "It's a big bonus for us. We've had some recruiting issues in the past, and now that piece has come around. Having that disadvantage was a reality for our program."
Dyer also said that his team's scheduling is going to be impacted somewhat now that the Lancers have conference affiliation. According to Dyer, the last six weeks of regular season play would be dedicated to league action, and that the October games that were scheduled for 2012 prior to the Big South announcement would have to be moved. He mentioned they were "[wiping] the slate clean" when it came to their 2012 schedule.
Gillian also remarked on preparation for the season being altered slightly with the introduction of 11 new opponents, saying that "while we're still going to be lifting the same way and doing drills the same way, it is going to affect how we prepare in terms of our opponents and season schedule, because now we have conference tournaments that we can play in and that's very important."
Dyer said the conference affiliation won't affect the team's schedule too significantly until late fall 2012. "Conference affiliation is going to help our girls get motivated — that's not to say that they aren't already, but now we have a lot more to play for," he said. "In the past, we've only been playing for pride and wins in October. Now, we have to keep our team motivated because there are conference and, hopefully, NCAA tournaments for us to be a part of."
