Jayson Gee loves a challenge. He’s taken a few different programs from the depths of their conferences and made them into winners, whether at a small school in the heart of West Virginia or a large school in downtown Cleveland. He’ll try to do the same here in Farmville as he takes the reins of a Longwood program still working through the aftermath of the Independent era as the Lancers prepare for their second year in the Big South Conference. Gee was formally announced as the new head coach on Wednesday
He arrived back on campus yesterday after a few days at the Final Four in Atlanta, sporting a ring on his right hand, commemorative of the Vikings’ 2009 Horizon League title.
That 2009 Viking squad upset Wake Forest of the ACC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, beating the No. 12 Demon Deacons 84-69 in Miami. Gee says that experience “was a culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work. The game, and the success, was simply a formality. It was easy to anticipate because of how much hard work we had put into it.
“What it gave me was a blueprint for success and what’s required to create a champion. One of the things that I’m confident in is that through those experiences, there’s been most importantly an understanding of what it takes and how to build something of that caliber – to win a conference championship, and go to and win a game in the NCAA Tournament. I’m looking forward to the opportunity and tremendous challenge here at Longwood to do those same things. I’m just attracted to rebuilding programs, so the challenge to come here and continue to develop the program makes it great timing for me to come after so much of the foundational pieces have been laid.” Director of Athletics Troy Austin said that he was “wowed” by Gee after his first interview with him, and that he was recommended the new coach by Gee’s former Cleveland State and current Georgetown Athletic Director, Lee Reed. “He doesn’t accept the concept of having to be second-rate or a loser, not that we were before, but you can hear that come through in his tone in the way he presents himself,” Austin said.
Gee played a prominent role at CSU, dealing with scheduling, academics, recruiting and more; he helped recruit current Miami Heat point guard Norris Cole.
“Not just my last experience at Cleveland State, but being a head coach at the University of Charleston and the associate head coach at Ohio University, will add to this experience,” said the 47-year-old Gee in his new office, the office that Mike Gillian held for a decade before he and the school parted ways last month. “I’ve made a ton of mistakes, I’ve watched a ton of mistakes, I’ve recovered from some tough losses, I’ve made conference tournament runs as a head coach and an assistant, and so I think all those experiences will provide me with an opportunity to be ready to take this job and take [the program] to a higher level,” he said.
The challenges that the team faces are the risk of players bolting and transferring to other schools, a low level of notoriety in the Division I ranks and a small fan-base, among others. Gee says that “I can start off by recruiting our own players and making sure we have everybody intact for next season. The second thing is, I know we will add two or three pieces to the core group of guys that finished very, very strong last year. Then, once you get the ingredients to your 'cake', so to speak, you begin to develop it and establish your identity and culture. For us, that’ll be playing hard and playing defense.
“One thing I can promise the Longwood nation,” he said, “is you will have a team that plays hard and competes for 40 minutes. I think that equals success.”
When asked what his defensive philosophy is, he says “You’ve got to have a competitive group of players that don’t like being scored upon. That’s difficult to develop because most players want to score and their emphasis is on offense. It’s going to take some time to change the culture and the mindset of the players to think defense-first. Once you control the mind, you’ve got the body. Secondly, you’ve got to create a competitive environment in your daily practices and workouts to where you’re training them [the players] and putting in a reward system when they do well and a consequence system when they don’t – when they don’t meet the standards, when they don’t live up to the effort level that you want.”
With plans for the team’s first off-season workout to be on Thursday, the new coach has said that he plans on making Longwood, among other things, respected and regarded in the Big South. One of the things that attracted him to the school was not only Director of Athletics Troy Austin, but the cozy environment of Farmville.
“Longwood is more of what me and my family are really about. It’s more of a college town; we’re anxious to get involved in the community and become a part of the DNA of the community.
“[The transition] has been a whirlwind. I’ve been home maybe two days in the last two weeks, but it’s one I’m excited about. We’ve gotten a lot of positive press and comments from very distinguished individuals. We’re looking to fulfill those high expectations that most everyone has about me coming here.
Gee was introduced to the community this morning in Willett Hall.
