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Thursday, July 3, 2025

MBB: Lancers currently down five players

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Leron Fisher

Longwood men’s basketball continues to run a small, seven-man rotation. Gee noted the effect of tiredness on his team after their most recent 88-74 loss against UNC-Asheville on this past Saturday, Jan. 30.

"I thought our guys in the last six minutes of the game were just completely gassed," Gee said in a press release on the Longwood athletics official website after the game. "We were just unable to defend the way we needed to defend to win this game."

Due to injury, Longwood has missed senior forward Shaquille Johnson for the past three games after hurting his ankle towards the end of their 55-53 loss at Liberty on Jan. 19. The team has also gone the whole season without redshirt sophomore forward Damarion Geter after his shoulder surgery.

Aside from the injured Johnson and Geter, senior guard Leron Fisher, freshman forward Chris Shields and sophomore center Victor Dorsey have been missing in action.

Neither Fisher nor Shields have played since their home game against UNC-Asheville on Jan. 31, while Dorsey has not stepped on the court since the team’s exhibition against Hampden-Sydney before the season officially began.

Fisher and Shields sit on the bench with the team, without participating in warmups. Dorsey was not seen with the team at the last home game on Jan. 27 against Radford.

When asked why none of them were playing after the 90-81 loss in Willett Hall, men’s basketball head coach Jayson Gee said, “We have made a coach’s decision on a couple of them and one of them is redshirting.”

“Victor Dorsey is redshirting for developmental reasons,” stated assistant vice president of athletics communications Chris Cook, clarifying Gee’s statement in an email on Feb. 1. The official Longwood athletics website doesn’t list Dorsey as a redshirted player.

Before the Jan. 31 game, Fisher averaged 28.1 minutes per game and had started eight of 11; Shields had yet to start but earned considerable minutes, averaging 21 per game.

Before Johnson’s return to the team and senior guard Tra’Vaughn White’s recovery from a broken hand, Fisher was one of the lead scorers on the team after serving his four-game suspension for early in the season. The four-game suspension was “team-issued” after “a violation of team rules,” according to Cook in the Nov. 6 press release. In 11 games this year, Fisher has had two 18-point games and averaged just under 10 points per game.

Shields averaged 6.6 points after earning minutes in 11 games. The two players combined make up approximately 16 of Longwood’s points and in the six losses since the decision not to play them was made, the point deficit averages to a 7.3 point gap between the Lancers and their opponents. None of the six teams won by over 14.

In the eight games since the Lancers have been down by at least four people, redshirt senior center Lotanna Nwogbo has averaged 31.1 minutes per game, and White takes it a step further, averaging 33.1 minutes. Both have had at least one 39 minute game since Jan. 31 – White has played two.

There was not a time limit provided on the coach’s decision not to play Fisher or Shields, so they could put on their jersey and step onto the floor at any point. Possibly, at their next home game against Campbell University on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

Until then, the Lancer’s smaller rotation stands at least until Johnson heals and adds another competing body to the cause. Johnson was able to practice on Feb. 1, “a positive sign” two days before the Campbell game, according to Cook.

Cook said Johnson’s current playing condition is a “game-time decision.”

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