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Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Finally healthy, Lancers hope to contend despite critics

Men's basketball head coach Jayson Gee

Following a season troubled with injuries and a disappointing 6-24 overall record, the new-look Longwood men’s basketball team looks to rebound in the 2017-18 season.

The season tips off with a three-game home stand in Farmville, starting on Nov. 11 with a match up against Stephen F. Austin University. Last year, the Lancers nearly pulled off an upset over the Lumberjacks.

The Lancers will then play host to Columbia and Saint Francis before traveling to the UNCG tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

Further down the road in non-conference play, they face a tough four-game stretch in December, including games against Cornell, Grand Canyon and basketball powerhouses Illinois and Arizona State.

Big South conference play begins on Dec. 30 with a trip to Charleston Southern, who eliminated the Lancers in the first round of the Big South conference tournament in March.

Men’s basketball head coach Jayson Gee is no stranger to marquee games such as the ones Longwood will encounter this season. Although Gee focuses on one game at a time, he is looking forward to the high-pressure match-ups on their schedule, saying its great for the team to play on such a big stage.

“What a great opportunity for your young men to demonstrate who they are and what they’re all about against a very high level of competition,” said Gee. “These are games that our guys really dream to play in. So we’re certainly excited about that challenge.”

He continued, “But make no mistake about it, our focus is just on Stephen F. Austin.”

Entering his 28th season coaching, and fifth year as Longwood head coach, Gee considered this years' basketball team as one like no other, praising them for their "family-like" attributes.

“I’m excited about the caliber of character on our team and the unity that we have, and the fact that we really just want to play for each other,” said Gee. “And I think a lot of teams just want to play with each other and our team is committed to play for each other.”

Among the 17-man roster, eight of the players are new, including freshman guard Kamil Chapman, redshirt senior guard Charles Glover, junior forward Spencer Franklin, freshman forward Jordan Cintron and junior forward Boaz Williams. The Lancers rounded out their signing class on Tuesday with the addition of three new forwards: Keoni Wallington, Pernell Adgei and Drew Romich.

Gee said some returning players who couldn't compete last season will see their Lancer debut this season. Redshirt sophomore forward Jahleem Montague and redshirt freshman guard Juan Munoz both suffered ACL injuries, and redshirt senior B.K. Ashe sat out all last season due to NCAA transfer rules.

As a team plagued with injuries all last season, the main concern going into the 2017-18 season is making sure the team is at full health before the start of the season. Gee said that players with injuries last season spent a great amount of time in rehab to ensure they were fully recovered.

Of the 14 players on the roster last season, only six were available by the end of the season.

Redshirt junior guard Isaiah Walton played a major role in the Lancers offense last season, finishing with 13.9 points per game, ranking top ten in the Big South with 3.2 assists per game and averaging a steady .473 field goal percentage for the year; all while he played point guard, a position he never played before, said Gee.

Poised for another breakout year, Walton is the head coach's player to watch.

“He really focused on a lot of things that he doesn’t do well, and we’ve done a better job, I believe, in putting him in a better position to be successful. I believe you’re going to see another level player,” said Gee.

Walton said he believed he has can be a vital piece to the Lancers once again this season, providing a unique play style to Gee’s offense.

“I’m going to bring that competitive nature, scoring and play-making,” said Walton. “I feel like I can bring a little bit of everything. Just whatever my coach needs me to do that night.”

Although preseason polls haven't been released, Walton, entering his second season as a Lancer, said the team is aware of their critics and hopes to prove them wrong.

“As a team, we definitely have a chip on our shoulder. We know that a lot of people have been counting us out,” said Walton. “They don’t think much of us, and we can all tell. So, we feel like we got a lot to prove.”

If the Lancers want to rebound from a 6-24 record, they must make sure everyone is back to full health and ready for the season. Gee said he believed they certainly have the assets to be a serious contender when the final stretch of the season rolls around.

"I think right now we just got to focus on getting better and seeing where we're ultimately going to be at," Gee said. "Come January, I think we're going to be a force to be reckoned with."

To view the entire 2017-18 men's basketball schedule, click here.

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