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For three days in November, Longwood men’s basketball will be the talk of the town. And with prolific sports writer John Feinstein heading to Willett Hall, that conversation may travel well beyond the borders of the commonwealth.

For the first time in the program’s Division I era, the Lancers will host a multi-team event in Willett Hall that will pit Head Coach Griff Aldrich’s fourth-year Longwood team against American, UMBC and Western Carolina on three consecutive game days from Nov. 19-21.

Dubbed the Jerome Kersey Classic in honor of Longwood’s most prominent basketball alumnus and namesake of the Lancers’ home court, the three-day tournament will feature five total games as well as an appearance by Feinstein, who will serve as an analyst during four of the tournament’s ESPN+ broadcasts.

Tipoff times for the first two days of the Jerome Kersey Classic are set for 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., while Sunday’s finale will begin at 4 p.m. Longwood will play on each of those three days, taking on American in the tournament opener Friday at 5 p.m., UMBC on day two at 5 p.m. and Western Carolina in Sunday’s finale.

Fans can gain access to all five games with a three-day Jerome Kersey Classic tournament pass for $20 available now at www.LongwoodTickets. com. Single-day passes are also available for $10 each for Friday and Saturday’s action, and $7 for Sunday’s tournament finale.

In addition to the live action happening on Jerome Kersey Court, Feinstein will be on site as a guest analyst for the ESPN+ broadcasts during Friday and Saturday’s doubleheaders. The author of 44 books including such bestsellers as “A Good Walk Spoiled” and “A Season on the Brink,” Feinstein will join Longwood broadcaster Sam Hovan for those four games, which pit Longwood against American and UMBC against Western Carolina Friday, and Longwood against UMBC and American against Western Carolina Saturday.

Feinstein’s visit to Longwood will be a return trip for the nationally renowned sports and media personality, who last occupied a seat on Willett Hall’s press row during Longwood’s 55-51 win against High Point on Jan. 24, 2019. This year’s trip offers Feinstein another chance to reconnect with Aldrich, with whom he worked with as a broadcaster at UMBC during Aldrich’s tenure as the NCAA darling Retrievers’ director of recruiting and program development from 2016- 18. Feinstein also featured Aldrich in his 2020 book “The Back Roads to March,” which digs into the lesser-known Cinderella stories of the NCAA Tournament.

Feinstein will be one of two longtime sports writers in attendance at the tournament, as the Jerome Kersey Classic will also serve as the venue for a special book signing and promotion event for the recently published biography of Kersey, titled “Jerome Kersey: Overcoming The Odds.” Author Kerry Eggers, who also covered Kersey during his playing days for the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers, will be on hand to sign copies of the book, which was the product of a homegrown effort both on Longwood’s campus and in Portland.

The Jerome Kersey Classic will make up the bulk of a five-game homestand for the Lancers, who began the 2021-22 season Tuesday at Big Ten powerhouse Iowa and will make their Willett Hall debut this Friday, Nov. 12, against Virginia University of Lynchburg (Nov. 12). Another home game follows Sunday against Mid-Atlantic Christian (Nov. 14) before the start of the Jerome Kersey Classic gauntlet of American, UMBC and Western Carolina.

Season tickets for all Longwood basketball home games are on sale now at www.LongwoodTickets.com and can also be purchased on game day at the Century Link Ticket Office in Willett Hall.

JEROME KERSEY

CLASSIC SCHEDULE

Nov. 19-21, 2021

Farmville

(Willett Hall)

Friday, Nov. 19

5 p.m.: Longwood vs. American

7:30 p.m.: Western Carolina vs. UMBC

Saturday, Nov. 20

5 p.m.: Longwood vs. UMBC

7:30 p.m.: American vs. Western Carolina

Sunday, Nov. 21

Longwood vs. Western Carolina