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FARMVILLE – It’s hard to miss the Longwood Performance Center when you step on campus. The fully donor-funded property is one of the largest basketball-specific training facilities in the country. It’s also hard to miss the impact it’s had on the Lancers, part of the plan to build a successful program long-term.

The opening of the Basketball Performance Center represents another key milestone for Longwood Basketball in its climb to produce nationally relevant mid-major programs. The center provides the programs with a key facility to significantly upgrade the development program offered to student-athletes, but also serves as a major recruiting tool to attract high-quality recruits with an elite training facility that few other mid-major programs possess.

Inside, it has 4,500 square feet of training space and is used exclusively by the men’s and women’s basketball programs. It boasts state-of-the-art equipment and cutting-edge technology to enhance student-athlete performance.

“The Basketball Performance Center is a big and meaningful step forward for our programs,” said Longwood Athletics Director Tim Hall. “The ability to build on success and keep that momentum going forward is so important, and it is exciting to see it happening here. Top-notch facilities are a big part of that. Between the Basketball Performance Center and the arrival next year of the Joan Perry Brock Center, the future continues to grow brighter for Longwood Basketball.”

Griff Aldrich echoes Hall’s comments. Aldrich works as the head coach for the Longwood men’s basketball team.

“The opening of the Basketball Performance Center is a major step forward,” said Aldrich. “This will provide us with a critical tool to help our players develop more effectively. I am excited about this new facility and upgrade to our sports performance offerings and am confident it will yield outstanding returns for our student-athletes and programs.”

A look at the future

Longwood will soon boast some of the nicest basketball facilities in the country. In addition to the Longwood Performance Center, the Joan Perry Brock Center is set to open in the summer of 2023. The 3,000-seat arena will quickly become a premium venue in which to watch mid-major basketball nationally. Once JPB is complete, Willett Hall, the current home court of the Lancers, will become the teams’ practice facility. Each of these new facilities will serve to provide Longwood athletes with some of the finest basketball facilities for mid-major programs nationally.

“Playing and executing at a high level is important to our success,” said Longwood women’s basketball head coach Erika Lang-Montgomery. “The addition of the Basketball Performance Center will not only aid in our efforts to recruit quality student-athletes, but will provide them with a phenomenal training space. We appreciate the investment from our donors and University to make this possible.”

The Longwood Performance Center was made possible by a recently formed group of major donors — the Built To Win Partners. This group currently has more than $2.5 million committed to the men’s basketball program over the next five years. The Basketball Performance Center is the first initiative the group funded in support of a program that has energized both the University and the surrounding community.

“Strengthening our Sports Performance Department facilities and program was a key goal for this offseason,” Aldrich said. “I am so grateful for the support from our donors and supporters who have made this privately-funded facility a reality. The benefits to our student-athletes will be significant and I am excited to see them flourish in this new environment.”

Both Longwood basketball programs begin their seasons on Nov. 7, with the men opening on the road at the University of Alabama while the women host the University of Delaware at Willett Hall. Information on season tickets will be available soon.