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FARMVILLE – In a normal year, late summer is a time when you start to feel a tingle of excitement for the upcoming basketball season. At Longwood, Head Coach Griff Aldrich expects the 2023-24 season to be a lot bigger than a normal year.

 The basketball team will have an elegant new home arena, in the heart of campus. They’ll also go on the road soon, taking an eye-opening overseas trip to get ready for the season.

And on the court, there’s a combo of key veterans who’ve elevated Lancer hoops, along with a group of freshmen and talented transfers, reflecting the sharply higher standards Longwood basketball has set in recent years.

It’s a team that Aldrich says is already showing the chemistry and work ethic he’s made the hallmark of a program built to compete year in and year out for a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.

The new Joan Perry Brock Center will open in mid-August and host its first men’s and women’s basketball games the weekend of November 11. Longwood’s 2023-24 schedule is still being finalized and will be released soon.

But in the meantime, Coach Aldrich took time to talk about the program, the summer, the new faces on the team, the new home court, and the exciting opportunity of a donor-funded trip to Europe that will provide both educational and basketball growth.

This is the first of a two-part segment, which will conclude tomorrow.  

 Q. The players have been hard at work most of the summer getting ready for the season. Coach Aldrich, tell us what you’re trying to achieve during summer practice, and what you’ve seen so far from this group. 

 

A. Our primary focus has been to introduce the Longwood basketball culture to our newcomers. That means how we operate as young men, from being in the classroom to being in the community to how we operate on the court – our work ethic, how hard we play, how hard we practice. The culture piece, reflected in our ‘Longwood Five’ core values, is critical to the successful operation of the program. 

The second thing we really want to develop is the chemistry and connectedness for the guys. That’s something we try to develop by creating spaces for them to spend time together, whether it’s meals together, team activities, encouraging the older guys to have the players over to watch NBA summer league, coming over to my house to the pool, trying to build familiarity with one another and connectedness off the court. 

I’m really pleased with the group from a culture perspective. We’ve focused on the building blocks for achieving excellence – your mindset, your competitiveness, your effort, your focus and your toughness. It’s been going well in large part because of the type of young men that are here. The new guys coming in, I think many of them naturally possess the character traits we’re seeking that fit our culture. Our guys are really eager to grow both as players and as men.

 Q. You’ve got three freshmen and five transfers coming in, filling some big shoes of guys like Isaiah Wilkins and DeShaun Wade, both of whom graduated after helping lift this program to new heights – back-to-back 20-win seasons. Tell us a little more about some of these new faces.

 

 A. Johnathan Massie, a 6’6 guard from McNeese State who goes by Jon-Jon, in so many ways embodies our culture. He plays extremely hard. He’s a big guard, very versatile. Defensively, he can guard from point guard to 4-man, and is a real scoring threat. He can shoot and drive and play in the open court effectively. We’re really excited about him.

In the interior we’ve added two guys. Szymon Zapala Z, a 7’0 center from Utah State; former U18 Polish National Team, is a junior in terms of eligibility and a little bit different than what we’ve had historically at the center position. He’s the most skilled center we’ve ever had, can pass, great feel for the game. He’s a transfer from Utah State, played on an NCAA Tournament team last year, and a really bright student. We believe he can have a significant impact. Same for Elijah Tucker, a 6’9 forward, transfer from Xavier. The more he becomes comfortable with our system, the better he will get. He’s going to be a dynamic player. We expect all three of those guys will have a significant impact.

But I’m also excited about our group of freshmen – Jaylen Benard is a guard from Houston, really skilled and tough. He’s a very competitive young man and a very hard worker. I think this summer’s been terrific for him. As he starts to acclimate to our system, he’s got a chance to have a really outstanding career. I’d say the same exact thing for Emanuel Richards – E-man as he goes by. He looks very similar to Isaiah Wilkins for Lancer fans. As he continues to digest and learn our system, I think he’ll be an exciting player. These two young guys are two of the most competitive and hardest playing players.

Coming up tomorrow: Coach Aldrich concludes this Q & A by talking about the coming overseas trip, why Virginia teams don’t want to play the Lancers and a bit about the Joan Perry Brock Center.