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Longwood Coach Ronnie Thomas hates to lose. This isn’t in some casual way, like when it comes to a video or board game. He genuinely hates finishing second or further behind in any activity. 

“I’m the ultimate competitor,” Thomas said. “Some people will say that’s a great gift. My wife would say that it sucks, because when we’re on vacation and start playing pool volleyball, she’s like I don’t want to play with him. I wish I could just sit back and enjoy things, but it just means too much to me. I hate to lose and I will do what it takes to win.” 

A Roanoke native, Ronnie Thomas joined the Longwood men’s basketball team in 2020 as the director of recruiting and player development and was promoted to assistant coach the next year. He previously served as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Guilford College, where he helped guide the team to the Elite Eight in one of their two Division III NCAA Tournament appearances. He took over the Longwood team earlier this month, when former Longwood coach Griff Aldridge accepted a position at the University of Virginia. But just because there’s a new face driving the car, don’t expect much else to change. 

Thomas outlined two things he wants to make sure people understand. The system at Longwood isn’t broken. He’s not taking over on a rebuild job. He equates it to being given the keys to the family sportscar by your dad. The car still runs perfect. Now it’s Thomas’ turn to be at the wheel. 

Looking back and ahead

Coach Ronnie Thomas wants to make sure people understand that he and former coach Aldrich have the same mindset, the same style of play. They also have the same mentality, when it comes to Longwood men’s basketball. 

“This is a championship program, those expectations are still here,” Thomas said. “The system works. We’ve seen that, we’ve lived that. We know what’s easy and what’s hard, what works and what doesn’t here. Our job is to continue to get the right guys in the mix, guys who are about the right things, the ultimate competitors. Players who have a sense of toughness and really want to impose our will on other teams.” 

He also acknowledges that there are challenges for schools like Longwood in this era of NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deals, periods where a player could in theory compete for four different schools over four years. Some players from this year’s Longwood team have already entered the transfer portal, including sophomore guard Colby Garland and junior forward Elijah Tucker. 

“I think the best thing we can do is understand they have this choice, they have this ability and then make sure they have really good people in the game to give them the best advice,” Thomas said. “It’s never about having them year after year. It’s about transforming them and having the biggest impact on them as student athletes. So we’re going to take it year by year. We have them guaranteed for 10 months and we’re going to try and have the biggest impact on their lives during that time, to also work on their skills and transform their game. And if we can get them for two years, we’re going to do the same thing.” 

He also points to Big South basketball over the last few years as evidence that not everyone hops into the portal after a one-and-done. The last two Big South Player of the Year winners have stayed at their respective schools, Thomas said. 

“There are highlights where there is loyalty, where players do stay. So we’re going to represent Longwood University, we’re going to build the team through the players who are here.” 

Ronnie Thomas defines the conference 

Thomas looks back over what’s been accomplished over the last few years, including the program’s two trips to the NCAA Tournament. That’s not where he wants to build back to, that’s where he wants to build on. 

“Our next step is consistency,” Thomas said. “Our aim, our goal is to (win the conference) year in and year out. When people think of the Big South, I want them to think of Longwood University. The vision for this program is to make it a perennial power.” 

As Coach Thomas said, he hates to lose. But while some might let that become a frustration, he turns it into a driver, a challenge to overcome and get better. That’s what he wants to do here. 

“It’s really like Griff took us from Point A to Point B, now we’re just switching drivers and I’m taking us from Point B to Point C,” Thomas said. “This is a championship program. Everything that was in place is in place. A team is going to take on the mind of the head coach. We wanna be great? We have to want to win.”