FARMVILLE, Va. -- The Longwood men's basketball team is just three weeks away from the 2016-17 preseason opener on Nov. 5, when they will debut their lineup in an exhibition matchup against neighboring Division III Hampden-Sydney in Willett Hall.

Fourth-year head coach Jayson Gee took time out of Longwood's preseason practice schedule to speak with LongwoodLancers.com about Longwood's outlook for 2016-17 and the wealth of new talent he and his coaching staff has brought in. 



Along with returning starters Darrion Allen and Khris Lane and three-year team captain Damarion Geter, the Lancers welcome a host of new faces this season. Bolstered by nine newcomers, Longwood will enter the season with one of its deepest and most talented rosters in the Division I era. Allen is the team's leading returning scorer after averaging 10.4 points per game and shooting a Big South-leading .462 (54-of-117) from three-point range during a breakout junior season. Lane, meanwhile, comes back as Longwood's top rebounder and most dynamic frontcourt threat after averaging 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in his first season as a Lancer. The 6-7, 235-pound Geter will be a welcome addition to the rotation as well after sitting out the 2015-16 season with a shoulder injury.

Along with those three, the Lancers bring in the biggest player in the Big South in 6-10, 245-pound center Obi Romeo, a junior transfer from Saint Joseph's. He steps onto the court alongside fellow transfers Kendrick Thompson, who starred the past two seasons at Daytona State, and Isaiah Walton, a reshirt sophomore guard from UC Davis who averaged 10.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists for Iowa Western last season in one of the toughest junior college conferences in the nation.

Also anchoring the Lancers will be returning redshirt sophomore point guard Bryan Gee, who appeared in all 33 games as a freshman last season, and sophomore forward Chris Shields, a 6-8, 210-pound sharpshooter who averaged 6.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 14 games in his first season in Farmville. Senior guard Isaac Belton, a 70-game veteran, will provide depth in the backcourt while also stepping in as a team captain alongside Allen, Geter and Lane.

Freshmen Juan Munoz and JaShaun Smith, who both hail from North Carolina's basketball-rich Triangle area, highlight the freshman class and are primed to make an immediate impact. Munoz was the No. 6 point guard in North Carolina in ESPN's 2016 senior class rankings, while Smith was an athletic standout for state champion Garner as a junior before making his debut to the world as the No. 1 play on ESPN SportsCenter on Dec. 14, 2015.

After the preseason exhibition against Hampden-Sydney, the Lancers officially open the 2016-17 season on Nov. 13 against Maine in Willett Hall. 

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