FARMVILLE, Va. – Find a good basketball team, and you almost always see a good point guard at the heart of it.
For Longwood men's basketball, the same story has held true, especially under
Griff Aldrich. A system heavily reliant on transition and ball screens requires a point guard who is in command of the game and is connected with his teammates.
This year is no different. Perhaps the only difference is that the pair of players running the show are in year one. Sophomore
Colby Garland and senior
Kyrell Luc handled a steep learning curve to continue the tradition of excellent point guard play for Longwood.
"I've been really pleased with these two," Aldrich said about Luc's and Garland's adjustment. "When you look at our teams over the years, some of our good point guards—Justin Hill, Juan Munoz,
Walyn Napper, Shabooty Phillips—in every case, their second year, they were more comfortable and probably more efficient and more productive the more time they were in the system."
This year, the production has been impressive almost from day one. They've powered a Longwood offense that has scored at least 80 points nine times this season and, at 78.5 points per game, has the highest scoring average in Aldrich's seven seasons.
In Big South play, both players are scoring in double figures while also ranking in the top 10 in the Big South in assists.
"What Colby and Ky are doing is really impressive to me," Aldrich said. "I've told Colby and Ky that they are picking things up as fast, if not faster, than any point guard we've had. That's showing in their production, and I think it is showing in some of the other guys' production. They're helping to get them shots, and they're helping to create advantages through their understanding."
But how they create advantages? Completely different. Luc is a jet. He possesses an elite quickness that opens up the court and, at times, makes everyone else seem like they are standing still.
"My strength is getting downhill, getting my teammates involved," said Luc. "Also, a role I've kind of leaned into is leading and uplifting my teammates and leading by example ... You're the second hand of the coach. So you have keep your composure and understand your teammates, learning how to talk to them in each tone. Tone is very important as a point guard."
In four Big South games, Luc leads the team in scoring average. The fifth-year senior transfer has attempted 32 free throws in four Big South games, and he has scored in double figures in three straight.
"I have to uplift my teammates," Luc said. "That's a big thing. You can't get down as a point guard. They watch you and learn from you. So leading by example by your body tone and your energy, enthusiasm into the game, stuff like that. I had a lot of older guards or captains on my team that did that for me. This year is just about being more vocal and using my voice."
Earlier this year, Luc earned a spot on the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team amid a competitive field that included tournament-champion Liberty, NCAA Tournament teams and conference champs McNeese and UAB, and Power Four foe Kansas State.
Garland, meanwhile, is more of an old-school point guard and a master of his own tempo and pace, which is fitting for a player that lists Chris Paul as an inspiration.
"Most people my age don't look at him, but I look at him because I'm a smaller guard," Garland said. "I look at the way he carries himself and how people respect his game, how he is able to be the driving captain of the boat on the court.
Garland leads the team with 89 assists, a mark that leads the Big South and ranks 36th in the nation, but he has been even better in the last eight games, where he is averaging 6.1 assists per game to go with 13.9 points per game.
"The strength of my game is my passing ability," said Garland. "So being able to get into the paint, forcing the defense to collapse and just spraying out to our shooters, letting them get their feet set and shooting open shots."
The best part? Conference play has just begun.
"We talk about transformation at the core of our program," Aldrich said. "A lot of times, we focus on transformation of the individual during their time with us, but there's also the transformation of a team and the various parts within a team and the collective in general. For Ky, there are certain parts of his game that he's really trying to improve on, but he's just starting to understand that. My guess is that a month from now, he's going to be a lot better at it than he is today. I'd say the same thing for Colby. The more they continue to push, the more they're going to influence and positively impact the team, and that'll be fun to watch."
Longwood takes on High Point on ESPNU on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Joan Perry Brock Center. It is Healthcare Worker Appreciation Night and Greek Night, with the game sponsor Walk2Campus. Tickets are available, but going fast, at
www.longwoodlancers.com/tickets.
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