FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood Head Men's Basketball Coach Ronnie Thomas announced the addition of Brett Gilbert to the team's coaching staff today.
 
Gilbert has been a rising star in the coaching ranks and joins the Lancers following five seasons on staff at UNCG, where he helped the Spartans win nearly 100 games.
 
"Brett has spent his entire coaching career learning under one of the most respected coaches in our game, Mike Jones" Thomas said. "He brings valuable Big South experience and has been part of a program that reflects the same standards of toughness, excellence and accountability that we value at Longwood. Brett's commitment to building meaningful connections allows him to positively impact players not only in their development on the court, but, more importantly, in their transformation as men."
 
During his four seasons as an assistant at UNCG, Gilbert helped the Spartans to a 76-54 record overall while going 48-24 in Southern Conference play. This past season, UNCG advanced to the semifinals in the SoCon Tournament as well. Gilbert was instrumental in leading a young Spartans team, which included three freshman in the starting lineup, to the best offensive efficiency rating the conference after February 1.
 
In his time as an assistant, UNCG had a run of back-to-back-to-back 20-win campaigns, and Gilbert helped develop nine All-SoCon winners in that span, including at least one First-Team All-SoCon selection each year.
 
He began at UNCG as the Director of Recruiting and Player Development for the 2021-22 season before quickly being promoted to assistant coach for the 2022-23 campaign.
 
"I want to thank Mike Jones for his mentorship and an incredible eight-year journey filled with so many great memories," said Gilbert. "I am thrilled to join Coach Thomas and his program! Coach Thomas is an incredibly smart and driven leader. He has an infectious positive energy that I am fired up to go to work with every day. I look forward to supporting him and working tirelessly to develop our student-athletes."
 
Gilbert began his coaching journey at Radford under Mike Jones, where he was on staff from 2018-21. After beginning as a graduate assistant, he was promoted to the Director of Player Development for the 2020-21 season. Over his three years on staff, the Highlanders went 58-34 with a 39-13 record in Big South play.
 
He played a vital role in the development of with Carlik Jones, the Big South Player of the Year in 2020, and the Highlanders won back-to-back Big South regular season titles in 2019 and 2020.
 
Gilbert graduated from Lebanon Valley College in 2018 with his bachelor's degree in business administration, and he played basketball for Lebanon Valley for all four years. As a senior, he was a team captain and helped lead the team to a conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
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