Mike Gillian was named the seventh men’s basketball head coach in the history of Longwood University on May 2, 2003. Coach Gillian, in his fifth year during 2007-08, has built an NCAA Division I program from the ground up during his first four seasons as the school went through its four-year reclassification period from Division II. The Lancers won nine games during 2006-07 (9-22) after a 10-win season during 2005-06 (10-20) while tying for the seventh-best turnaround season in Division I (plus 9.5) that year.
Coach Gillian’s four-year overall record at Longwood entering 2007-08 is 25-94. However, the Lancers are 17-30 at home in Willett Hall, including 14-10 over the past two years; led by an 8-4 record in Farmville during 2005-06. Obviously, a reclassifying independent program is forced to play many games on the road as evidenced by Longwood’s 5-52 record in away or neutral-site contests over the past three seasons.
Longwood will compete this year with 12 scholarship student-athletes after playing with 11 scholarships during each of the previous two seasons (2005-06, 2006-07). The Lancers finished 1-30 during 2004-05, their first year playing a full Division I schedule while competing with nine scholarships. Longwood was 5-22 during 2003-04, the first year under Coach Gillian as well as year one of the transition to Division I while competing with seven scholarships.
“There was a very specific vision for Longwood University articulated to me by Dr. Patricia Cormier four years ago when she offered me the opportunity to be Longwood’s first Division I men’s basketball coach,” said Gillian. “This is a very exciting time to be directing the Longwood Basketball Program. Over the last four years we have made significant strides forward, have begun to experience success at the Division I level, and now the time has come to put the Longwood Basketball stamp on the world of college basketball. Through the attitude, aptitude, and diligence of our coaches and players, we are ready to do just that.”
Prior to his arrival at Longwood, Coach Gillian had been an assistant coach at George Mason University under head coach Jim Larranaga from 1997-2003. He had also worked under Larranaga for one season at Bowling Green State (Ohio) University (1996-97) before moving with him to George Mason. Gillian played a role in the recruitment of several members of the Mason team that shocked the world of college basketball during the 2005-06 season while advancing to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
During Gillian’s six seasons as an assistant coach at Mason, the Patriots went 100-74 overall with a 66-34 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) record, winning two CAA Tournament championships (1999, 2001) and two CAA regular season titles (1999, 2000). He counts George Evans, currently playing overseas, among the many standout players he helped coach at GMU. George Mason also earned two NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2001) and made one National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearance (2002). The Patriots were 57-18 overall at home in the Patriot Center, posting a 41-8 CAA homecourt record.
At Bowling Green, the Falcons finished 22-10 while winning the 1997 Mid-American Conference regular season title (13-5) and earning an NIT appearance. MAC Player of the Year Antonio Daniels, currently a member of the NBA’s Washington Wizards, led that BGSU team.
Prior to joining Larranaga at BGSU, Gillian was an assistant coach at Division II American International (Mass.) from 1989-95. During that six-year stint working for current Indiana Pacers assistant coach Jimmy Powell, the Yellow Jackets went 117-58 overall with a 75-33 Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) record, winning both the NE-10 regular season and tournament championships in 1994 (26-6). American International also advanced to the second-round of the Division II Tournament that year.
Gillian has been a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) since 1989. He was a YES Clinic speaker at the Division I Men’s Final Four from 1998-2000, and again in 2007 in Atlanta, and has extensive public speaking experience through his involvement with numerous booster, local business and civic organizations, and charity events. In addition, since arriving at Longwood, Gillian has appeared on ESPN2’s Cold Pizza, become a weekly in-season guest on Richmond Sports Radio 910’s (formerly) The Mike Maniscalco Show, served as the same station’s NCAA?Tournament Analyst, co-hosted his own in-season Mike Gillian Show on Farmville’s Kickin’ Country 92.9, and has been interviewed by numerous sportswriters, radio personalities, and web-bloggers.
Gillian was a four-year letterwinner as an undergraduate at Division III North Adams State (now the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts), and served as a team captain during his final two years. He received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from North Adams, and earned a master of business administration degree from American International.
A native of Ayer, Massachusetts, Gillian and his wife, Janet, have a daughter, Emma (6).
Be sure to visit Coach Gillian’s Internet website: MikeGillian.com
