February 2009
Well, time sure has flown by, or at least it seems that way to me. I can’t believe it was that long ago that I was finishing my men’s basketball trip journal. However, as was recently noted by junior Amy Betterton, my last post was “more than two months ago.” I got caught up in the Holiday season and all of the great action on the hardwood for Longwood Basketball and neglected to keep everyone informed.
To recap, December and January were packed with a lot of highlights for Longwood hoops. December began with two big home wins for the men’s and women’s programs over in-state opponents. Lancer fans packed Willett Hall on consecutive nights to watch the men knock off James Madison (79-76, Dec. 3) and the women defeat George Mason (52-42, Dec. 4). Both programs opened the New Year with impressive victories as well.
The women won a hard-fought game over NJIT (84-80, Jan. 4), highlighted by the 33-point, 11-rebound double-double effort of junior Becky Fernandes. It was truly an incredible individual performance to witness. The night prior, the men recorded the biggest victory in the program’s short Division I history, defeating George Washington 80-78 (Click on for Coach Gillian interview). As the month closed, the men started their now six-game winning streak versus Savannah State (86-76, Jan. 17).
All in all, there was a lot of quality basketball action to watch and I am looking forward to the conclusions of both seasons.
Off the court, we have been working all avenues in exploration of a conference. I have visited with Athletic Directors from various institutions to lobby on behalf of Longwood. Likewise, President Cormier has been on the phone and on the road presenting our story in hopes of conference movement. There have not been any official moves made in favor of our cause, but we have seen tangible signs that more institutions recognize Longwood as a possible option. The question now is how long before we land a permanent position.
