Jake Luhn is in his fourth year at Longwood University after joining the program in May, 2013. Luhn was elevated to associate head coach on Jayson Gee’s coaching staff in April, 2015 after serving as Longwood’s top assistant coach in his first two seasons.
Luhn is involved in every aspect of the Lancer program, including recruiting, scouting, player development, scheduling, community relations, fundraising, alumni outreach and academic monitoring. He was Gee’s first coaching hire at Longwood, joining the program in June, 2013 fewer than two months after Gee was named head coach.
As Longwood’s primary personnel coach of the wings, Luhn has developed some of the program’s top players over the past two years. Among that group is Shaquille Johnson, who averaged 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game and was named to the Big South All-Tournament Team twice, after leading the Lancers to the conference semifinal in 2015 and quarterfinal in 2016. Also among that group was sharpshooter Ryan Badowski, who averaged 7.3 points per game as a freshman in 2014-15 while shooting .384 (61-of-159) from three-point range and hitting the second-most treys on the team. Luhn also developed former Lancer swingman Tristan Carey, who was named All-Big South honorable mention in 2013-14 after averaging 18.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
An impact recruiter, Luhn has brought in some of the top players in the history of the program in his short time in Farmville. Among those are All-Big South first team center Lotanna Nwogbo, All-Big South second team point guard Quincy Taylor, 2015-16 starting point guard Tra’Vaughn White, sharpshooting guard Kanayo Obi-Rapu and Johnson, who went on to represent Longwood at the 2016 State Farm College Slam Dunk Championship on ESPN.
Luhn played a prominent role in leading the Lancers to a groundbreaking 2015-16 campaign in which they achieved their highest finish since joining the Big South. Longwood recorded five wins against conference rivals, including two dramatic comebacks late in the season to push Longwood to a program-best No. 8 seed in the Big South Championship.
Luhn was instrumental to Longwood’s success in 2014-15 as well, helping the Lancers win 11 games overall and five in conference play for the most in both categories since Longwood joined the Big South in 2012-13. That regular season success set the stage for an historic postseason run in which the Lancers won three of their final four games en route to reaching the Big South semifinals following a defeat of No. 1 seed Charleston Southern.
Luhn previously worked with Gee at St. Bonaventure, serving as the program’s assistant coach and director of basketball operations for parts of a four-year stint with the Bonnies. He handled basketball operations from 2003-06 before being promoted to assistant coach in 2006-07.
At St. Bonaventure, Luhn assisted in all recruiting efforts, helped develop perimeter players, scouted opponents and prepared gameplans, managed the team budget, helped oversee academic progress of student-athletes and oversaw the Bonnies’ Sixth Man Club. He directed the school’s summer camps as well, which enjoyed record attendance during each of the years he was involved.
After four years at St. Bonaventure, Luhn put his ascent through the college coaching ranks on hold after the sudden passing of his father, John Luhn. He left St. Bonaventure to return home in Melbourne, Fla., and run the family business as CEO of LifeStyle Homes Builders, Inc. He also served as assistant coach at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy during that time before Gee brought him back to the college level at Longwood in 2013.
Luhn was a three-year lettermen and two-year team captain at the University of Massachusetts Boston (1999-2002) following a year at New England College (1998-99). He was a two-time UMASS Boston Student-Athlete of the Year as a junior and senior and served as a graduate assistant coach at the school during 2002-03.
The Melbourne, Fla., native earned his bachelor of science degree in exercise science and physical education from UMASS Boston in 2002, graduating cum laude, and his master’s of business administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2004.
Jake and his wife, Jodi, have two sons, JJ and John, and a daughter, Julia.
