December 29, 2009

COMPLETE GAME NOTES (PDF)

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University will play at Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) member Virginia Tech in men's basketball Wednesday afternoon, December 30, at 2 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum (9,847) in Blacksburg.  The Lancers and Hokies have met just one time previously in Blacksburg with Virginia Tech winning 79-57 last Dec. 14, 2008.  Longwood (3-10) is coached by seventh-year head coach Mike Gillian, and will be led by 6-5, 230-pound redshirt-senior guard/forward Dana Smith who is averaging 16.2 points and 7.0 rebounds.  Virginia Tech (10-1) is coached by seventh-year Hokies head coach Seth Greenberg and is led by one of the nation's premier guards in 6-3 junior Malcolm Delaney (21.5 points).  The game can be heard locally on WVHL Radio, Kickin' Country 92.9 FM, as well as the Internet via TEAMLINE also linked at www.longwoodlancers.com.

Series History
Longwood and Virginia Tech have played just one time previously in the sport of men's basketball.  The Hokies lead the young series 1-0, winning last season in Blacksburg by a score of 79-57 on December 14.  VT was led by Jeff Allen with a game-high double-double 19 points and 21 rebounds.  Dana Smith led the Lancers with 13 points.  Longwood is 0-8 all-time against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schools, having previously played road games at Virginia (0-5), Boston College (0-1), and Wake Forest (0-1).  The Lancers are scheduled to play one additional ACC opponent this season, next month at Maryland (1.19.10).

A Look At Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech is coached by seventh-year Hokies head coach Seth Greenberg.  The Hokies have a record of 10-1 after their seventh-straight win on December 22 past visiting UMBC 71-34.  VT is led by explosive junior guard Malcolm Delaney (21.5 points, 3.8 assists).  Others expected in the lineup are juniors Jeff Allen (11.6 points, 8.1 rebounds), Terrell Bell (5.4 points, 5.1 rebounds), and Dorenzo Hudson (9.7 points), along with sophomore Victor Davila (7.6 points, 5.2 rebounds).  The Hokies average 70.5 points while yielding just 57.7 points.

A Look At Longwood
Longwood is 3-10 after its 89-78 home loss to Patriot League opponent Lehigh University on Monday (12.28).  The Lancers are led by redshirt-senior Dana Smith who has averaged 16.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists this year, and sophomore Antwan Carter who is averaging 15.6 points and 7.3 rebounds off the bench.  Also in the lineup are seniors #E.J. Dawson# (3.7 points, 3.5 assists), Billy Robinson Jr. (7.8 points, 5.7 rebounds), and Kevin Swecker (8.5 points, 23 3FG), along with sophomore Martiz Washington (7.0 points, 23 3FG).  LU averages 70.8 points but has allowed an average of 77.6 points.

Head Coach Mike Gillian
Mike Gillian (North Adams State '86) was named the seventh head coach for men's basketball at Longwood on May 2, 2003.  Prior to his arrival, he had been an assistant coach for Jim Larranaga at George Mason for six years (1997-2003) after a year with Coach Larranaga at Bowling Green State (1996-97).  A native of Ayer, Massachusetts, Coach Gillian is 54-140 at Longwood, including last year's 17-14 record while earning 2009 Independent Coach of the Year honors from CollegeInsider.com.  He had back-to-back 9-22 seasons the previous two years (2007-08, 2006-07), those efforts following a record of 10-20 during 2005-06 that tied for Division I's seventh-best turnaround season that year.  The Lancers were 1-30 during 2004-05, their first year playing against a full Division I schedule.

Against the Commonwealth
Longwood has played 12 of the other 13 Division I schools located within the Commonwealth of Virginia since 2004-05.  They include Hampton (1-1), James Madison (2-2), Liberty (3-3), Norfolk State (2-1), Old Dominion (0-2), Radford (0-1), Richmond (0-3), Virginia (0-5), Virginia Tech (0-1), VCU (0-3), VMI (0-2), along with William and Mary (0-3).  The Lancers are 27-45 all-time against these schools, including 8-27 since 2004-05.  This year's schedule includes games against Hampton, James Madison, Old Dominion, Richmond, Virginia, Virginia Tech, along with William and Mary. The only other Virginia school that has not been on the regular season schedule is George Mason, however, Longwood has scrimmaged against the Patriots on two occasions, including just prior to the start of 2005-06 when George Mason made its remarkable run to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

The Unkind Road
Longwood has traveled to 27 different states and Washington, D.C. while playing 99 games away from Farmville during the last five-plus years of Division I scheduling, including 83 true road games (7-76).  The Lancers' favorite state to visit since 2004-05 is North Carolina for nine games against the likes of Appalachian State (1), Campbell, (2), High Point (3), North Carolina A&T (1), North Carolina Central (1), and Wake Forest (1).  The 16 neutral-site games (4-12) have been played in eight different cities, including Atlantic City (0-1), Charleston, S.C. (1-0), Chicago (0-2), Las Vegas (3-3), Lincoln, Neb. (0-2), New York City (0-1), San Francisco (0-1), and South Padre Island, Texas (0-2).

Road Warriors Again
Longwood is scheduled to play 19 games away from home this season, including the two neutral-site contests in Texas during the South Padre Island Invitational, though such numbers are not new to the program.  The Lancers will visit nine different states during 2009-10, including California, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Texas, though adding just one new state (South Dakota) to their list started in 2004-05 with Division I scheduling.  In addition to playing at Virginia Tech this year, Longwood's schedule on the road at in-state schools include Hampton (3.1.10), James Madison (2.22.10), Old Dominion (11.17), Richmond (11.24), Virginia (11.13), along with William and Mary (12.2).

For more game notes and statistical information, please download the PDF linked above ...