Archives For Longwood Recruits

Lancers Interested in Izais Hicks

September 15, 2012 — 1 Comment

Head Coach Mike Gillian seems to still be establishing a pipeline from the New York City area to Farmville. The Lancers signed guard Lucas Woodhouse and forward Kirk Staine from Long Island a year ago and now their is news the Lancers are interested in a player from Staten Island. The Lancers have expressed interest in 6’8 forward Izais Hicks from Saint Peters Boys High School.

Hicks stands 6’8 but he only weighs 185 lbs.  The two strong points of his game are said to be his shooting and rebounding, but needs to get stronger overall.

Hicks plays his AAU ball for the Staten Island Stingrays.

You can follow Lancers recruiting throughout the year HERE.
photo via: NYChoops

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Lancers Express Interest in Daylin Davis

August 1, 2012 — Leave a comment

According to Rivals/Yahoo Longwood has expressed interest in 2013 recruit Daylin Davis. Davis plays for North Point High School (Waldorf, MD) who went 23-3 this past season. At first glance his stats are modest at 4 points , 1.3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 rebounds per game; but Davis is rated as a two star recruit. The rising senior stands 6’4, 180 lbs and plays his AAU ball for Nike Team Takeover. Rider is the only other school known publicly that has expressed interest in Davis.

Longwood is in an interesting situation in terms of scholarship availability in 2013. As of right now there is only one senior graduating, Stephen Shockley, who is not a scholarship player. With Anthony Banks no longer coming to Longwood there are currently two available scholarships for the team this year. Coach Gillian can either hold one or both of those for next year or use one or both this year on a late addition to replace Banks.

Join the 2013 Recruiting Discussion HERE
Photo via: Southern Maryland News

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A Look at 2012-13: The Backcourt

June 5, 2012 — Leave a comment

Today we turn our heads to the 2012-13 season and what we can expect for the Lancers. Certainly Longwood fans have a lot to be excited about in joining the Big South and the addition of six quality players to Mike Gillian’s lineup. There is a chance that one more player could be added for next season, but the class is pretty much rounded out. Given the additions and the players set to return for the Lancers, I’d expect a lot of smaller lineups and three guard sets.  These sets certainly aren’t foreign to Mike Gillian who started last season with Jeremiah Bowman, Martez Washington, and Tristan Carey.

Returning Lancers

Tristan Carey, 6’4, Junior: TT will return for his junior year as the primary scoring option for Mike Gillian’s offense. In his first year as a Lancer the LaSalle transfer averaged 13 points and lead the team in assists. Obviously with the rash of injuries and the loss of Durann Neil and Bowman for other reasons, TT was thrown into some roles that were not ideal for him. This year should be different as primary ball-handling duties will likely be turned over to the incoming freshman and TT can flourish on the wing. TT has the best chance to be an all-Big South performer than anyone else on our roster, don’t be surprised to see him listed as a 1st or 2nd teamer at Big South media day this fall.

David Robinson, 6’4, Junior: Robinson has the opportunity to grab some valuable starting minutes last year but was derailed by injury. He did however end up being the Lancers primary scoring option off the bench, averaging over seven point per game last year. The biggest question with Robinson is, will he start? He certainly has the skillset to do so, and fans should be excited about what he brings to the table. But with the way next year’s lineup may pan out the best option for Robinson may be being the sixth man once again and bringing a spark off the bench. Some guys just seem better suited for coming off the bench (think Manu Ginobli) and Robinson is one of those guys in my opinion.

Anthony Taylor, 6’2, R-Sophomore: With injuries and departures piling up last year Taylor was forced to receive a baptism by fire. He even started seven games for the Lancers late in the season. Taylor ended up averaging just over three points per game and showed some flashes of developing into a decent role player at the latter end of Gillian’s bench. His primary downfall was taking care of the basketball, he had 43 turnovers to just 23 assists. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of role Taylor has in 2012-13 given the influx of freshman talent.

Stephen Shockley, 6’0, Senior: Shockley will find himself as the lone Senior next year for the squad. He appeared in 20 games last year, averaging about six minutes. Obviously Shockley isn’t the most talented player on the Lancers bench, but what he lacks in talent he makes up for in hustle. He will once again be able to give the Lancers some high intensity minutes off the bench, in a pinch next year.

New Additions

Nik Brown, 6’2, Freshman: Brown comes to Farmville via the Middleburg Academy and was ranked as one of the top twenty-five players in the state. The primary advantage that Brown will have is the fact he’s been with the team and practicing since December. Brown is very much a combo guard who can score and distribute the basketball. Brown is also supposed to be a solid defensive player who can guard multiple positions. I would be surprised not to see Brown in the starting lineup come November, the only question is will he be the primary ball-handler?

Lucas Woodhouse, 6’0, Freshman: The Lancers introduced Elwood recently but will be introducing LWood this fall.  Out of all the recruits coming to Longwood this season Woodhouse is the one that I’m most excited about. He’s not the biggest guard, standing 6’0, 155 lbs but he knows how to win and lead Harborfield (NY) High School to several championships over the past two years. Woodhouse has an extremely high basketball IQ and has averaged a double-double for the past two years. Woodhouse can certainly be the primary offensive facilitator for the Lancers, but the question is will he be right away? Could a three guard set featuring Woodhouse, Brown, and Carey be Mike Gillian’s best option in November?

 

Photo via Newsday

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Gillian Adds Karl Ziegler to 2012 Class

March 20, 2012 — Leave a comment

Longwood head coach Mike Gillian has added a fifth member to his 2012 recruiting class in 6’6, 215 lbs forward Karl Ziegler from Fishburne Military Academy. As ESPN’s Dave Telep announced:

Karl Ziegler 6’6 215 WF Fishburne Military School commits to Longwood University of the Big South

Ziegler played his high school ball at Annandale High School before prepping at Fishburne.  He is a 2-star recruit and the highest rated commit so far for the 2012 class. Here is how ESPN described Ziegler’s strengths:

Karl is a jack-of-all-trades who was a big scorer in high school. He possesses a knack for making plays. His ball-handling ability and versatility make him the “glue guy” every team wins with. He has an all-around game offensively and capable of playing anywhere on the floor. Offensively he is a good passer with a high basketball IQ. He moves well without the ball and displays good decisions on shot selection. He is a good three-point shooter but not a guy who lives on it. Karl’s strength on offense is his the ability to score in a lot of areas of the floor. He has a knack for finishing in traffic as well as drawing contact. Simply put he can score the ball and is very efficient on the floor. Defensively he does a good job in getting into the passing lanes and rebounding.

Longwood is likely not done with their 2012 class and will add more depth to Lancers’ roster in the coming days. The Lancers signed Nik Brown, Lucas Woodhouse, Frank Holloway, and Kirk Staine earlier this year.

Photo: Matri Sites

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Kirk Staine Senior Season Highlights

March 6, 2012 — Leave a comment

Just came across this video of Lancer signee Kirk Staine and some highlights from his Senior year at Baldwin HS.

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Lancers Recruit Lucas Woodhouse Featured in Ultimate Athlete

March 2, 2012 — Leave a comment

Future Longwood point guard Lucas Woodhouse was recently featured in Ultimate Athlete Magazine. The magazine touts Woodhouse’s leadership and basketball IQ, two things that are really needed on our basketball squad.

Here is the complete article: http://ultimateathletemagazine.com/magazine/current

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Lancers End a “Lost” Season

March 1, 2012 — Leave a comment

Expectations were high for Mike Gillian’s squad coming into the 2011-12 season. Gillian had a favorable home schedule and a slew of a talented seniors to help Longwood match or surpass the 17-14 mark set by the 08-09 squad. But a season that should have been filled with celebration, for Antwan Carter and the Big South, started on the wrong foot when the Lancers fell to two lower tier opponents (Navy, Canisius) right out of the gate. Then senior guard Durann Neil left the team and Murphy’s Law ensued. The Lancers lost another senior guard when Jeremiah Bowman was suspended for the remainder of the season in early February. Also, there were injuries to Jeff Havenstein, Jeylani Dublin, and Mark Parker; and the Lancers essentially had to finish the last eleven games of the season with six scholarship players.

Despite the off the court hardships of the season this Lancers squad still should have been better. There were close games lost down the stretch at home (Seattle and North Dakota), close calls again non-D1 opponents (Washington Adventist and UVA-Wise), and humiliating blowouts to schools that really should never blow us out (NJIT, UMKC, Seattle, Florida Gulf Coast).  Also, the Lancers will more than likely end the season as the nation’s worst defensive team. Control of this team was lost a long time again and thus the season was lost for the Lancers. The last two months have looked like a team, a coaching staff, and a program just ready to start over, turn the page, and get on with life in the Big South.

Beyond the “lost” season we do need to commemorate Antwan Carter for one of the greatest careers in Longwood history. It’s hard not to feel bad for Carter with all the hard work he’s put in over the last four years and the fact he’ll never play a conference game. Same goes for Martiz Washington who leaves LU as its most decorated three-point shooter, his long range game and intensity will surely be missed. But as the players depart there is certainly hope on the horizon. TT Carey should be a premier scorer in the Big South and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the preseason all-Big South first or second team. Also, Mike Gillian has his most talented recruiting class ever coming in to Farmville lead by guards Nik Brown and Lucas Woodhouse.

The biggest question remaining in Willett Hall is will head coach Mike Gillian be back? And the answer is yes. I’d be shocked if the administration does not give Gillian a year or two to see what he can do at the Big South level. Many likely won’t agree with the decision but it’ll be the decision nonetheless. I think reasonable expectation for next year’s “young” squad would be to finish from sixth to ninth in the Big South and reach the conference quarterfinals. I think that’s a very reasonable and tangible expectation. If we surpass it then great, but if we fail then changes need to once again be evaluated.

Photo Credit: SLAM Online

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Lucas Woodhouse Leads Harborfield to Another Title

February 27, 2012 — Leave a comment

Longwood recruit, Lucas Woodhouse, sent Harborfields to their second straight Suffolk Class-A title on Friday night defeating Amityville 68-64. Woodhouse had 21 points and eight assists in the win for the Tornadoes.  Rivals had a good look at the game, including Woodhouse’s coach’s reaction:

“Basketball players have to make plays,” said Harborfields Head Coach Chris Agostino, who was coaching against his brother, Jack, in the ongoing saga of the two Class ‘A’ powerhouses. “And Lucas has done that all year for us.”

From here Harborfield will take on the Nassau champion and perhaps move onto the state title.  Woodhouse will be a welcome addition for Mike Gillian’s squad who has redshirt-freshman Anthony Taylor as the only point guard returning for the Lancers. Woodhouse will likely be challenged for the starting role with fellow recruit Nik Brown. Brown is more of a combo guard so don’t be surprised to see both of them on the floor at the same time for LU next year.

Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke, MSGvarsity.com

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2012 Recruitng Class: Kirk Staine, SF

February 1, 2012 — Leave a comment

When the Lancers basketball program set its sights on the Long Island are for 2012 they didn’t just target Lucas Woodhouse. Mike Gillian also signed a small forward from Baldwin High School, Kirk Staine. At first glance signing the 6’6 forward may not look to impressive, he only averaged 2.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last year, but Staine may have the highest ceiling out of any Lancer recruit as HoopsScoop.com notes:

We also suspect that 6’6 Kirk Stain from Baldwin (H.S.) NY, who verbally committed over the weekend to Longwood, could turn out to be a major steal for the Lancers. He’s one of those multi-dimensional athletic guys who plays hard, shoots the three, and is still flying under the radar screen even though he opened some eyes with his play in early July at the first Hoops Group Camp.

Staine sounds a bit like former Lancer Kirk Williams to me, but with a three point shot. He’s a very athletic prospect who is also one of the top track athletes in the state of New York.  Staine has improved his numbers this year averaging 9 points, 8 rebounds, and nearly 3 blocks per game.  Brown, Holloway, and Woodhouse could have more of an impact for the Lancers right out of the gate for the 2012-13 season, but Staine might just turn out to be the best of the class.

Other Lancers 2012 Recruits:

Nik Brown, PG, Middleburg Academy: http://lancersblog.com/2012/01/29/class-of-2016-nik-brown-pg/

Frank Holloway, PF, Garrett College: http://lancersblog.com/2012/01/30/2012-recruiting-class-frank-holloway-f/

Lucas Woodhouse, PG, Harborfield HS: http://lancersblog.com/2012/01/31/2012-recruiting-class-lucas-woodhouse-pg/

Photo Credit: Max Preps

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Class of 2016: Nik Brown, PG

January 29, 2012 — 1 Comment

Last week’s Big South announcement is not the only thing Lancers’ fans have to be excited about in terms of the future of LU. Many have worried about the 2012-13 version of the men’s basketball team because of the departure of four key seniors and Durann Neil, who left the team earlier in the year. But not to worry, Mike Gillian has his most talented recruiting class ever on tap right for next year. LU has already signed four players and we will be taking a look at each future Lancer, individually, here on LancersBlog.

We start with the jewel of the 2012 class for Longwood, point guard Nik Brown. The 6’2 combo guard is from Ashburn, VA where he played for Middleburg Academy. Most recruiting agencies have Brown ranked as one of Virginia’s top 25 players for the class of 2012. Here is what former Lancer Kevin Schneider (played for the Lancers in ’04-05 and transferred to Hawaii-Pacific) of Big Shots Today said about Brown:

2012 6’3 G Nik Brown commits to Longwood. Nik is an athletic combo guard that can score or run a team.  He has a poise, balanced game that excels in a dribble drive system and can play & defend multiple positions.  Reclassifying has helped Brown in several facets of his game avg. 18 ppg, 7 apg. 4 rpg. as a jr. earned all tournament at Big Shots VA, DC, & Myrtle Beach in leading Jermaine Woods’ Boo Williams team to big wins all year in Big Shots events.

The biggest mutual benefit for both Brown and the Lancers is that Nik is already enrolled at LU and is practicing with the team. I’ve talked to many people surrounding the program and who have seen Nik practice, from all accounts Brown is going to be a HUGE difference maker for LU. More than one person has hinted at Brown being the best guard in practice right now, high praise for a team that features two solid, senior guards in Jeremiah Bowman and Martiz Washington.

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