2025–26 Longwood Lancers men's basketball team

2025–26 Longwood Lancers men's basketball
2025–26 Longwood Lancers men's basketball
Conference	Big South Conference
Record	7–7 (0–0 Big South)
Head coach	Ronnie Thomas (1st season);
Associate head coach	Marty McGillan; Tom Palombo
Assistant coaches	Matt Sholtis; Emmanuel Matey; Myo Baxter-Bell; Odri Dedolli;
Home arena	Joan Perry Brock Center

2025–26 Big South men's basketball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
High Point	0	–	0	–	11	–	3	.786
Charleston Southern	0	–	0	–	8	–	6	.571
Winthrop	0	–	0	–	8	–	6	.571
USC Upstate	0	–	0	–	8	–	7	.533
Longwood	0	–	0	–	7	–	7	.500
Presbyterian	0	–	0	–	6	–	8	.429
Radford	0	–	0	–	6	–	8	.429
UNC Asheville	0	–	0	–	6	–	8	.429
Gardner–Webb	0	–	0	–	2	–	13	.133

† 2026 Big South tournament winner As of December 22, 2025

The 2025–26 Longwood Lancers men's basketball team represents Longwood University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Lancers, led by first-year head coach Ronnie Thomas, play their home games at the Joan Perry Brock Center in Farmville, Virginia as members of the Big South Conference.

Previous season

The Lancers finished the 2024–25 season 18–14, 7–9 in Big South play, to finish in a tie for fifth place.^[1] They were defeated by Winthrop in the quarterfinals of the Big South tournament.^[2]

On March 23, 2025, it was announced that head coach Griff Aldrich would be leaving the program after seven seasons, in order to take the associate head coaching position at Virginia.^[3] On the same day, the school announced that they would be naming assistant coach Ronnie Thomas as the team's new head coach.^[4]

Preseason

On October 15, 2025, the Big South Conference released their preseason coaches poll. Longwood was picked to finish third in the conference.^[5]

Preseason rankings

Big South Preseason Poll
Place	Team	Points
1	High Point	80 (8)
2	UNC Asheville	68 (1)
3	Longwood	53
4	Radford	52
5	Winthrop	51
6	Presbyterian	37
7	Charleston Southern	27
8	Gardner–Webb	19
9	USC Upstate	18
(#) first-place votes

Source:^[5]

Preseason All-Big South Teams

Preseason All-Big South First Team
Player	Year	Position
Elijah Tucker	RS Senior	Forward

Source:^[6]

Roster

2025–26 Longwood Lancers men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	0	Johan Nziemi	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	227 lb (103 kg)	GS	Independence Community College	Manhattan, New York
G	1	Jacoi Hutchinson	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	Jr	George Washington	Laurel, Maryland
G	2	Redd Thompson Jr.	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	So	James Madison	Richmond, Virginia
G/F	3	Alphonzo Billups III	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	RS Jr	VCU	Richmond, Virginia
G/F	4	Emanuel Richards	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	Jr	Christ School	Irmo, South Carolina
G	5	KJ McClurg	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	RS Sr	California (PA)	Morgantown, West Virginia
G/F	7	Elijah Kelly	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Fr	Miller School of Albemarle	Radford, Virginia
F	8	Isaiah Kalala	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Fr	Sunrise Christian Academy	Dallas, Texas
G	10	Gerald Burr III	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Fr	IMG Academy	Richmond, Virginia
F	11	Jaylin Payne	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	228 lb (103 kg)	Jr	Daytona State College	Landover, Maryland
F	23	Elijah Jones	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	GS	Charleston	South Holland, Illinois
G	24	Jaylen Benard	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	Jr	Cypress Ranch High School	Houston, Texas
G	30	Jerome Williams	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Fr	Mt. Zion Preparatory Academy	Minneapolis, Minnesota
F	35	Quadri Bashiru	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Fr	The Hill School	Ibadan, Nigeria
F	77	Elijah Tucker	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	232 lb (105 kg)	RS Sr	Xavier	Canton, Georgia

Head coach

Ronnie Thomas (Bridgewater)

Assistant coach(es)

Marty McGillan (UNC Wilmington)
Tom Palombo (Virginia Wesleyan)
Matt Sholtis (Charlotte)
Emmanuel Matey (Gannon)
Myo Baxter-Bell (Liberty)
Odri Dedolli (Mount St. Mary's)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: October 21, 2025

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Mary Baldwin	W 92–55	1–0	Joan Perry Brock Center (2,341) Farmville, VA
November 7, 2025* 7:00 pm, ACCNX	at Pittsburgh	L 60–78	1–1	Petersen Events Center (5,134) Pittsburgh, PA
November 12, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	James Madison	W 82–72	2–1	Joan Perry Brock Center (3,117) Farmville, VA
November 15, 2025* 3:00 pm, ESPN+	Binghamton	W 90–82	3–1	Joan Perry Brock Center (3,009) Farmville, VA
November 18, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Maryland Eastern Shore	L 82–83 ^2OT	3–2	Joan Perry Brock Center (1,236) Farmville, VA
November 23, 2025* 2:00 pm, ESPN+	at Columbia	L 70–95	3–3	Levien Gymnasium (793) New York, NY
November 28, 2025* 1:00 pm	vs. Siena Capital Thanksgiving Classic	L 63–70	3–4	Bender Arena (572) Washington, D.C.
November 29, 2025* 1:00 pm	vs. Maine Capital Thanksgiving Classic	W 65–61	4–4	Bender Arena (191) Washington, D.C.
November 30, 2025* 4:00 pm, ESPN+	at American Capital Thanksgiving Classic	L 66–92	4–5	Bender Arena (828) Washington, D.C.
December 3, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Pfeiffer	W 101–55	5–5	Joan Perry Brock Center (1,237) Farmville, VA
December 6, 2025* 4:00 pm, ESPN+	at Morgan State	W 84–80	6–5	Hill Field House Baltimore, MD
December 13, 2025* 3:00 pm, ESPN+	Delaware State	L 76–81	6–6	Joan Perry Brock Center (1,294) Farmville, VA
December 17, 2025* 7:00 pm, ACCNX	at Wake Forest	L 68–71	6–7	LJVM Coliseum (6,172) Winston-Salem, NC
December 20, 2025* 2:00 pm, ESPN+	at North Carolina Central	W 74–72	7–7	McDougald–McLendon Arena (391) Durham, NC
December 28, 2025* 3:00 pm, ESPN+	Averett			Joan Perry Brock Center Farmville, VA
Big South regular season
December 31, 2025 3:00 pm, ESPN+	Winthrop			Joan Perry Brock Center Farmville, VA
January 3, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at High Point			Qubein Center High Point, NC
January 7, 2026 6:30 pm, ESPN+	at UNC Asheville			Kimmel Arena Asheville, NC
January 10, 2026 3:00 pm, ESPN+	Presbyterian			Joan Perry Brock Center Farmville, VA
January 17, 2026 2:30 pm, ESPN+	at Radford			Dedmon Center Radford, VA
January 21, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Gardner–Webb			Joan Perry Brock Center Farmville, VA
January 24, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+	Charleston Southern			Joan Perry Brock Center Farmville, VA
January 29, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at USC Upstate			G. B. Hodge Center Spartanburg, SC
January 31, 2026 3:00 pm, ESPN+	High Point			Joan Perry Brock Center Farmville, VA
February 4, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at Gardner–Webb			Paul Porter Arena Boiling Springs, NC
February 7, 2026 2:00 pm, ESPN+	at Winthrop			Winthrop Coliseum Rock Hill, SC
February 12, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	UNC Asheville			Joan Perry Brock Center Farmville, VA
February 14, 2026 3:00 pm, ESPN+	USC Upstate			Joan Perry Brock Center Farmville, VA
February 19, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at Presbyterian			Templeton Center Clinton, SC
February 21, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+	at Charleston Southern			Buccaneer Field House North Charleston, SC
February 28, 2026 3:00 pm, ESPN+	Radford			Joan Perry Brock Center Farmville, VA
Big South tournament
March 4–8, 2026 TBA	vs.			Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, TN
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern.

Sources:^[7]^[8]

References

^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". Big South Conference. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
^ "Longwood men's basketball fights but falls short to Winthrop in Big South Quarterfinal". The Rotunda. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
^ "Ryan Odom Tabs Longwood HC Griff Aldrich as Associate Head Coach". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
^ "Longwood Univ. hires Roanoke native to lead its basketball program". Roanoke Tribune. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
^ ^a ^b "High Point Earns Top Spot in 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". Big South Conference. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
^ "Big South Announces 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Honors". Big South Conference. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Longwood University Athletics. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
^ "Longwood Lancers 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

[1] "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". Big South Conference. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

[2] "Longwood men's basketball fights but falls short to Winthrop in Big South Quarterfinal". The Rotunda. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

[3] "Ryan Odom Tabs Longwood HC Griff Aldrich as Associate Head Coach". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

[4] "Longwood Univ. hires Roanoke native to lead its basketball program". Roanoke Tribune. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

[poll-5] "High Point Earns Top Spot in 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". Big South Conference. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

[6] "Big South Announces 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Honors". Big South Conference. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

[7] "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Longwood University Athletics. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

[8] "Longwood Lancers 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

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Longwood Lancers men's basketball
Venues	French Gymnasium (1976–1980) Willett Hall (1980–2023) Joan Perry Brock Center (2023–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26