Every division 1 school in the state of Virginia has something in common: they have all been the NCAA Tournament. That is, of course, with exception to the small school in Farmville, Longwood University. The Lancers became division 1 in 2004 and have a record of of 130 - 312 since. Only once have they finished above .500 and only seven times have they won more than 10 games in a season.
Their basketball arena isn't even big enough to be called an arena, or a stadium, it's named "Willett Hall." With seating maxed out under 2,000, it's barely big enough to host some high-school games. Not to mention, of the programs in Virginia, Farmville is one of the smallest towns with a population of just 8,100. While most games are packed, and the local area is fun, one can't deny the challenges that come with being a small town.
On Thursday, the Lancers hired a new head basketball coach, Griff Aldrich. Griff spent his playing career at Hampden Sydney, and was named the team captain in his senior year. After spending many years in the private sector, UMBC hired Aldrich as their recruiting coordinator. Yes, that UMBC. The very one that beat UVA...by 20...in the NCAA Tournament...as a 16 seed.
Some might be laughing at the hire. What's so great about a guy who spent 16 years in the private sector and then three years as a recruiting coordinator at another small school? I'm going to go out on a limb...I love this hire, for several reasons.
1. Being a Head Coach isn't about X's and O's
What makes great coaches great isn't the gameplan, playcalling, substitutions, it's the management. We have seen other programs hire directly from the private sector and have positive results. I.E. Coastal Carolina football. Let's be real here, X's and O's isn't going to fix Longwood basketball. They need recruits, they need a business plan, they need a salesman. Griff's history in the private sector provides the knowledge of branding that Longwood so desperately needs.
2. UMBC has a history against pack-line defenses
I mentioned this in the podcast last week, UMBC beating UVA was certainly an upset but it was no mistake. In 2017, UMBC played Liberty in the CIT tournament, and had similar offensive success. Griff is coming from a system that knows how to attack the pack-line defense. Longwood's biggest rival is Liberty, who plays a pack-line defense. No, this hire is not just simply about beating Liberty. However, if the Lancers are to change the direction of their program, having an advantage against a local, conference rival is going to help.
3. He understands being the underdog
The schools in the Big South aren't necessarily...big, but they're almost all bigger than Longwood. Considering the Lancer's past several years, schools like Radford and UNC-Asheville don't anticipate any chance of losing to Longwood. As the coach, Griff will almost always be the underdog, even in conference matches. He played at Hampden Sydney, he coached at UMBC. He knows small school sports, specifically small schools in Virginia. This is in his DNA. He also knows what type of preparation is needed to overcome teams with significantly more talent.
Over the next several years, there will certainly be growing pains. There's going to be tough losses. There's going to be exciting games, and I think there will be progress. If you dig into Griff Aldrich's past, and study his coaching DNA, he is a home-run hire for the Lancers.
