Following up on some “dirt” that HoopDirt.com reported earlier today. It’s now been made official that Longwood University head basketball coach Jayson Gee has resigned. Longwood Athletics Director Troy Austin made the announcement a short time ago.
“After a number of conversations between Coach Gee and myself, we agreed it is time to give someone else an opportunity to move the men’s basketball program forward,” Austin said. “Longwood men’s basketball took some important steps under Coach Gee, and he demonstrated unwavering commitment to helping his student-athletes develop as people, not just basketball players. He is an outstanding family man who has been a great representative for the university and the program, which is what makes this decision a difficult one. However, I feel it is time to make a change based on the results we have seen on the court.
“Longwood has made a commitment to elevating men’s basketball, and to building a culture of success that manifests in a consistently competitive stance in the Big South and ultimately the opportunity to compete for conference championships. Our men’s basketball program will galvanize the community and draw foot traffic to Prince Edward County, and the primary driver for those goals is success on the court. We will continue to work toward that vision while maintaining our commitment to academic excellence and contributing to Longwood’s mission of developing citizen-leaders.”
Gee was introduced as head coach in April, 2013, Longwood’s second year as a member of the Big South. He went 42-120 in his five seasons and 19-69 in Big South play. In his second season, he led Longwood to the semifinals of the 2015 Big South Championship.
Longwood finished the 2017-18 campaign 7-26 overall and 3-15 in Big South play. The season came to an end in the quarterfinals of the Big South Championship, 59-53 at the hands of No. 2 seed Radford. Longwood advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating No. 7 seed High Point 68-55 in the opening round.
“I sincerely thank Troy Austin, President Reveley and Longwood University for the opportunity they provided me to serve as Longwood’s head men’s basketball coach for these past five seasons,” Gee said. “I treasured my time at Longwood and in the town of Farmville, and it will be difficult to leave the friends and colleagues my family and I have made here. I thank our students, fans, alumni and faculty for their support over the years. I especially want to thank all of my players, past and present, for their dedication, loyalty and friendship. I will certainly miss our current players and wish them every success in basketball and life.
“Building a competitive program at the Division I level is a long-term process, and while our results were not what I envisioned when I took this job, I am proud of what my staff and players accomplished. We have consistently produced outstanding young men who have grown physically, emotionally and spiritually during their time in our program. Those close to our program know that during our five-year tenure, our teams experienced several season-ending injuries that limited our team strength, depth and ability to compete as successfully as we had planned in our conference. This year as well, we ended the season with nine scholarship players, and last season we ended with only seven. However, despite the adversity we endured, I stand by my assertion that Longwood basketball is better now than it was five years ago, not just in terms of the caliber of basketball player and person we have been able to attract, but also in the culture our staff and players have built.”
Austin said he will initiate the process to find Longwood’s next head coach immediately and will withhold from commenting publicly until that process is complete.
https://www.longwoodlancers.com/news/2018/3/2/gee-resigns-as-head-mens-basketball-coach.aspx
