Longwood men’s basketball head coach Jayson Gee announced the addition of three new members to his staff, naming Craig Carter and Samba Johnson assistant coaches and Chuck Henry director of basketball operations.
The three newcomers join a Lancer staff that includes Gee and assistant coach Jake Luhn, who are both entering their second season together at Longwood.
"In order to accomplish great things, you need a great staff to assist you," said Gee, who led Longwood to eight wins in his first season, including victories over TCU and Liberty. "All three of these men are highly principled, have demonstrated a high level of character during their playing and professional careers and, most importantly, will impact the lives of our student-athletes in every area."
Carter and Johnson boast more than 25 combined years of collegiate coaching experience. Carter will mentor Longwood’s post players while handling scouting duties and recruiting efforts in Virginia. Johnson will coach Longwood’s point guards while assisting in recruiting efforts in Virginia and monitoring the team’s academic progress.
Henry, who began his coaching career at Barton College in 2012, will manage the program’s travel operations, academic monitoring and coordination of scouting and film preparation while overseeing quality control of the entire program.
"These three bring a wealth of experience, talent and recruiting ties that will enable us to rebuild our program and compete for a Big South championship," Gee said. "All three will serve as ‘Life Coaches’ for our players in the areas of personal development, academic enhancement and basketball skill development."
Craig Carter – Assistant Coach
Carter comes to Longwood with nearly two decades of coaching experience in the high school and collegiate coaching ranks. His two stints as an assistant coach at Siena College in 2005-06 and 2010-13 bookended a four-year tenure as assistant coach at his alma mater, Rutgers, from 2006-10. He was most recently an assistant coach at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and has also served as director of basketball operations at UMass (2004-05) and UNC Greensboro (2003-04).
"Being offered an opportunity to join the Longwood men’s basketball program is truly an honor for me," Carter said. "To be able to work with and for a man, mentor, and coach like Jayson Gee will be a great experience for me. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I intend to make the most of it. I will do my very best, in concert with the entire staff to help mentor young men and make the better people both on and off the court."
During his career, Carter has handled duties in recruiting, game preparation, on-court coaching, implementation of offseason player workout regimens, player assessment and development, academic monitoring and game scheduling.
"Coach Carter comes to Longwood with a wealth of experience after having a stellar playing career at Rutgers University," Gee said. "He is a seasoned coach who has worked for some great head coaches during his 16-year coaching career, most notably Fran McCaffery at Iowa."
Gee noted that Carter will contribute significantly to Longwood’s recruiting efforts, ad evidenced by a list of former signees that include MAAC Player of the Year Kenny Hasbrouck, All-MAAC first team selection Edwin Ubiles, McDonald’s All-American Davonte Beard and Mid-Major Freshman All-American Evan Hymes.
"Coach Carter will add to our ability to attract high level student-athletes to our program. He has recruited at a high level while he was at Rutgers in the Big East as well as his time at Siena."
Carter’s coaching career began after a decorated career as a point guard at Rutgers from 1987-91 where he was a two-year team captain and helped lead the Scarlet Knights to NCAA Tournaments appearances in 1989 and 1991. He was an Atlantic 10 All-Tournament selection in 1989 after helping the Scarlet Knights win the Atlantic 10 Tournament and earn an automatic bid to the Big Dance.
A 1992 graduate of Rutgers, Carter owns a B.A. in English. He also spent time in the professional sector as an elementary school teacher in Brooklyn, N.Y., a financial analyst for foreign exchange trading at General Electric and a financial analyst confirmation specialist for foreign exchange trading at Chase Manhattan Bank.
Samba Johnson – Assistant Coach
Johnson was a member of Gee’s staff at Cleveland State as a graduate manager from 2010-11 and the director of basketball operations beginning in 2011-12. His coaching career spans 18 years across 10 different campuses at the Division I, II, III, NAIA and junior college levels. He has served as assistant coach, head coach, director of basketball operations and recruiting coordinator for both men’s and women’s programs during his career.
"Samba is a trusted friend and former assistant of mine when he served me at the University of Charleston," Gee said. "Coach Johnson will bring an unmatched level of energy and tremendous amount passion to our staff."
Johnson, who was a point guard at Robert Morris and Chaminade University of Honolulu, will mentor Longwood’s point guards while also recruiting in the state of Virginia and monitoring the academic progress of the team.
During his lengthy career, Johnson has handled duties in recruiting, on-court coaching, scouting, film breakdown, camps, budgeting, academic supervising and scheduling.
"I am very excited and blessed to be a part the Longwood University family and for the opportunity to be an assistant under one of the premier head coaches in Division I basketball," Johnson said.
Johnson returns to the position of assistant coach after spending time on the women’s basketball staff at Stetson in 2008-09, the men’s staff at NAIA Friends University in 2007-08, the men’s staff at NJCAA Casper College in 2006-07, the women’s staff at Ohio from 2003-06 and the men’s staff at Division II University of Charleston. He was recruiting coordinator for the women’s teams at Stetson and Ohio and the men at Charleston.
"I have known coach Johnson for over 10 years, and he has proven to be a very loyal, hardworking and a gifted recruiter who is a part of the Cleveland State family I come from," Gee said. "The Lancer Nation will resonate with him because of his commitment to the vision of the program."
Johnson began his coaching career as an assistant coach at McCook Community College in 1996. He went on to earn a head coaching position at Penn State-New Kensington from 1997-2000 where he was named the Penn State Commonwealth Campus’s West Division Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2000 as well as the WPCC Coach of the Year in 1999.
Johnson parlayed that success into his first Division I job as director of basketball operations at Duquesne in 2000-01. From there he returned to coaching as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator on Gee’s staff at Charleston in 2001-02 where he helped guide the program to a 25-7 record and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
Following his one-year stint alongside Gee at Charleston, Johnson was named head coach of the women’s basketball program at Division III La Roche College in 2002-03. He then returned to the Division I ranks as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Ohio where he stayed from 2003-06.
After his time with the Bobcats, Johnson served consecutive one-year stints at Casper College, Friends University and Stetson. At Friends Johnson won his first championship, claiming the 2008 KCAC Conference Tournament crown and earning a bid to the NAIA National Tournament. Johnson was then named director of The Fundamentals of Basketball Academy from 2009-10 before rejoining Gee at Cleveland State in 2010.
Johnson has also been active with several campus ministries, serving as an advisor and team chaplain at nearly every stop in his coaching career. He most recently served as the advisor and team chaplain for the Cleveland State Athletes in Action from 2011-13.
A decorated guard at Chaminade University of Honolulu, Johnson received his Bachelor’s of Business Administration in marketing in 1996 following a basketball career that included Pac-West second team and Hawaii Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-conference honors. He earned his master of arts in early childhood education from Cleveland State in May, 2013.
Chuck Henry – Director of Basketball Operations
Henry steps in as Longwood’s director of basketball operations after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at the Division II and III levels. He was an accomplished player at Division II Barton College and helped the program reach the NCAA Tournament before embarking on a professional playing career in Europe.
"I am excited to add Chuck Henry to our basketball family," Longwood head coach Jayson Gee said. "He brings great administrative skills to the position along with his experience as a professional basketball player in Germany. I believe Coach Henry will make a significant impact to our program behind the scenes and enable us to build our brand as a program."
As Longwood’s director of basketball operations, Henry manages the program’s travel operations, academic monitoring and coordination of scouting and film preparation while overseeing quality control of the entire program.
"Working for Longwood University and coach Jayson Gee is a unique opportunity," Henry said. "I’m excited to join a community that has so much passion surrounding this wonderful institution. The faculty and staff are very welcoming, and it is a direct reflection of the people in and around Longwood and Farmville."
Henry broke into the coaching ranks as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Division II Barton College, for the 2012-13 season. Under head coach Ron Lievense, who also coached Henry as a collegian, Henry helped the Bulldogs win the Conference Carolinas title and earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional. That squad went all the way to the Sweet 16 and finished the year with a 23-8 record and the No. 10 national ranking. Among his coaching successes at Barton were the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and first team All-American Gerald Boston and All-Conference Carolinas second team pick Jon Hart.
Following his time at Barton, Henry moved on to Division III The Catholic University of America where he served as an assistant coach. He helped guide CUA to a second-place finish in the Landmark Conference and mentored two All-Landmark Conference players, the Landmark Conference Freshman of the Year. The Cardinals averaged only 8.8 turnovers per game which was the second-lowest total in NCAA Division III.
Henry was most recently an assistant head coach for the DC Premier AAU U15 program where he recruited players in the Washington, D.C., area and handled on-court coaching and player development. He also doubled as a youth basketball coach while pursuing his professional playing career.
Additionally, Henry has an extensive history of volunteering, including time spent with Read Across America, Meals on Wheels, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Habitat for Humanity and the March of Dimes. He has tutored underprivileged youth and held free basketball clinics at various stops during his career.
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