You may see him riding around on his hover board throughout the day, but did you know that he is one of Longwood’s freshman basketball players? Cleveland native Al Burge decided to become a Lancer after being offered a scholarship by Longwood’s basketball coaching staff his junior year of highschool. Burge hoped to not only play Division I basketball, but also hoped to receive a quality education. Burge has been playing basketball since fifth grade, and is currently one of Longwood’s shooting guards. However, his journey to Division I Athletics was not easy.

The summer after his junior year of high school, Burge suffered an ACL injury that cost him his entire senior season. Not only was this a hard time for Burge mentally and physically, but he also questioned whether or not Coach Gee, Longwood’s head coach, would still uphold his scholarship offer. As a result, Burge attended two preparatory schools, South Carolina Sports Academy and Moravian Prep, in order to prepare himself for the 2015 season and convince his coach he was still the same player he was before his injury.

After making a run in the Big South semifinals last year, the Lancers look to further their success this 2015-2016 season. Burge prepared in the offseason by working hard on the court and putting in extra hours after practice in the gym. The Lancers practice everyday, except for Wednesdays and Sundays, and work hard each practice to surpass their 2015 postseason success. In order to prepare his players for week one, Coach Gee is emphasizing playing each game like it's their last, and always playing for the man next to them. Lastly, Burge feels that this year’s team will be the best it has ever been. Burge said, “We have a lot of talent this year.”

The Lancers have four of five returning starters as well as five returning seniors as they head into the 2015-2016 season. In a recent Big South preseason media poll, the Lancers were predicted to finish sixth overall. Shaquille Johnson, a 6’5” guard, and Lotanna Nwogbo, a 6’8” returning senior, were recently named as part of the Big South All Conference Team and both look to have big seasons.

The Lancers kickoff their season this Saturday, November 7th in an exhibition game against Division III team and our neighboring school, Hampden-Sydney College. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

For more information, visit LongwoodLancers.com.