Longwood College has selected 31-year-old Mike Leeder, an associate head coach at NCAA Division II National Champion Kentucky Wesleyan during 1998-99, as its new head men's basketball coach. Leeder helped lead KWC to a 35-2 record and the 1999 Division II National Championship, the Panthers seventh overall national title. Prior to his one year at Wesleyan, he started-up and coached the men'sbasketball program at NAIA Thomas (Ga.) College from 1995-98 while also serving as the school's athletic director. Leeder assumed responsibilities with the Lancers, members of the 12-school Division II Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC), July 1.
     "Mike is a young, dynamic, and impassioned basketball coach," said Longwood President Dr. Patricia P. Cormier. "He is a very community-oriented individual and we look forward to having Mike join our family, as well as the Farmville community, while leading our men's basketball program to new heights."
      Leeder, a Coral Springs, Fla. native and graduate of Florida State University, worked with head coach Ray Harper at Division II power Kentucky Wesleyan. Harper is a former assistant coach at Division I Virginia Commonwealth University (1985-86).
      "I'm very excited about the opportunity to be the head coach at Longwood College," commented Leeder. "The College administration, campus community, and facilities are in place to enable us to be successful. I look forward to turning this program around and taking it to the championship-caliber level of competition that I was fortunate to experience last season."
      Leeder led Thomas College's infant program to a three-year record of 46-45 and participation in two NAIA District Tournaments. Prior to his time at Thomas, he was the top assistant coach at Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College from 1991-95, helping TCC to a four-year record of 93-28. As a player at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs, Fla., Leeder was a two-time All-Area and All-County selection.
     Coach Leeder looks forward to getting the Longwood campus and Farmville community involved with, and interested in, the men's basketball program again. The new coach feels that if an individual will attend one game during the upcoming season, the rest will fall into place. You see, it is Leeder's philosophy that if you watch one game, you will return and bring a friend, and so on.
     "I'm extremely excited to be a head coach again," added Leeder. "We're going to be fun to watch, we'll be full of energy, and we will play extremely hard. I can't wait to get started!"
     Leeder and his wife, Jodie, have a two-year-old son, Michael, and have relocated to the Farmville area.
     The Lancers finished 8-19 a year ago, but return all five starters among 10 returning letterwinners. The program will add two transfer student-athletes from Division II schools along with a highly-touted freshman recruit. Coach Leeder has also been busy this summer trying to land additional transfer student-athletes.
     The 1999-2000 campaign will get underway Nov. 19-20 with road contests at Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) and Carson-Newman (Tenn.), respectively. The home schedule begins Tuesday, Nov. 23, with West Virginia Tech visiting Lancer Hall for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. The Leeder Era begins

– Greg Prouty, Sports Information Director

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