FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood has hired UMBC assistant Griff Aldrich as its basketball coach.
Aldrich spent the last two seasons working under coach Ryan Odum at the Baltimore school that became the first No. 16 seed to win an NCAA Tournament game. The Retrievers beat overall top seed Virginia 74-54 in the first round.
Aldrich joins a Big South school that went 7-26. Coach Jayson Gee resigned after the season.
This marks a return to Farmville for Aldrich. He and Odum were teammates at Division III Hampden-Sydney College, down the street from Longwood.
Aldrich says in a statement Friday that coming back to Farmville is "personally significant." He adds that it affords him a "tremendous opportunity" and a chance to return to a place where he spent his "most formative years."