Longpre Hired as Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at USC Aiken

AIKEN, S.C. – University of South Carolina Aiken head men’s basketball coach Vince Alexander announced the hiring of Brett Longpre as an assistant men’s basketball coach on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010.

Longpre moves into the spot vacated by Nate Davis, who recently was appointed the head women’s basketball coach at NCAA Division III Eastern University in St. Davids, Pa.

"Brett is a tremendous asset to our staff and USC Aiken in general,” noted Alexander. "I am excited that he has agreed to move into this position and join our program full-time. Brett is a young coach on the rise, and he brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to our program. He has a great passion and knowledge of the game. He does a great job recruiting, and he really enjoys mentoring our kids on and off the court.”

Longpre is entering his third season on Alexander’s coaching staff overall in the 2010-11 season.

Longpre has helped the USC Aiken men's basketball program become a national force. He has been on a staff that has guided the Pacers to 45 victories along with two NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances. The Pacers have also advanced farther than any other squad in school history in the NCAA Tournament to the “Sweet Sixteen” in 2008-09 and acquired the 2010 Peach Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship.

Longpre's duties on Alexander's staff include recruiting coordination, opponents scouting, overseeing academic programs, on-court coaching, as well as assisting with camps, clinics and team fundraisers.

Prior to joining the coaching staff at USC Aiken, Longpre spent the 2006-2007 season as an assistant at Greensboro College in North Carolina.

At Greensboro College, Longpre helped the Pride to a 20-7 mark with Greensboro earning a share of the USA South regular season championship. The title was Greensboro's first conference championship since the1984-1985 season.

Longpre played professionally with the Milton Keynes Lions of the British Basketball League in the 2004-05 season. As a rookie, Longpre averaged 19 points per game for the Lions, ranking third in the league. He also played in the summer of 2004 for the Niagara Gamblers of the Ontario Professional Basketball Association.

Longpre graduated from Mansfield University in 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. He played for four years at Mansfield under Alexander.

He closed his career as the second all-time leading scorer in Mountaineer history with 1,765 points. He is the school's leader in career three-point field goals made (301). Longpre was a two-time Mansfield Athlete-of-the-Year and a four time All-Conference selection, which included being chosen to the first team for three consecutive years.

Longpre is the only Mansfield player to score 1,700 points and grab 500 rebounds. The Mountaineers went 21-7 in 2003-04 and earned a second place finish in the PSAC Eastern Division. The team was ranked nationally during the season and finished with a final NCAA East Region ranking of sixth.

His exploits on the court at Mansfield led to him recently being inducted into the Mansfield Athletic Hall of Fame.