Photo by Steve Frommell, d3photography.com

New Longwood men's basketball head coach Ronnie Thomas announced the hiring of long-time coaching veteran and mentor Tom Palombo to the Lancer basketball coaching staff today.

Palombo, who brings with him more than three decades of experience as a head coach, will join the staff as an associate head coach.

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"As I embark on this new chapter, I recognized the importance of adding someone with extensive experience and a proven track record as a successful head coach," Thomas said. "Having had the opportunity to work alongside Tom in the past, I have great confidence in his commitment to excellence and his passion for developing young men both on and off the court. His approach reflects championship-level standards in all that he does, which made this decision an easy one. I am excited to welcome him as we continue our work to elevate Longwood into a nationally respected mid-major program in college basketball for years to come."

The addition of Palombo to the Lancer staff reunites Thomas with his former boss, as Thomas worked as an assistant under Palombo at Guilford for five seasons prior to coming to Longwood.

During those years, the two won a pair of Old Dominion Athletic Conference titles and made two trips to the NCAA Tournament.

"It was a hard decision to make because this is a life-changing move," Palombo said. "I've loved every year at Guilford, but in the end I'm doing this because I'm excited about helping Ronnie. That's how much he means to me and my family."

Palombo has decades of success under his belt while the head man at Guilford. In his 22 seasons, he led Guilford to all eight of the school's NCAA Tournament appearances and all five of the school's ODAC titles. Five times, he has led Guilford to the NCAA quarterfinals as one of the final eight teams, and three times his teams have advanced to the semifinals as one of the final four.

This past season, he led Guilford to the ODAC title, with the win in the championship game also serving as his 420th while the head coach at Guilford. He has been the ODAC Coach of the Year four times and the South Region Coach of the Year three times.

One year ago, he shepherded Guilford to the national semifinals, and he holds a 20-8 record in the NCAA Tournament spread over his eight trips with Guilford.

A seasoned veteran with 34 years as a head coach at the collegiate level, Palombo holds a 658-276 overall record, including 420 wins at Guilford. He began his head coaching career at Virginia Wesleyan, and he coached at Defiance, where he coached the women's team before taking over the men's program, prior to going to Guilford in 2003. 

Palombo graduated from Virginia Wesleyan in 1989, where he earned his bachelor's degree in communications and journalism. He also holds his master's degree in education with an emphasis in sport management from Old Dominion.