Polar Bear Spotlight: Landen Long

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — Just six games into the 2022-23 season, senior Landen Long (Mason) has made his presence felt on the basketball court for the Polar Bears.

"Landen is a leader among the guards, and he's a steady presence who plays really hard," ONU men's basketball head coach Neal Young said.

Long has finished with double-figure point totals in three of the Polar Bears' six games thus far, including a season-high 20 in a 75-53 win over Alma (Mich.) on Nov. 27. He currently ranks second on the team in scoring average, putting up 11.5 points in 24.5 minutes per game. It's all part of his goal of being more assertive during his time on the court.

"My on-court role this year is to play as hard as I can throughout my minutes this season and try to be a leader offensively for us," he said. "I have always been a more offensively dominant player, but this year I need to continue to play more consistently and bring the juice on the defensive side of the game. As a senior, I need to be more of a playmaker than I have been in years past."

Long is one of five seniors on this year's team. He has started 59 of his 66 career games at ONU and is integrating that extensive experience into his role as a team leader.

"I am trying to be a positive role model for the underclassmen so that they can become the best players they can be for this program," he said. "I also try to have a strong voice on this team to help us achieve something special this season."

That "something special" he refers to is an Ohio Athletic Conference championship. The Polar Bears own eight OAC regular season championships and five conference tournament titles but have not won either since 2001. Long is hoping he and his teammates can change that this season.

"I have loved being a Polar Bear and building the relationships that I have today, but I want this season to be different than all the rest. We haven't been able to win a championship in my three years here, and I want that to change with this team," he said. "It's been hard not achieving our full potential, and I want to be able to do that in my final season. I am hoping to be an All-Conference player this year on the way to that overall goal, but anything I can do to help this team win is what I am willing to do."

No matter how this season ends, though, Long has thoroughly enjoyed his time as an ONU student-athlete. A finance major, Long has developed lifelong friendships during his time in Ada.

"My favorite part about playing and studying at ONU is the relationships I have made since being here," he said. "I have loved the classes and Dicke College of Business, but the friendships I have made here mean everything to me. I have grown close with the guys on the basketball team over the past four years, both on the court and in the classroom."

Those friendships and relationships are what he cites as his favorite part about playing basketball, which he has done since he was 7 years old. Long has twin brothers who are 11 years older than him, and he attended their high school games from a very young age. Growing up around the sport introduced him to the game, and his brothers served as role models for the type of athlete he aspired to be.

"As I grew up playing the game, I fell in love with it, and being a college basketball player became an aspiration for me," he said.

Long developed into a talented high school player. A two-year varsity starter, he averaged 17.8 points per game in his senior season en route to earning First Team All-Conference and Division I All-State Honorable Mention honors. He wanted to continue his career at the college level, and ONU felt like the perfect fit.

"ONU appealed to me because of how welcoming the university felt on my visit," he said. "I knew I wanted to play basketball and it was going to be at a smaller school, but ONU stood out to me because of its academics and family atmosphere."

Long played three seasons under former head coach Rich Bensman, who stepped down after last season and was replaced by Young. He said Young's leadership style has been beneficial to the players both on and off the court.

"My favorite part about Coach Young is his ability to not just make us better basketball players, but how to be better men," Long said. "I think this is extremely important for college kids, especially underclassmen, and I think he is giving us skills that will serve us well throughout the entirety of our lives."

Long has made many memories in his time as a Polar Bear basketball player. But his performance in a game at Manchester (Ind.) last season stands above the rest. He scored a career-high 35 points in that game, the last three of which came on a buzzer-beating shot that gave ONU the 87-85 victory.

"My primary memory from that game is seeing the last shot go in, and all my teammates rushing on the court after the buzzer sounded," he said. "That memory is one that I will never forget."

While shining on the basketball court, Long has also excelled in the classroom as a two-time Academic All-OAC honoree. An experience in high school sparked his interest in studying finance, and he has his sights set on becoming a financial advisor or analyst.

"At Mason High School, I worked in a completely student-run bank that partnered with Fifth Third Bank in holding student and faculty assets. I was the vice president of Certificate of Deposit accounts, and that opened my eyes to the finance world. I knew I wanted to major in finance because of that role, and I haven't looked back," he said. "I plan to study to pass the CFA exam and hope to one day own my own registered advisory firm."

In addition to his academic and athletics responsibilities, Long serves as president of the Student Investment Group and is vice president of fundraising for the Beta Alpha Psi honor organization at ONU. While it can be difficult to manage all of his varied responsibilities, Long said the key to doing so lies in effective time management and preparation.

"Being able to be disciplined and complete tasks in a timely manner is essential for managing a busy schedule," he said. "Academics need to be a priority for athletes, and daily schedules need to reflect that. I find the library to be very helpful in getting all my work done because it is a place that allows me to focus."

For Long, succeeding both as a student and an athlete is something he has always taken great pride in as he looks to close out his college career.

"I know that I won't be able to play basketball forever, so I try to take advantage of the education that I am receiving," he said. "The knowledge I gain and results I have in the classroom are what will set me up for success for the rest of my life."

More about Landen

Fun Fact: Landen has a brother who lives in Barcelona, Spain.

Top ONU Professor: Landen really enjoyed taking the Principles of Macroeconomics course with Dr. David McClough. "That course stood out to me because I really enjoy the material, and I think Dr. McClough does an excellent job of teaching the content," he said. "I learned a great deal in that course."

Hometown Tidbit: Mason High School is one of the largest public high schools in Ohio. It has a 2022-23 enrollment of 3,492 students.

Landen's Favorites

Food: Tacos

Restaurant: Skyline

TV Show: Psych

Movie: The Prestige

Sport (other than basketball): Golf

Pro Sports Team: Cincinnati Bengals

Pro Athlete: None

Music Genre: EDM

Singer: Cal Scruby

Place He's Traveled To: Barcelona, Spain