DAVE LONG ('77): In the autumn of 1972 a freshman from East Northport, NY names Dave Long tried out for the Plymouth State College men’s basketball team but didn’t make it.
As a sophomore in 1973, Long decided to try out again, making the squad this time. By the end of the 1973-74 season, he was one of the team’s top substitutes.
Long made the team every year after and started almost every game during the following three year span, which proved to be one of the most successful basketball eras in the history of PSC. Twice Plymouth would earn a spot in the finals of the old New England State College basketball playoffs. One season saw the Panthers average almost 100 points per game, second highest in the nation. The 1975 Plymouth State basketball team would defeat St. Anslem College for the first time ever after 37 straight losses.
Long tallied a total of 1,403 career points to represent the highest total ever compiled by a Plymouth State College basketball player. After Graduating in 1977, Long returned to the Home of the Panthers as an assistant coach. When PSC head coach Jack Rhodes left to take a position in Connecticut nine games into the 1977-78 season., Long became acting head coach, and responded to the challenge by helping PSC to remain competitive despite the subsequent uncertainty concerning the future of PSC’s men’s basketball program.
Long served as an assistant coach from 1981-85 at New Hampshire College, where he helped Tom Sullivan build a Division II powerhouse.
