Layer hoping to right ship versus UNCW
The Flames return to the Furnace after a chilly sixth straight loss
Coming off of five consecutive losses and a 2-6 start to the season, the Flames men’s basketball team is looking to bounce back on the road against defending Big South regular-season champion Coastal Carolina on Dec. 3 before coming home to face UNC Wilmington Dec 6 at 7 p.m.
Nightmare start — Early season injuries look to plauge the Flames depth as they have a tough time trying to end a six game losing streak against conference foe UNC Willmington. Photo credit: Nate Brown
In a season that was defined by injury before the first tip-off, coach Dale Layer has had his hands full trying to perfect a system that can work for the players that he has available.
During preseason practices, the Flames lost Sommy Ogukwe, a 6’7”, 230 pound forward, whose presence off the bench last year brought hustle and energy to the post. John Brown, a 6’4” guard and a transfer from junior college last season, was also lost for the year. Brown led the team in rebounds last season and his presence in the paint has been sorely missed.
“We’ve taken some steps back with the injuries, but we’re slowly progressing and regrouping,” Layer said. “This has been a rough stretch for our team but we’re working hard in practice to keep getting better.”
Though there is no certain answer, there are a couple of areas that it is rather obvious that the Flames need to see improvement.
Overall Defense
In six of their eight games to date, Liberty has scored 64 points or more. Half of their defeats have come by less than 10 points and one of the losses was a 65-64 defeat to William and Mary in the 2K Sports Classic.
Clearly, the Flames have no trouble scoring but opposing teams are scoring more. In the Eastern Kentucky game, the Flames put up 65 points but EKU put up 73. In their next matchup, the Flames put up 80 points, but gave up 90 points to Lehigh. In their most recent game, Liberty posted 82 points but allowed Campbell to score 96.
Winning Ability
It has been said of many young teams over the years that they don’t know how to win games. They may have the talent to win but they don’t know how to finish games. I believe that for the Flames, this season, that is the case. The team is filled with young players and the absence of Evan Gordon, who opted to transfer, and Brown leaves some big holes in leadership and experience. As the team continues to work together, hopefully they will learn how to successfully finish the games where they play their opponents closely.
“This season is going to be a stiff challenge for us, but we have a new season ahead of us as we head into conference play,” Layer said.
However the team fares against Coastal Carolina, it is important for the fans to continue to support the team.
“We’ve had some great, enthusiastic support from the students here. It will be good to get back home and see some friendly faces in the stands,” Layer said.
UNC Wilmington has suffered five consecutive losses themselves so maybe they are the perfect matchup for the Flames to turn things around.