Men’s Basketball 6 Games Away From ASUN Tournament Play

Liberty men’s basketball team may be young this season, but after a 14-5 start to the season (6-2 in conference play), the Flames stand in first place in the ASUN – and a test of their squad depth and experience is on its way as the ASUN tournament looms six games away. 

With the Flames losing four key players to graduation (Scottie James, Caleb Homesley, Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz and Myo Baxter-Bell), Lipscomb was projected by coach and media polls to finish in first place this season, but as the season has progressed, Liberty has stayed competitive thanks to its new recruits. The team introduced five new players to the program this year (four of whom are freshmen): Chris Parker, Drake Dobbs, Jonathan Jackson, Micaiah Abii and Isiah Warfield. Even with narrow losses to Lipscomb and Stetson early on, the Flames showed their potential with strong wins against SEC teams Mississippi State and South Carolina – and they’ve continued to improve as the season has continued. 

Liberty started out its season playing in two tournaments: the Space Coast Challenge and the Hall of Fame Classic. The Space Coast Challenge was in Melbourne, Florida, where the Flames placed third in the tournament and beat Mississippi State by 11 points. The Hall of Fame Classic was in Kansas City, Missouri, where they defeated South Carolina for their fourth SEC win in program history, but placed second after a loss to Texas Christian University.

The Flames managed to win 10 of the next 13 games, including a win over Lipscomb in the latest matchup of a growing ASUN rivalry between the two programs. 

Though that run also brought a few losses as Liberty’s young core adapted to a new system, Head Coach Ritchie McKay has been open about his desire to put out the players that best set them up for winning – regardless of age. 

“I have zero problem playing a freshman, (as opposed to) a sophomore, junior or senior,” McKay said in a press conference Nov. 11. “I want to put the guys out there that can most impact winning.”

Junior guard Darius McGhee has become the leading scorer since Homesley’s departure this past spring. McGhee leads the team with the most shot attempts per game at 11.1 and is averaging a team-high 13.4 points per game, according to ESPN. McGhee has been aware since the fall of 2020 that he will need to be a leader for the younger guys on the team now that many leaders from last year’s team have graduated.

“It definitely gives me more of a leadership role,” McGhee said in a press conference Nov. 11. “It shows what I’ve learned over the years and puts me in the position to continue to learn, but also instill into others. So, (with) the freshmen class I am constantly trying to make the effort to talk to them and help this transition be as easy for them as possible, just like the guys ahead of me did for me.”

When it comes to impactful newcomers, Parker and Abii have been the most notable so far. Parker in particular has played a pivotal role since transferring from DII school Henderson State, averaging 10.2 points per game, 4.3 assists per game and 2.0 rebounds per game, according to ESPN. As a true freshman,  Abii has been efficient while on the court: averaging a 50% field goal percentage, 5.4 points per game and 1.5 free throws per game in just 11.6 minutes per game, according to ESPN.

One of the biggest question marks coming into the season was who would fill Scottie James’ shoes at center, however, and redshirt sophomore Blake Preston has stepped into that role. 

He arguably has made the biggest jump in production from players on last year’s roster and has shown potential for even more growth. Last year the big man averaged 2.4 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game in 4.9 minutes per game. However, this year Preston is averaging 9.2 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 1.4 assists per game in just 17.6 minutes per game, according to ESPN. 

Since fall practice, McKay has emphasized Preston’s development, and McKay was excited for the role Preston was going to have for the 2020-2021 season.

“I really think Blake Preston is gonna improve, once he returns to form,” McKay said in a press conference Nov. 11. “He has been dealing with a little ankle injury and limited to just half-court play. But once he returns to form, I think he’s gonna fall into a role that is really important to us.”

With the Flames in pole position for the ASUN conference title as they enter the last six games of the season, Liberty will need to stay sharp in its last three doubleheaders. McKay has discussed the difficulties of the back-to-back games against the same opponents each weekend, but he and the rest of the team believe the mental aspect of this pandemic-riddled season has been the biggest challenge so far.

“The unspoken (challenge) is the players’ mental exhaustion and fatigue,” McKay said in a postgame press conference Jan. 9. “We can talk about (how) the 80 minutes is hard to do this and to do that, but I just think when you are constantly testing, when you are constantly faced with change, when you’re asked to isolate and not socialize – I think it is taxing for the 18-22-year-old. Heck, it’s taxing for us adults. What I’m really pleased with is: our guys have shown a response and a maturity that I think warrants more opportunity. I am blessed by the opportunity I have to be around these guys, because I think they are inspiring.”

Liberty extended its record in the ASUN to 6-2 this weekend with an away sweep of Jacksonville University, winning 59-54 Friday and 64-58 Saturday. The Flames will return home Friday, Feb. 5, for the first of two home games against North Florida as the season draws to a close. 

Kevin Gora is a Sports Reporter.