Basketball holds first practice of new season
The Flames men’s basketball team is gearing up to return to the hardwood, but this season will bring significant changes for the Flames roster and their season. For one, the greatest Flame to lace them up has left Lynchburg, leaving a massive hole in this season’s roster.
“We all miss Darius (McGhee),” Flames Head Coach Ritchie McKay said. “But that’s the nature of the beast. We got him for five years, which is an unbelievable blessing. But I think our program is one in which guys take advantage of their opportunity when the opportunity presents (itself). And although (around) a third of our team is new … I do think we have enough experience to stay competitive.”
Much of this Flames roster has yet to set foot onto the court in a Liberty uniform. The headliner of the newcomers is junior guard Kaden Metheny, a transfer from Bowling Green. An undersized guard, Metheny is already carving a role out for himself in this Flames offensive strategy and will likely see big minutes very early on in the season.
“He’s terrific,” McKay said. “He can score. He can defend. He’s tough. He can create. He doesn’t have a weakness in his game. He’s really good. We are really fortunate to have him in our program. And I liked him … in high school, I had an aversion to taking two small guards when he was coming out. Not to say that we could have gotten him, but man, I’m glad we got him now.”
Another transfer who’s making waves is former Creighton Bluejay Zander Yates. The sophomore forward stands at 6 feet, 7 inches and neatly fits into McKay’s positionless style of basketball. Other new faces for the Flames include freshmen guards Jaylen Davis and Curtis Blair and forward Kai Yu, who is listed at 7 feet tall.
Another massive change for the Flames is the shift from the ASUN to Conference USA. The Flames made the move after just four years in the ASUN, and it’s widely been seen as an upgrade in both opportunity and competition.
“It is a step up, and that’s no disrespect to the ASUN,” McKay said. “I think there’s fabulous coaches and really good players in the ASUN. I just think there’s a little more tradition (in the CUSA). There is what seems to be a little more length than athleticism, more experience in this league, a little higher level of player … I just think it’s going to be harder.”
The Flames begin their season Nov. 6, as they play host to the Mid-Atlantic Christian Mustangs. Even with the loss of McGhee and the move to an allegedly more challenging conference, the Flames have high expectations for themselves.
“I mean, there will be a learning curve with different coaches and playing styles in the league,” McKay said. “But we’ve been one that we’ve tried to challenge ourselves in our non-conference (games), and we try and focus on what we can control. And that’s the process, the ownership of that process, and making sure that we have a pursuit that warrants an opportunity to compete against the best if we get that afforded that chance.”
Palsgrove is the asst. sports editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on X
