[ballah09]

i'm late

COACH AND PROGRAM
Picked to finish sixth in the Big South preseason poll last year, the Flames caught fire as conference play began and rode that start all the way to a second-place conference finish, coach Dale Layer picking up Big South Coach-of-the-Year honors, and point guard Jesse Sanders (11.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 5.7 apg) earning the Player-of-the-Year award.

Liberty won nine of its first 10 BSC games, and nobody was more important to their team than Sanders, who did a little bit of everything. He led the Big South and was 23rd in the country in assists, was 11th in the conference in rebounding despite his 6-3 frame, and was 18th in scoring. Sanders became the first Big South player ever with at least 500 rebounds and 400 assists in a career, and he has another year to add to those totals.

"He is a guy that absolutely gives his heart every day at practice and can lead us in any category," Layer said. "Those guys are hard to find."

Sanders was also on the ball triggering Liberty's sticky defense, second in the league while yielding just 65.6 points per game. The Flames led in three-point defense, allowing just 31.8 percent shooting from behind the arc.

PLAYERS
Perhaps the real key to the Flames turning up the heat, though, was the arrival of 6-4 forward John Brown (11.3 ppg, 10.8 rpg), a transfer from Roane State. Brown, a senior, led the Big South and finished eighth in the country in rebounding. He plugged in at either forward slot and created mismatches.

Liberty Flames
Last Season 19-13 (.594)
Conference Record 13-5 (2nd)
Starters Lost/Returning 1/4
Coach Dale Layer (Eckerd '80)
Record At School 34-29 (2 years)
Career Record 304-222 (18 years)
RPI Last 5 years 280-258-152-234-186
But Brown went down with a knee injury in late August that will sideline him for the entire 2011-12 season, a devasting blow to the team.

Brown also shot 52.6 percent from the field, earned second team All-Big South honors and helped Liberty bang out a plus-6.4 rebounding margin in league games.

Liberty's other second team all-conference selection, junior Evan Gordon, transferred to Arizona State. Gordon, who led the team in scoring back-to-back seasons, follows in the footsteps of another LU guard that left early, Seth Curry, who transferred to Duke two years ago.

Senior David Minaya (10.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg) looks capable of picking up some of the scoring slack. A transfer from Tennessee Tech two years ago, Minaya was disappointing in 2009-10 after averaging just 3.1 points, but he more than tripled that mark last year. At 6-6, he gives Layer some versatility on the wing.

Redshirt sophomore Joel Vander Pol (4.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg) returns at center. At 6-10 and 230 pounds, he's a skilled player who is still improving. Junior Antwan Burrus (6.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg) is a more athletic option up front at 6-6. He can score and rebound and has a big 220-pound body that he knows how to use in the paint. "He can face up or play with his back to the basket," Layer said. "That gives us a different look or we can play him together with Joel."

Blue Ribbon Previews
Take an Inside look at the Big South with Blue Ribbon's 2010-11 team reports:

Campbell
Charleston Southern
Coastal Carolina
Gardner-Webb
High Point
Liberty
Radford
UNC Asheville
Virginia Military
Winthrop

Sophomore John Caleb Sanders (3.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg) could join his brother in the starting lineup. A 6-0 guard, he had an inconsistent freshman campaign, but he plays hard like his brother and could be a big scorer. Another candidate is 6-4 Tavares Speaks (18.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg), a junior transfer from Cape Fear (N.C.) Community College, where he earned All-America honors. Layer likes his defense and mid-range game.

Layer is also high on 6-7 Nigerian Sommy Ogukwe (1.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.7 bpg), a sophomore who, despite those modest numbers, "changed every game he was in last year with his athleticism, shot blocking and rebounding."

The Flames are also counting on 6-9 freshman Tomasz Gielo (13.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg at Poland's SMS Cetniewo Sports Academy), to carve out a spot in the front line rotation. He can play either forward slot and has played on the U17 Polish National Team.

With improved sophomore Chene Phillips (1.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg) getting some reserve minutes at point, the Flames easily go 10 players deep. Redshirt freshman Stephen Baird is a 6-8 forward who could also work into minutes if he's fully recovered from the ACL injury that shelved him last year. He has shooting range to stretch defenses.

Hart Gliedman is another redshirt freshman, a 6-5 New York native, that can help at small forward. Incoming 6-9 freshman Andrew Smith from Highlands Christian in Pompano Beach, Fla., has perimeter skills but may not be physically ready, making him a redshirt candidate this year. Ditto local 6-1 sharp-shooter Ethan Layer, who has a great familiarity with the system (and the coach) and projects as a lethal shooter, but just not this year.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: A-
BENCH/DEPTH: B
FRONTCOURT: B
INTANGIBLES: B

"We won a lot of close games last year," Layer said. "I don't know if we were as good as our record in our league, but we found ways to win and had a little momentum going for a good bit. I don't know that we were that talented, but we had some really good character guys that allowed us to win some games that we probably shouldn't have."

The run climaxed, though, in mid-February as the Flames flickered out with five straight losses to end the season. Now Layer has a deeper team that's more talented at some spots, though Gordon is a tough loss, and Brown a huge blow. The Flames hope the improved depth prevents another misstep down the stretch.

Layer can play Burrus alongside Vander Pol and go bigger, or insert John Caleb Sanders or Speaks at guard and spread the floor. One of those latter two has to up the ante offensively and score baskets from the perimeter. The Flames also need Jesse Sanders to absolutely stay healthy. The loss of Brown is likely already a deal-breaker in any championship hopes.

Defense will keep LU in a lot of games, and the Flames have already shown they can win tight games. "Every team is new," Layer said. ""Can we find a way to get wins again? I sure hope so."