[Purple Haize]

LANG is spot on. Obviously since I said some of the same things he is actually quite brilliant.
PA its fine to be frustrated and getting waxed yesterday makes everyone feel that way. The issue of talent is a tricky one. IMO we need a coach who can get solid players and coach them up. We are joy going to get a lot of Blue chippers here. You look back at some of the teams we have had in the past that everyone thought was talented and how many times did they lay an egg?
I'm also skeptical of our apparent focus on Home School All Americans, but I'm open minded for now to see how it works out. That's because I think Layer is a good coach

[lynchburgwildcats]

no real good way to pose this question, but: I wonder if the real issue is that the top recruits aint buying what we are selling? Not stereotyping kids, but if you are a top flight prospect, I think our rep may REALLY hurt in this particular sport.

Top flight prospects don't go to the Big South in basketball. Don't kid yourself here. Jesse Sanders one of the best players in LU history and he was only a two-star prospect with the most high profile basketball school that recruited him being St. Louis, Rice, Boston U

[SuperJon]

no real good way to pose this question, but: I wonder if the real issue is that the top recruits aint buying what we are selling? Not stereotyping kids, but if you are a top flight prospect, I think our rep may REALLY hurt in this particular sport.

I've thought this for the past few years. In the 4.5 years I was at Liberty, and in the total of six years that I've been following Liberty athletics, the majority of the "star" players for Liberty basketball weren't your true Liberty students. Jesse Sanders is an exception. Look at our best players over those years, especially those that transferred out, and you'll see they didn't fit the mold of being a Liberty kid. Getting hard working guys that are coachable is the only way we will succeed and still fit the Liberty mold.

[bradyfan]

I'm not going to quote everything that I want to respond to but you should know who you are.

Lang - I do agree that the league is better and it was a bad time for us to try and rebuild. However, my point is that it shouldn't matter how good the league is because we should be better than anyone here. I honestly would be okay if we only won like 15 or 16 total games this year, that's more of what I was expecting with the injuries. The reality is that we only win 10 and that's being generous. Being below average is one thing, being absolutely horrible is different.


Medic - You have a really interesting point.


Wildcats - I understand that money doesn't equal success but we're spending such an astronomical number, compared to the rest of the conference, that near LAST is just unacceptable to me. Again, if we were just worse than say Campbell or Coastal and if we had like 9 wins by now, I'd understand. But we've won 5 games and it's almost mid-January. 5 games! It's awful. Also, keep in mind that 3 of those wins aren't even against D1 teams!


The biggest problem that I have with this is that the basketball team is not anywhere close to being ready for a move. You don't have to be a competitive team to have a successful conference jump. However, if we went to even the Sun-Belt, we wouldn't win a game. It's just so awful. I don't ever expect us to have a great basketball program because I know our efforts are geared towards Football. I'm fine with that. I just think that we should at least be a competitive Big South team.

[Cider Jim]

Top flight prospects don't go to the Big South in basketball.

REALLY? SC came to the Big South (briefly) and now he's starting for Duke; Carter McMasters was a bust here, but he chose the Big South over playing for Tennessee in the SEC.

Over the years, we had transfers from Rutgers, WVU, UVa and many other major schools.

[Purple Haize]

Top flight prospects don't go to the Big South in basketball.

REALLY? SC came to the Big South (briefly) and now he's starting for Duke; Carter McMasters was a bust here, but he chose the Big South over playing for Tennessee in the SEC.

Over the years, we had transfers from Rutgers, WVU, UVa and many other major schools.

Yeah but they were not stellar players at the school they transferred from. SC was different and even HE didn't get a lot of looks till late.
Now Quiz Bowl has seen its share of 5 star recruits and dont let anyone tell you different!

[bradyfan]

Top flight prospects don't go to the Big South in basketball.

REALLY? SC came to the Big South (briefly) and now he's starting for Duke; Carter McMasters was a bust here, but he chose the Big South over playing for Tennessee in the SEC.

Over the years, we had transfers from Rutgers, WVU, UVa and many other major schools.

Yeah but they were not stellar players at the school they transferred from. SC was different and even HE didn't get a lot of looks till late.
Now Quiz Bowl has seen its share of 5 star recruits and dont let anyone tell you different!

There is a big camp every year for HS recruits, mainly ones who develop late. SC was one of those but happened to have the flu at that camp. Somehow, McKay was the only one who knew that and he gave him a scholly. I heard this from one of my Dad's business partners who knows the Currys personally.

[Purple Haize]

There are many big camps throughout the year. In fact the summer circuit is huge. There would have been more then one chance to see him play. I know that people still Had questions about his brother at Davidson and SC was scrawnier then his brother.

[bradyfan]

There are many big camps throughout the year. In fact the summer circuit is huge. There would have been more then one chance to see him play. I know that people still Had questions about his brother at Davidson and SC was scrawnier then his brother.

Yeah, I really don't know basketball like I do football. I do know that SC makes being a LU and Duke fan pretty sweet!

[jbock13]

There are many big camps throughout the year. In fact the summer circuit is huge. There would have been more then one chance to see him play. I know that people still Had questions about his brother at Davidson and SC was scrawnier then his brother.

Yeah, I really don't know basketball like I do football. I do know that SC makes being a LU and Duke fan pretty sweet!

Typical Hokie. VT in football, Duke in basketball.

[bradyfan]

There are many big camps throughout the year. In fact the summer circuit is huge. There would have been more then one chance to see him play. I know that people still Had questions about his brother at Davidson and SC was scrawnier then his brother.

Yeah, I really don't know basketball like I do football. I do know that SC makes being a LU and Duke fan pretty sweet!

Typical Hokie. VT in football, Duke in basketball.

haha. I'm not a hokie! I'm a VT football fan. I pull for Duke in everything. Also, I love watching VT just miss the tournament every year. It's the best part of selection sunday!

[jbock13]

Watching VT miss the tourney and whine about it every year, wow I think we finally agree on something!

[bradyfan]

Watching VT miss the tourney and whine about it every year, wow I think we finally agree on something!

...makes me laugh every time.




http://www.slamonline.com/online/colleg ... log-day-2/

[lynchburgwildcats]

Top flight prospects don't go to the Big South in basketball.

REALLY? SC came to the Big South (briefly) and now he's starting for Duke; Carter McMasters was a bust here, but he chose the Big South over playing for Tennessee in the SEC.

Over the years, we had transfers from Rutgers, WVU, UVa and many other major schools.

Seth Curry was only a three-star player. Carter McMasters was only a three-star player. Three-star players aren't top flight prospects. They are potentially good prospects.

Top flight means HS All-American, top flight means coaches like John Calipari and Roy Williams are recruiting you, top flight means you are on the radar for the NBA. Top flight is for the best of the very best. Three-star players don't even pique the interest of the NBA unless they develop big time in college ala Stephen Curry.

That list doesn't go 100 deep, which is how far you have to go down the list most years to find the first ranked three-star player.

Transferring from a BCS level school down to a low major doesn't mean they are top-flight prospects. If they have to go that far to get playing time, they were busts to begin with. You don't see quality players from BCS level teams transferring down to a low major conference because of productivity. Only time you see it is if they get kicked off the team and have major baggage that the big time teams don't want to deal with - like a Derrick Caracter

[ballcoach15]

LU needs to make a coaching change. Layer is a good man, but not a good coach. He does not have the personality a D1 coach needs. He seems to isolate himself from everyone and everything. I did not like this hire when it was made. Two of the candidates for job when McKay left , would both have been better hires.

[Cider Jim]

Baby steps, Wildcat. Let's begin by recruiting a whole team of 3 star athletes.

[jcmanson]

LU needs to make a coaching change. Layer is a good man, but not a good coach. He does not have the personality a D1 coach needs. He seems to isolate himself from everyone and everything. I did not like this hire when it was made. Two of the candidates for job when McKay left , would both have been better hires.

The last thing this program needs is more change.

[lynchburgwildcats]

Baby steps, Wildcat. Let's begin by recruiting a whole team of 3 star athletes.

Yes, but you have fans (well at least one) clamoring for top flight recruits. Not happening at LU right now. I just had to drop a dose of knowledge on some folks who have their expectations so far out of whack that every coach would be considered a failure by their standards. Some starting to sound like one of those idiotic Kentucky fans who are never happy unless they go undefeated every year...

[Sly Fox]

In that does of knowledge you left out that both Baird & McMasters were listed as 4-star recruits before committing to LU. Obviously the jury is still out on Stephen while Carter was clearly a disappointment.

[lynchburgwildcats]

In that does of knowledge you left out that both Baird & McMasters were listed as 4-star recruits before committing to LU. Obviously the jury is still out on Stephen while Carter was clearly a disappointment.

McMasters - three stars - http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... ters-38508
McMasters - three stars - http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p= ... id=1957395
McMasters - no stars, but rated an 87, Baird was an 85 for reference - http://espn.go.com/college-sports/baske ... -mcmasters

Baird - three stars - http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... aird-68386
Baird - two stars - http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p= ... id=3250722
Baird - two stars - http://espn.go.com/college-sports/baske ... even-baird

[Bigsouthking]

I truly think it would be patently unfair to judge Layer on this season ... not just because of the injuries but because of when they came. Add to the fact that I think this league is better than it has been than at any other time that I've been on the beat, and it was just an awful year for LU to try to rebuild on the fly. This is probably Asheville's best team in the last six or seven years. Coastal is really talented. I can't remember seeing a CSU team this athletic. Campbell is really deep and talented. Gardner-Webb and Winthrop are starting to figure it out. I know the RPI numbers say one thing, but those years that the RPI has been high for the conference, it's been on the back of one or two really strong teams. There are six or seven teams that are just going to be really tough outs this year.

That said, what happened yesterday in Asheville was an embarrassment, and everyone in that locker room knows it. I hate to pick on Vander Pol, but that sequence in the first half where he got completely outhustled twice on the same possession for a rebound sticks out at me. The three young bigs are really having a tough time picking up the defensive concepts, and that's translating into the games. There are players who are playing decent possessions of one-on-one defense, but very few players are playing solid team defense. And when that happens, you get what you got yesterday, which is lots of backdoor looks at the basket, transition baskets and uncontested 3s.

I'm really curious to see what happens Tuesday in Lexington, because I've got to think yesterday was rock bottom. Yesterday was the first time that anyone blew the doors off Liberty in a league game. We shall see.

Wrong, VMI beat LU by 40 on senior night when the George Jefferson look a like was coaching. (RMK)

Layer job status shouldn't be questioned,(he was COY last season) -- JB being hurt is an excuse. Flames due a win, will come soon I bet.

[BJWilliams]

I think he was referring to since Coach Layer took over...

[Sly Fox]

In that does of knowledge you left out that both Baird & McMasters were listed as 4-star recruits before committing to LU. Obviously the jury is still out on Stephen while Carter was clearly a disappointment.

McMasters - three stars - http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... ters-38508
McMasters - three stars - http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p= ... id=1957395
McMasters - no stars, but rated an 87, Baird was an 85 for reference - http://espn.go.com/college-sports/baske ... -mcmasters

Baird - three stars - http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... aird-68386
Baird - two stars - http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p= ... id=3250722
Baird - two stars - http://espn.go.com/college-sports/baske ... even-baird

Dude, I said before they committed to LU. Those are where they ended up on signing day. Once a player commits to a mid-major, the services all downgrade the ratings. I know a thing or two about how they operate.

[Chris Lang]

I truly think it would be patently unfair to judge Layer on this season ... not just because of the injuries but because of when they came. Add to the fact that I think this league is better than it has been than at any other time that I've been on the beat, and it was just an awful year for LU to try to rebuild on the fly. This is probably Asheville's best team in the last six or seven years. Coastal is really talented. I can't remember seeing a CSU team this athletic. Campbell is really deep and talented. Gardner-Webb and Winthrop are starting to figure it out. I know the RPI numbers say one thing, but those years that the RPI has been high for the conference, it's been on the back of one or two really strong teams. There are six or seven teams that are just going to be really tough outs this year.

That said, what happened yesterday in Asheville was an embarrassment, and everyone in that locker room knows it. I hate to pick on Vander Pol, but that sequence in the first half where he got completely outhustled twice on the same possession for a rebound sticks out at me. The three young bigs are really having a tough time picking up the defensive concepts, and that's translating into the games. There are players who are playing decent possessions of one-on-one defense, but very few players are playing solid team defense. And when that happens, you get what you got yesterday, which is lots of backdoor looks at the basket, transition baskets and uncontested 3s.

I'm really curious to see what happens Tuesday in Lexington, because I've got to think yesterday was rock bottom. Yesterday was the first time that anyone blew the doors off Liberty in a league game. We shall see.

Wrong, VMI beat LU by 40 on senior night when the George Jefferson look a like was coaching. (RMK)

Layer job status shouldn't be questioned,(he was COY last season) -- JB being hurt is an excuse. Flames due a win, will come soon I bet.

I was talking about this season.

[truthorconsequences]

So we are handing out "free passes" on a program that spends 2.5 million a year and finishes 0-5 for 2011, now is 2-17 in last 19 NCAA D1 games and 0-9 in BSC. After looking back at some old posts I am amazed how some who were saying we should do better than my favorite coach vehemently defend was has been constructed as a good coach. Political? certainly!

Let's hope that tonight can be a break through. We have had a number of wins in Lexington.