[Purple Haize]

At this point if I am Gielo I'm leaning to not returning. Lots of change. On the positive side, he'd be one of the 2 Go To guys along with Theo, which may not be the case if he goes elsewhere

[olldflame]

At this point if I am Gielo I'm leaning to not returning. Lots of change. On the positive side, he'd be one of the 2 Go To guys along with Theo, which may not be the case if he goes elsewhere

When you have lost 80 games in 4 years, change is not necessarily bad. We have been talking about Tomasz being a go to guy for at least 2 years now. It may be that McKay is the coach who could make it happen, but we also may never find out. Looking at the schools he is considering, I think he would be pretty much a role player for just about any of them. Anyone else think it would be ironic to see a transfer from Liberty to BYU?

[Chris Lang]

I've been hinting at it without saying it, but I don't think the Euros are coming either, based on what I've been hearing. May be as much an NCAA issue as it is a new coach issue.

[jinxy]

Im fine with all of it but you have to get atleast 1 more big in there. Your looking at maxwell as the only true post player. There probably working on adding a big somewhere now. Andoh was puzzling. He seemed to have the talent but he was a turnover machine and he had poor shot selection. Hopefully gielo comes back and we get atleast 1 big.

[olldflame]

Im fine with all of it but you have to get atleast 1 more big in there. Your looking at maxwell as the only true post player. There probably working on adding a big somewhere now. Andoh was puzzling. He seemed to have the talent but he was a turnover machine and he had poor shot selection. Hopefully gielo comes back and we get atleast 1 big.

True post players aren't a necessity on a McKay team, but you do need length to play the pack line. Not only is Maxwell our only real size, but he has significant stamina issues. I'm sure he has been working hard on it, but I doubt if he will be able to play even 20 minutes at a D1 pace. If we lose Gielo and don't recruit another big, our next biggest guys are Talbert at 6'8" 190 and coming off back surgery and Theo at 6'7" 205.

The more I think about it, unless they have a couple of bigs in the pipeline who are going to absolutely blow us away, cutting Andoh loose makes no basketball sense. I think there must be other reasons. Retic and Dembley made sense as basketball moves. They were recruited over when Layer brought in Dawson and McKay signed Cabbil and Atencia.

[jcmanson]

Allow me just to speculate a bit based on what we know now... (assuming Baxter is not eligible)

Projected starting lineup w/ Gielo:
5'11" Atencia
6'1" Cabbil
6'4" Kemrite
6'7" T. Johnson
6'9" Gielo

with Dawson, Homesley, Reid, and Talbert getting looks off the bench.

Projected starting lineup w/o Gielo:
5'11" Atencia
6'1" Cabbil
6'4" Kemrite
6'5" Reid
6'7" T. Johnson

with Dawson, Homesley, and Talbert off the bench.

The notion they could magically bring a big in that is ready to contribute this late in the process, is highly unlikely.

Obviously there's several unknowns, but I think with Gielo we have the ability to finish in the top half of a very watered down Big South.

[olldflame]

Yes, it is getting late, but there are JUCO bigs out there who could help us right away. We have offered Brandon Walters 6'10" 278 from Chattanooga TN, and he is still unsigned. We also have offered a couple of HS bigs who have not yet committed. The other thing is, transfers work both ways and there are some graduates still available who could play right away.

As far as the lineup is concerned, I do think Dawson will start when he becomes eligible. I also think Maxwell will play a bigger role than Manson seems to think, especially if we lose Gielo. I can't imagine Reid and Kemrite at the 3 and 4. Yes, I know what we did in 08-09, but these guys aren't the athletes that Smitty and Ohman were.

[jinxy]

Kemrite and reid are close to the samw player to me. Juco big makes sense especially to spread out the class and get another body in the paint. I know what your saying oldflame but you need the option to go big if we have to in certain matchups. I think top 4 is possible if gielo comes back and he and talbert are healthy. Still think a juco big would be perfect or a grad player.

[olldflame]

I just went back and looked at this Game On piece on the "Excitement of the McKay hire" where our returning Seniors (less Gielo) were interviewed. It was shot just a couple of weeks before it was announced that 2 of the 3 would not be returning. Is it just me, or is it lacking "excitement"? Looking at it now, I have to think they at least suspected something was coming.

http://www.liberty.edu/flames/index.cfm ... 18&TeamID=

BTW, I have been told that factors other than their basketball skills did indeed play a part in the decision not to renew those 3 scholarships. I figured it had to with Andoh. You could make an argument that from a strictly basketball standpoint, Andoh is a player we had to have.

A number of years ago we signed a JUCO player with a sketchy past which included a previous redshirt year at LU after which he left for JC under some questionable circumstances. Meyer was reluctant to take him back, but his top assistant convinced him we "Had to have him". He turned out to be the worst of the bad apples in the barrel that led to the downfall of the Meyer era. I don't want to suggest this means any of those 3 are the same kind of "bad apples" I'm just happy to see Ritchie setting a standard and sticking to it even if it ends up making things harder next year..

[Flamerz]

New to the forum but I can say the players who were let go were deemed as not RMK guys, either didn't work hard enough in practice or just didn't impress him at all.

Dawson is going to be a key player on this roster next year also.

[Purple Haize]

New to the forum but I can say the players who were let go were deemed as not RMK guys, either didn't work hard enough in practice or just didn't impress him at all.

Dawson is going to be a key player on this roster next year also.

[jinxy]

Legit question. Is jb's son a legit d1 prospect. I keep seeing and hearing what a ridiculously good 3 pt shooter he us but i havent heard a word on recruiting for him. I think he may be playing aau with brendan newton the 7 footer. Not 100 percent sure

[SuperJon]

He's 6'4 and can stroke it. Gotta think there's a place for him on a McKay team.

[BJWilliams]

Agreed...I think him and Rowsey would make for quite a shootout, if not for the fact he is transferring

[PAmedic]

He's 6'4 and can stroke it pale and goes to a christian school. Gotta think there's a place for him on a McKayLiberty team.

[jcmanson]

He's been getting D1 looks, but he's a 2017 prospect. It's a little early to be hearing of offers.

[Purple Haize]

He's 6'4 and can stroke it pale and goes to a christian school. Gotta think there's a place for him on a McKayLiberty team.

[olldflame]

Agreed...I think him and Rowsey would make for quite a shootout, if not for the fact he is transferring

Wouldn't matter BJ. If Rowsey had stayed at UNCA he would have graduated before JB's son is a Freshman.

If the kid is any good he is a "freebee" for us, and no Purple, it is not cheating.

In doing just a quick bit of research I saw that he scored 35 points and made 9 3s in a 64-60 win over North Cross

[Purple Haize]

Agreed...I think him and Rowsey would make for quite a shootout, if not for the fact he is transferring

Wouldn't matter BJ. If Rowsey had stayed at UNCA he would have graduated before JB's son is a Freshman.

If the kid is any good he is a "freebee" for us, and no Purple, it is not cheating.

In doing just a quick bit of research I saw that he scored 35 points and made 9 3s in a 64-60 win over North Cross

Why would I think it is cheating?

[olldflame]

Agreed...I think him and Rowsey would make for quite a shootout, if not for the fact he is transferring

Wouldn't matter BJ. If Rowsey had stayed at UNCA he would have graduated before JB's son is a Freshman.

If the kid is any good he is a "freebee" for us, and no Purple, it is not cheating.

In doing just a quick bit of research I saw that he scored 35 points and made 9 3s in a 64-60 win over North Cross

Why would I think it is cheating?

Maybe I misread you, but it seems you have implied in the past that we were playing fast and loose with the scholarship limit when we had Layer's son as a walkon, but getting free tuition as a staffer's child.

[JakeP50]

He's 6'4 and can stroke it pale and goes to a christian school. Gotta think there's a place for him on a McKayLiberty team.

New favorite for post of the year

[Purple Haize]

OLD. Yep. You were. Do we play fast and loose with the rules sometimes? Sure we do. But not in this case.

[olldflame]

And just that fast, Jay Barber receives his first scholarship offer, from Liberty University. Sign him and his AAU teammate, the 7'2" Newton kid, for 17 and Purple and ballcoach will be ecstatic. I should add that we also signed a VA HS player this Spring, even if he is originally from Columbia.

[Purple Haize]

And just that fast, Jay Barber receives his first scholarship offer, from Liberty University. Sign him and his AAU teammate, the 7'2" Newton kid, for 17 and Purple and ballcoach will be ecstatic. I should add that we also signed a VA HS player this Spring, even if he is originally from Columbia.

I still want to see this Newton kid. I THINK I saw him at game this year (I only went to 1) and he looked tall but not 7 2
As for Barber, I've never seen him play. But there are A LOT of 6'4" white kids who can shoot lights out and not be D1 players.

[Cider Jim]

Barber hit 9 three pointers in a game TWICE this year. Has an LU player ever done that once?