[FlameFan11]

Good luck to Hughes and his family.

Seems we have been all in on Gardner so it's not too surprising. Looked like we were at every club tourney Gardner was in and staff traveling to AZ this week for first day of recruiting period.

Next week is a big visit weekend so will be exciting to see what players are on campus. Recruiting visits will be continuing so might get some more action as well. Next step is getting some 2016 commitments to go with Josiah. Huge step in turning things around. Have to get talented players to win.

[olldflame]

Good luck to Hughes and his family.

Seems we have been all in on Gardner so it's not too surprising. Looked like we were at every club tourney Gardner was in and staff traveling to AZ this week for first day of recruiting period.

Next week is a big visit weekend so will be exciting to see what players are on campus. Recruiting visits will be continuing so might get some more action as well. Next step is getting some 2016 commitments to go with Josiah. Huge step in turning things around. Have to get talented players to win.

Gardner really seems like a perfect fit. I´d love to see him in red, white and blue. Add a big, a guard, and maybe another athlete like Stavian Allen from the JUCO ranks or the Baruti kid from Mountain Mission to go with Josiah and that would be a 5 man class I could excited about!

[olldflame]

PG Dylan Frye from Miami has committed to Bowling Green.

With Hansel Atencia, who is a classic pass-first PG on board, I like the idea of getting a PG who can score and could play some at the 2 in this class. Xzavier Barmore from Seneca SC, who is making his official visit this weekend, would fill that bill. Averaged 27 ppg as a JR.

Brevin Galloway ‏@SwishyJim 11 sept.
My bro @XzavierBarmore taking his official visit to Liberty this weekend be safe

[olldflame]

Barmore has another visit scheduled at LA-Lafayette in 2 weeks. He also has offers from Winthrop, UNCC and Gardner-Webb.

[flameshaw]

Barmore has another visit scheduled at LA-Lafayette in 2 weeks. He also has offers from Winthrop, UNCC and Gardner-Webb.

Evidently, he gave us a verbal commit today.

[olldflame]

Barmore has another visit scheduled at LA-Lafayette in 2 weeks. He also has offers from Winthrop, UNCC and Gardner-Webb.

Evidently, he gave us a verbal commit today.

Yes!! 2 down and 3 to go.

Love it when kids commit on their visit when they have other visits scheduled. Especially if it´s a SBC school!

I like this get. He gives us a PG with a different skill set to compliment this years recruit Hansel Atencia.

BTW, Barmore had previously visited UNCC.

[olldflame]

Here´s a scouting report on Barmore (who goes by ¨ZayZay¨). Don´t let the fact that he is 6´and ¨kinda pale¨ fool you. This kid is explosive, and will throw down on the fast break every chance he gets.

http://peachstatebasketball.com/brandon ... er-4-2014/

His HS teamate, 6´2¨Brevin Galloway, is a College of Charleston Commit, and they are being touted as the best backcourt in the state.

[olldflame]

Does anyone know the status of Myo Baxter-Bell? He was in summer school and was briefly listed on the roster, then removed. He apparently did not qualify, but his twitter subtitle says ¨Liberty Basketball¨ and verbalcommits lists him as a verbal (same status as Fields and Dawson since there is no LOI) but none of his recent tweets reference school activities, which seems strange if he is currently a student. Whether or not McKay is planning on having him would determine whether we have 2 or 3 scholarships left for the 2016 class.

[FlameFan11]

Good luck to Hughes and his family.

Seems we have been all in on Gardner so it's not too surprising. Looked like we were at every club tourney Gardner was in and staff traveling to AZ this week for first day of recruiting period.

Next week is a big visit weekend so will be exciting to see what players are on campus. Recruiting visits will be continuing so might get some more action as well. Next step is getting some 2016 commitments to go with Josiah. Huge step in turning things around. Have to get talented players to win.

Gardner really seems like a perfect fit. I´d love to see him in red, white and blue. Add a big, a guard, and maybe another athlete like Stavian Allen from the JUCO ranks or the Baruti kid from Mountain Mission to go with Josiah and that would be a 5 man class I could excited about!

I totally agree! If this is how it worked out, I think Flames Nation would be very excited.

Now that Xzavier Barmore has committed with J. Talbert and strong recruitment of Gardner, we are starting to see the type of team Coach McKay is looking to build. He has always been an offensive minded coach but now with the defensive experience these last few years at UVA, I was interested to see what type of players he still recruited. Looks like versatile athletes who are shooters but also strong passers on the offensive end and athletic enough to defend their position.

[olldflame]

Per this tweet by his HS coach, Brock Gardner is coming for his official visit this weekend!

https://twitter.com/JBcornerstone11

[olldflame]

Apparently another one of the coaches who visited Brock recently was an assistant from Bob Jones. While I doubt he would choose to play at that level, the fact that he was interested enough to host a coach from there would tend to indicate a Christian environment appeals to him. A common thread among our recent signees and commits is that most if not all of them, whether they are in public or private schools, have HS coaches who are men of faith.

[Sly Fox]

Last I checked, Will Hrubes was in this weekend as well.

[olldflame]

Last I checked, Will Hrubes was in this weekend as well.

Yep. Wouldn´t want to be ¨blind-sided¨ and miss that one. Actually, I wouldn´t be surprised if there are one or 2 more on official visits we haven´t heard about and some in the CFAW crowd who are underclassmen making unofficial visits.

[Sly Fox]

Oher you trying to be funny?

[flameshaw]

Apparently another one of the coaches who visited Brock recently was an assistant from Bob Jones. While I doubt he would choose to play at that level, the fact that he was interested enough to host a coach from there would tend to indicate a Christian environment appeals to him. A common thread among our recent signees and commits is that most if not all of them, whether they are in public or private schools, have HS coaches who are men of faith.

BJU and Christian environment in the same sentence? Interesting.

[olldflame]

Apparently another one of the coaches who visited Brock recently was an assistant from Bob Jones. While I doubt he would choose to play at that level, the fact that he was interested enough to host a coach from there would tend to indicate a Christian environment appeals to him. A common thread among our recent signees and commits is that most if not all of them, whether they are in public or private schools, have HS coaches who are men of faith.

BJU and Christian environment in the same sentence? Interesting.

From what I have heard, the level of legalism at BJU has been taken down several notches, and it is probably no more strict there now than LBC was when you and I were students 40 some years ago.

[olldflame]

So, we have committments from PF Josiah Talbert and PG Xzavier Barmore, with either 2 or 3 schollies remaining, depending on what happens with Myo Baxter. It would seem to me that priority number one is to get Brock Gardner in the fold, hopefully this weekend on his official visit. I really believe he is an underrated player who could be to this class what Curry was to the class McKay signed in 07. Then we need a big. Ritchie has been very conservative with his offers, so the fact that he made one to John Fulkerson, the 6´9¨PF from TN who is a really hot commodity with over 20 offers, including several from high major programs, tells me there may be some interest on Fulkerson´s part.

[olldflame]

Here is an article about Brock from the Arizona Republic. It´s about a year old, but still some good info. What has happened since then is a really good JR year by both Brock (26 points, 9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.1 blocks) and his HS team (which has added 6´8¨ Nigel Shadd, another D1 prospect) plus another really good summer of AAU ball.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/h ... /13516469/

[olldflame]

Brock´s Junior year highlight video.

[FlameFan11]

So, we have committments from PF Josiah Talbert and PG Xzavier Barmore, with either 2 or 3 schollies remaining, depending on what happens with Myo Baxter. It would seem to me that priority number one is to get Brock Gardner in the fold, hopefully this weekend on his official visit. I really believe he is an underrated player who could be to this class what Curry was to the class McKay signed in 07. Then we need a big. Ritchie has been very conservative with his offers, so the fact that he made one to John Fulkerson, the 6´9¨PF from TN who is a really hot commodity with over 20 offers, including several from high major programs, tells me there may be some interest on Fulkerson´s part.

Totally agree oldflame. Priority #1 this weekend in Gardner. Hope that Jerry's Jokers let Gardner know how much Liberty wants him. Should be a crazy football atmosphere this weekend as well.

I did read on twitter that Fulkerson had scheduled visits with Tennessee and UNC Charlotte. Would love for him to find his way to Lynchburg to see campus. Adding him to a Gardner, Talbert frontline would be really nice. So much versatility and great skill from those guys.

Hope to hear some good news after this weekend!

[FlameFan11]

Here is an article about Brock from the Arizona Republic. It´s about a year old, but still some good info. What has happened since then is a really good JR year by both Brock (26 points, 9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.1 blocks) and his HS team (which has added 6´8¨ Nigel Shadd, another D1 prospect) plus another really good summer of AAU ball.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/h ... /13516469/

Here's another article from the same website that I found including Gardner. Interesting perspective on three high school stars playing at different levels but headed to the same destination, college basketball. Looks like it was written in late February.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/h ... /23800553/

[olldflame]

Regarding Fulkerson´s visit to UNCC, here´s hoping for a similar result to the last recruit of ours who visited there.

McKay has made a total of 8 offers for the 2016 class.

PG

Xzavier Barmore
Aaron Cook
Dylan Frye
Preston Parks

Xzavier of course has committed to Liberty. Frye is now a Bowling Green committ. Parks made a verbal to Gardner-Webb, but decommitted a couple of weeks later. I don´t believe we are still recruiting him, or Cook, since receiving the verbal from Barmore.

SF

Brock Gardner
Clayton Hughes

Hughes has verballed to UCF and Gardner is making his official visit to Liberty this weekend.

PF

John Fulkerson
Josiah Talbert

Talbert is in the fold. No word just yet on a visit for Fulkerson or his level of interest, but considering how stingy Ritchie has been with offers, I have to think he has reason to believe we have a good shot at him.

8 offers
2 commits
3 committed to other schools, all were redundant offers at their position where they do not appear to have been our first choice.
Gardner and Fulkerson.

Signing one of those 2 IMHO assures us a really good class. Signing both would make it a GREAT class.

[SumItUp]

Brock Gardner enjoyed his visit. Encouraging signs that he will commit. Hopefully it's confirmed in the coming day/s.

Coach McKay will turn this program around quickly. I don't know what kind of results we will have this season, but I expect we will overachieve. I couldn't help but think about tonight's student section at the Bill translating that energy into rocking the Vines. That would be a force that rivals any program nationally, not only in the Big South. How do you convince the students to catch the vision?

[Sly Fox]

They were catching it the end of the season with Seth. You can't manufacture buzz on a broad scale. Only winning can build that type of interest in these Millenials.

[Wvflame2013]

I agree. It's all about the experience. Were a consumer culture that wants a product to be sold to us to keep us coming back for more, and if not we will take our money, time, and support somewhere else. That's why Hockey has more fans at LU then basketball right now.