[paradox]

Liberty hires former New Mexico State coach

Jeff Goodman / FOXSports.com

It didn't take Ritchie McKay long to find a new home.
McKay, who was fired after five years at New Mexico earlier in the month, will be introduced as the new head coach at Liberty University on Monday at 9 a.m.
According to sources, McKay was selected over Auburn associate head coach John Cooper and West Virginia assistant Matt Brown.

McKay replaces Randy Dunton, who was fired after a 66-85 mark in five seasons at Liberty.

McKay has previous head coaching experience at Portland State, Colorado State and Oregon State before spending the past five years in Albuquerque.

He led the Lobos to the NCAA tournament in 2005, but New Mexico was just 32-26 in the last two years and 12-17 this past season.

McKay will take over a program that loses senior Larry Blair, who is the conference's all-time leading scorer, but will likely return junior guard Dwight Brewington and also gain the services of former Virginia guard T.J. Bannister, who sat out last season.

Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. He can be reached at GoodmanonFOX@aol.com.

[paradox]

His entire '07-08 recruiting class is backing out from UNM and they are apparently committed to RM. Let's see who ends up in the LU fold... should be interesting.

[thepostman]

any idea who these recruits are??? I am glad this whole thing is going to be over...I look forward to hearing what he says during the press conference

[PeterParker]

His entire '07-08 recruiting class is backing out from UNM and they are apparently committed to RM. Let's see who ends up in the LU fold... should be interesting.

Where did you hear this? Even if it's half true, it will be interesting to see how the team balance shakes out, and which current flames start getting restless feet.

[paradox]

any idea who these recruits are??? I am glad this whole thing is going to be over...I look forward to hearing what he says during the press conference

Gaurd Micky McConnell and forward Reggie Huffman have backed out from commitments from UNM. Ty Abbott also backed out, but it's unlikely that he's coming here. Nothing is confirmed, just speculation at this time as far as McConnell and Huffman are concerned.

[Purple Haize]

Wow if those two came I am sure our guys would do CARTWHEELS (No that will NEVER get old!)

[paradox]

I'll betcha Winthrop won't be doing any cartwheels any time soon especially after Marshall leaves.

[PAmedic]

any chance the Lobo's had a 7' Nigerian center that is backing outta his committment and willing to take a look at us?

[Cider Jim]

If I were a 7 foot Nigerian center, I'd rather play for McKay at LU than RD at _______.

[olldflame]

A little quick research finds that McConnell is out of HS and at 6' is a true PG who averaged 21 PPG, but his strength is his court vision. Huffman is an athletic 6'7" 215 JUCO forward; an Air Force veteren who did not play HS basketball.

I really don't care much about players McCay may bring in at this point (unless it's a big-time post player ). I'm more concerned about retaining what we have and who the assistants will be. I certainly hope either Alexis or Zack will be retained for continuity and knowledge of the Big South.

[paradox]

Hopefully, we keep both Lex and Zach.

There us a real possibility that Brad Soucie will be coming in with McKay.

[PAmedic]

DOX- 500 posts in 4 months

nicely done

[olldflame]

Hopefully, we keep both Lex and Zach.

There us a real possibility that Brad Soucie will be coming in with McKay.

If I'm not mistaken Soucie was McKay's right hand man at NM, and is also an outspoken Christian.

[paradox]

There's no doubt that McKay surrounds himself with committed people--Steve Alford, Ed Schilling, and Brad Soucie, to name a few.

[belcherboy]

Hopefully, we keep both Lex and Zach.

There us a real possibility that Brad Soucie will be coming in with McKay.

If I'm not mistaken Soucie was McKay's right hand man at NM, and is also an outspoken Christian.

I am about 10 years younger than Brad, but I believe he played High School ball at Inter City Baptist, in Allen Park, MI. That is my rival school. He went to Eastern Michigan for a year or two and then left to follow his old high school coach to Christian Heritage College in El Cajon, Calif. His old teammate, Mark Kratz, is coaching at Inter City now and his high school coach is now head coach at Cedarville University. I'm pretty sure this is the same guy. I'll have to look it up. I take my basketball team to Cedarville every summer for team camp. I'll talk with Coach Slagle about it if it is true.

It would be cool to see him at Liberty. He was one of the states best 3 point shooters ever. He was unconscious against Pitt his Freshman year at EMU in the first round of the NCAA tourney. I think he hit something like 8 three pointers in that game. I know he had some state high school records. I'm not sure if they still stand though!

[EarlLacker]

I wish these national writers would bother to consult a media guide or something before they write their articles.

McKay's record this season was actually 15-17, not 12-17.

Reggie Huffman has already signed with UAB.

Abbott and McConnell have been released from their LOIs, but its not clear yet whether or not Coach Alford will try to re-recruit them.

[Cider Jim]

From ESPN...

McKay heads to Liberty, replaces Dunton
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com


Former New Mexico coach Ritchie McKay will be named the next head coach at Liberty University, a source close to McKay told ESPN.com.

McKay replaces Randy Dunton, who was fired after six seasons. McKay visited the Lynchburg, Va., campus over the weekend and lands a head coaching job a day after New Mexico held a news conference in Albuquerque to introduce McKay's replacement, Steve Alford.

McKay takes over a Liberty team that finished 14-17 overall, 8-6 in the Big South, two spots behind undefeated conference champion Winthrop.

This is McKay's first foray to the East Coast after working in the state of Washington and serving as a head coach at Portland State, Colorado State, Oregon State and New Mexico.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2811323

[olldflame]

From ESPN...

McKay heads to Liberty, replaces Dunton
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

This is McKay's first foray to the East Coast after working in the state of Washington and serving as a head coach at Portland State, Colorado State, Oregon State and New Mexico.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2811323

Fire the research staff! They missed Ritchie's year as an assistant coach at Queen's College in Charlotte.

[jcmanson]

I just wanted to say welcome to Coach McKay; the more I hear the better I think this hire was for us. It is nice to be making national news with this decision. Good luck to Coach, and hopefully this will be the first of many great decisions by JB.

[Realist]

I'll betcha Winthrop won't be doing any cartwheels any time soon especially after Marshall leaves.

No offense, but Ritchie Mckay isn't putting the shakes into anyone. He's a failure looking for a new start. I was hoping for LU's sake they would get someone who is up and coming, not someone falling. I don't think this was a good hire.

[Sly Fox]

Come on, Realist. You have been around here long enough to recognize a joke.

[thepostman]

I'll betcha Winthrop won't be doing any cartwheels any time soon especially after Marshall leaves.

No offense, but Ritchie Mckay isn't putting the shakes into anyone. He's a failure looking for a new start. I was hoping for LU's sake they would get someone who is up and coming, not someone falling. I don't think this was a good hire.

I wouldn't say failure...just New Mexico having incredibly high standards...but you're right if I were Winthrop I wouldn't worry

and plus like Sly said, it was a joke anyways

[Schfourteenteen]

I just wanted to say welcome to Coach McKay; the more I hear the better I think this hire was for us. It is nice to be making national news with this decision. Good luck to Coach, and hopefully this will be the first of many great decisions by JB.

Danny Rocco???

[thepostman]

Rocco wasn't JB's hire...

that was Falwell's hire actually...JB got hired right around the same time....there was that big shake up in the athletic department after the 1-10 season

[Schfourteenteen]

My bad.... anyway time will only tell but I am really excited about next year