[Bigsouthking]

Enjoyed the win tonight but I'm not here to rub it in or anything. I've been watching this Dale Layer debate, if you want to call it that, for a while now and just wanted to chime in because the product I saw on the floor was border line sad today.

First of all, it's not just Dale Layer the whole staff is terrible. One of your assistants applied for the Longwood job this summer (should be hard to figure out), didn't get it, and looked like he was on a brown nosing job interview tonight.

Recruiting is the key and I don't think Liberty is a hard place to recruit. I think it's interesting that the class two years ago is never brought up. Layer rolled the dice with a ton of JUCO transfers and it was really a failed experiment when it came to W/L. There was the tournament championship but no one ever seems to point to that class. When you look at Liberty there is really no homegrown talent at all b/c that class was so JUCO heavy. Now you're left with a declining coaching situation but a class that needs 3 to 4 years to pan out. I thought your class 2 years ago was a mistake and I think that is showing now. I also think the lack of local recruits, not necessarily Virginia, is amazing. It seems like Liberty has no rep locally whatsoever.

Also, I really don't think Jason Allison is the answer. He seems to be the one that got away for everyone but you need someone more transcendant than that if you're really looking to move to the top of the Big South and eventually compete in a FBS conference. You don't need a retread rather a Mike Rhoades type guy.

Just my two cents, looking to talk some basketball. It's more fun when Liberty is competitive.

Mr Mid Major guy or RVPArks...

lets talk coaches in the Big South a minute.... rah rah guy Pat Kelsey, you read the Winthrop board lately? his act is wearing then. Nick McDevitt, solid guy, an asheville, low key guy, has the bulldogs in the thick of it, Tim Craft @ GW - an assistant at ECU, Auburn with not a lot of success, but is low key fits the Webb, has them competitive in 2 years on the job.... Mike Jones a flashy VCU staffer, like Rhoades who are riding Shaka coat tails...how many Tournament wins does Jones have so far??? although hes had good seasons, which btw RU has always been good regardless of the coach if looking at history. Cherry has kinda of grown into his position and landing John Brown & staff shake up has saved him lately... Cliff a hall of famer, fits the retiree Myrtle beach job well. Barclay & Nibbert religious guys that are great fits at small schools-both should have lifetime contracts. campbell guy is interesting, i personally not sure his offense will win in Buies Creek, Laing had players but fell apart every year. and your guy Gee, his a mini McKay, fake as can be with his religious crap. how many arrest have his guys had in 2 years? under the rug huh?
Liberty is a different deal, a lot more pressure besides Coastal & Winthrop in my opinion, a lot of dudes will want cause of the cash it pays and facilities, but once they get there ala RMK, in for rude awakening!!

[flamesfan30]

umm.... no. i may want dale layer fired tomorrrow, but no one here has questioned his character. People who know a whole lot more than me, are a lot closer to the situation have nothing but outstanding things to say about dale layer the person.

[olldflame]

I think it is unfortunate that some of the good stuff posted here is buried in a thread about the Longwood game. I'm sure there will be people interested in the coaching situation who will never think to look here.

[RVAparks]

Enjoyed the win tonight but I'm not here to rub it in or anything. I've been watching this Dale Layer debate, if you want to call it that, for a while now and just wanted to chime in because the product I saw on the floor was border line sad today.

First of all, it's not just Dale Layer the whole staff is terrible. One of your assistants applied for the Longwood job this summer (should be hard to figure out), didn't get it, and looked like he was on a brown nosing job interview tonight.

Recruiting is the key and I don't think Liberty is a hard place to recruit. I think it's interesting that the class two years ago is never brought up. Layer rolled the dice with a ton of JUCO transfers and it was really a failed experiment when it came to W/L. There was the tournament championship but no one ever seems to point to that class. When you look at Liberty there is really no homegrown talent at all b/c that class was so JUCO heavy. Now you're left with a declining coaching situation but a class that needs 3 to 4 years to pan out. I thought your class 2 years ago was a mistake and I think that is showing now. I also think the lack of local recruits, not necessarily Virginia, is amazing. It seems like Liberty has no rep locally whatsoever.

Also, I really don't think Jason Allison is the answer. He seems to be the one that got away for everyone but you need someone more transcendant than that if you're really looking to move to the top of the Big South and eventually compete in a FBS conference. You don't need a retread rather a Mike Rhoades type guy.

Just my two cents, looking to talk some basketball. It's more fun when Liberty is competitive.

Mr Mid Major guy or RVPArks...

lets talk coaches in the Big South a minute.... rah rah guy Pat Kelsey, you read the Winthrop board lately? his act is wearing then. Nick McDevitt, solid guy, an asheville, low key guy, has the bulldogs in the thick of it, Tim Craft @ GW - an assistant at ECU, Auburn with not a lot of success, but is low key fits the Webb, has them competitive in 2 years on the job.... Mike Jones a flashy VCU staffer, like Rhoades who are riding Shaka coat tails...how many Tournament wins does Jones have so far??? although hes had good seasons, which btw RU has always been good regardless of the coach if looking at history. Cherry has kinda of grown into his position and landing John Brown & staff shake up has saved him lately... Cliff a hall of famer, fits the retiree Myrtle beach job well. Barclay & Nibbert religious guys that are great fits at small schools-both should have lifetime contracts. campbell guy is interesting, i personally not sure his offense will win in Buies Creek, Laing had players but fell apart every year. and your guy Gee, his a mini McKay, fake as can be with his religious crap. how many arrest have his guys had in 2 years? under the rug huh?
Liberty is a different deal, a lot more pressure besides Coastal & Winthrop in my opinion, a lot of dudes will want cause of the cash it pays and facilities, but once they get there ala RMK, in for rude awakening!!

I can appreciate this but don't agree with a lot of it. Kelsey's act may be wearing thin but he has gotten results and they are well positioned in the frontcourt especially with the addition of the Mizzou transfer next year.

Craft inherited a hell of a team from Holtmann and it's really Holtmann's guys that are paying dividends right now, I'm still not sure how good Craft is. McDevitt is a good fit for UNCA obviously.

The Mike Jones stuff doesn't make any sense. Flashy and Mike Jones don't really run together. I think he's done a remarkable job rebuilding a program that he inherited with sanctions. I don't think he's the best in-game coach but he's done well recruiting. Comparing him to Rhoades though is a farce. Rhoades certainly isn't riding anyones coattails and I would contend he was the best basketball mind on Shaka's staff, even more than Shaka himself. He turned down a ton of jobs to pick out the right place, hell he even turned down Radford. Rhoades was a VERY succesful head coach before and basically ran VCU's practices and a lot of their in-game stuff. There is a reason why VCU struggled so much in half court sets early this season. You can say that Will Wade or Jamion Christian may have rode Shaka's coat tails but that's not Rhoades.

I don't think McGeehan will get it done at Campbell and I think Scott Cherry is a terrible head coach. He's bad in-game and John Brown is basically running that team. Brown has had a lot of off the court issues this season and Cherry hasn't had the balls to really discipline him. He also hasn't recruited correctly to allow Brown to play to his strengths. Brown shouldn't be banging down in the post night in and night out. If you're going to point at Mike Jones postseason record (Radford beat Oregon St last year) then you certainly have to point at Cherry.

The Gee comments are a little unwarranted. On campus we've had two issues in two years and both were properly thrown out in court. It's not like the legal system is leaning towards Longwood in Farmville either. Keep digging though...

[TheGovernor]

There are not any former players that I am aware of that thinks this coaching staff or any other owes them a thing. But they do feel disconnected. When was the last alumni event? When was the last time there was anything basketball history related from HOF inductions to simple games during the season that alumni and the current team are working in conjunction on? The guys I know that have players have stopped trying to send players to Liberty because when they do they don't get return calls, or the kid is ignored (their words not mine). As far as connecting with the past, there have been multiple positions open on the staff and not one former player has ever come close to getting a job with LU. Personally I think it is good to have a guy on your staff that has been a Liberty hooper because it adds insight and perspective. But it isn't necessarily an indictment in and of itself for not having a guy like that. There are guys like Hildebrand, Steph Leary, Jason Allison, Charles Richardson and Julius Nwoso that have either showed interest in working for Dale or have tried to send players to Liberty. There are a few others that I don't want to mention because they don't necessarily want to be in the conversation but basically everyone I talk to from the past is embarrassed and can't believe what is going on up on the Mountain. I can't either to tell the truth. I would have never thought Dale's teams would be this bad. I happen to think he is a good coach. Very few guys I have ever talked to in this business have ever said anything but glowing and complimentary things about him. He is as respected a coach as it is at this level. That's what makes all of this just SAD for me.

This couldnt be more spot on and couldnt have said it better myself. I actually think I tried to say it, but no one can say it like Scar

[BJWilliams]

I disagree vehemently that good players cannot be recruited to LU.

I'm not sure firing DL mid-season ends any misery.

I don't get the insistence on current coach paying dues to former players and coaches. I guess I can see why it's a nice thing and possibly yields some benefit; but it isn't necessary, nor do I think it should be a basis upon which a job decision is made. Sounds like former players wishing for current glory and grousing, if you ask me.

There are not any former players that I am aware of that thinks this coaching staff or any other owes them a thing. But they do feel disconnected. When was the last alumni event? When was the last time there was anything basketball history related from HOF inductions to simple games during the season that alumni and the current team are working in conjunction on? The guys I know that have players have stopped trying to send players to Liberty because when they do they don't get return calls, or the kid is ignored (their words not mine). As far as connecting with the past, there have been multiple positions open on the staff and not one former player has ever come close to getting a job with LU. Personally I think it is good to have a guy on your staff that has been a Liberty hooper because it adds insight and perspective. But it isn't necessarily an indictment in and of itself for not having a guy like that. There are guys like Hildebrand, Steph Leary, Jason Allison, Charles Richardson and Julius Nwoso that have either showed interest in working for Dale or have tried to send players to Liberty. There are a few others that I don't want to mention because they don't necessarily want to be in the conversation but basically everyone I talk to from the past is embarrassed and can't believe what is going on up on the Mountain. I can't either to tell the truth. I would have never thought Dale's teams would be this bad. I happen to think he is a good coach. Very few guys I have ever talked to in this business have ever said anything but glowing and complimentary things about him. He is as respected a coach as it is at this level. That's what makes all of this just SAD for me.

Here is my (hopefully) only thought on your comments SCAR, and it has two parts:

1) I agree that the basketball program (both men's and women's), should make sure that the current players (and coaches even) have a healthy understanding and respect for former players and coaches, because they are actually standing on the shoulders of those that have gone before, from Coach Manley to Coach Hankinson to Coach Meyer and everyone that has patrolled the sidelines for the men, to Coach Farver, Coach Bonheim, to Coach Reeves and Coach Green for the women. As far as players: they Re standing on the likes of guys that have been mentioned like Hildebrand, Nwosu, Aluma and more recent stars like Blair, Smith and Sarchet on the men's side, and the Wilkerson twins, HoFer Kisseleva, Theresa Bream and the Feenstras as well as many others. Having that connection to the past is a good thing. That said...
2) The alumni are not somehow OWED anything from the current staff (or future staffs), as if they have some unspoken debt or reparation to the former players. That said, I think in order to bridge the gap between the past and the present/future, what I think needs to happen is there be a position created within the athletic department, with the sole responsibility of connecting with the athletic alumni across all sports. That person would have under them, alumni liaisons for all the NCAA sports (club sports can do their own thing with that) and they reach out to the former athletes and make those connections. If there is a coaching position open, they contact them and let them know, and can act as a "go-between" to ensure they are given a fair opportunity to pursue the position. If they have a player they think would be an excellent fit for Liberty, they can make that connection with the appropriate coach and plant the seed, which it would be the coach's responsibility to nurture after that, while still working withn the NCAA rules. those liaisons would also work with HMO and his people to set up alumni games and other social events where players and coaches can meet and connect and maybe even network with former alumni.

[BJWilliams]

Im sorry that I'm not as articulate as the bald dunkmaster but I hope I made a good point

[Bigsouthking]

Enjoyed the win tonight but I'm not here to rub it in or anything. I've been watching this Dale Layer debate, if you want to call it that, for a while now and just wanted to chime in because the product I saw on the floor was border line sad today.

First of all, it's not just Dale Layer the whole staff is terrible. One of your assistants applied for the Longwood job this summer (should be hard to figure out), didn't get it, and looked like he was on a brown nosing job interview tonight.

Recruiting is the key and I don't think Liberty is a hard place to recruit. I think it's interesting that the class two years ago is never brought up. Layer rolled the dice with a ton of JUCO transfers and it was really a failed experiment when it came to W/L. There was the tournament championship but no one ever seems to point to that class. When you look at Liberty there is really no homegrown talent at all b/c that class was so JUCO heavy. Now you're left with a declining coaching situation but a class that needs 3 to 4 years to pan out. I thought your class 2 years ago was a mistake and I think that is showing now. I also think the lack of local recruits, not necessarily Virginia, is amazing. It seems like Liberty has no rep locally whatsoever.

Also, I really don't think Jason Allison is the answer. He seems to be the one that got away for everyone but you need someone more transcendant than that if you're really looking to move to the top of the Big South and eventually compete in a FBS conference. You don't need a retread rather a Mike Rhoades type guy.

Just my two cents, looking to talk some basketball. It's more fun when Liberty is competitive.

Mr Mid Major guy or RVPArks...

lets talk coaches in the Big South a minute.... rah rah guy Pat Kelsey, you read the Winthrop board lately? his act is wearing then. Nick McDevitt, solid guy, an asheville, low key guy, has the bulldogs in the thick of it, Tim Craft @ GW - an assistant at ECU, Auburn with not a lot of success, but is low key fits the Webb, has them competitive in 2 years on the job.... Mike Jones a flashy VCU staffer, like Rhoades who are riding Shaka coat tails...how many Tournament wins does Jones have so far??? although hes had good seasons, which btw RU has always been good regardless of the coach if looking at history. Cherry has kinda of grown into his position and landing John Brown & staff shake up has saved him lately... Cliff a hall of famer, fits the retiree Myrtle beach job well. Barclay & Nibbert religious guys that are great fits at small schools-both should have lifetime contracts. campbell guy is interesting, i personally not sure his offense will win in Buies Creek, Laing had players but fell apart every year. and your guy Gee, his a mini McKay, fake as can be with his religious crap. how many arrest have his guys had in 2 years? under the rug huh?
Liberty is a different deal, a lot more pressure besides Coastal & Winthrop in my opinion, a lot of dudes will want cause of the cash it pays and facilities, but once they get there ala RMK, in for rude awakening!!

I can appreciate this but don't agree with a lot of it. Kelsey's act may be wearing thin but he has gotten results and they are well positioned in the frontcourt especially with the addition of the Mizzou transfer next year.

Craft inherited a hell of a team from Holtmann and it's really Holtmann's guys that are paying dividends right now, I'm still not sure how good Craft is. McDevitt is a good fit for UNCA obviously.

The Mike Jones stuff doesn't make any sense. Flashy and Mike Jones don't really run together. I think he's done a remarkable job rebuilding a program that he inherited with sanctions. I don't think he's the best in-game coach but he's done well recruiting. Comparing him to Rhoades though is a farce. Rhoades certainly isn't riding anyones coattails and I would contend he was the best basketball mind on Shaka's staff, even more than Shaka himself. He turned down a ton of jobs to pick out the right place, hell he even turned down Radford. Rhoades was a VERY succesful head coach before and basically ran VCU's practices and a lot of their in-game stuff. There is a reason why VCU struggled so much in half court sets early this season. You can say that Will Wade or Jamion Christian may have rode Shaka's coat tails but that's not Rhoades.

I don't think McGeehan will get it done at Campbell and I think Scott Cherry is a terrible head coach. He's bad in-game and John Brown is basically running that team. Brown has had a lot of off the court issues this season and Cherry hasn't had the balls to really discipline him. He also hasn't recruited correctly to allow Brown to play to his strengths. Brown shouldn't be banging down in the post night in and night out. If you're going to point at Mike Jones postseason record (Radford beat Oregon St last year) then you certainly have to point at Cherry.

The Gee comments are a little unwarranted. On campus we've had two issues in two years and both were properly thrown out in court. It's not like the legal system is leaning towards Longwood in Farmville either. Keep digging though...

obviously there is a man crush somewhere with Mike Rhoades -- I get it -- we all have them i suppose... he didn't get offered Siena job and wanted it desparately i do know that. time will tell at for him at Rice.. I also know after the loss to Stephen F Austin - Shaka told his staff in general to reevaluate their career, take it for however you want it... i take it -- stop waiting and take the next job offered.
We agree on a lot regarding these coaches, obviously Jones isn't flashy or as good a coach IMO but what i meant is the Radford AD targeted any VCU assistant at the time of hire cause they came off NCAA success. And RocktheHill still has a lot to prove, if jaron lane makes a layup last year, they go home on Saturday morning.

Since your in the profession throw out names of potential LU replacements?

[RVAparks]

I've really struggled to think of quality candidates when it comes to Liberty. The Flames need to hit a home run and that's not Jason Allison. I really think they need to open their wallet and get someone on the promise of moving up conferences. For the coach it's going to seem like a lateral or backwards move. Kelsey is actually a guy worth poaching in my opinion. Pony up and pay a dude like Michael White or Steve Prohm. I know it sounds ridiculous but I think it's worth a shot.

I feel like the regional assistants have been picked over a bit as well. Rusty LaRue and Ryan Odom are next in line, but I don't think either would be a big enough hire. Maybe swing for the fences with a guy like Musselman, Lutz, or even Capel. Paul Mills and Tom Hankins are guys I would kick the tires on as well.

Some of these names are going to make people chortle and laugh but I really think if Liberty does open up a coaching search then they need to think BIG and open up their wallets. They need to elevate the program and do it fast, they need their version of Ron Hunter. Maybe do something like Grand Canyon did with Majerle?

[Purple Haize]

I've really struggled to think of quality candidates when it comes to Liberty. The Flames need to hit a home run and that's not Jason Allison. I really think they need to open their wallet and get someone on the promise of moving up conferences. For the coach it's going to seem like a lateral or backwards move. Kelsey is actually a guy worth poaching in my opinion. Pony up and pay a dude like Michael White or Steve Prohm. I know it sounds ridiculous but I think it's worth a shot.

I feel like the regional assistants have been picked over a bit as well. Rusty LaRue and Ryan Odom are next in line, but I don't think either would be a big enough hire. Maybe swing for the fences with a guy like Musselman, Lutz, or even Capel. Paul Mills and Tom Hankins are guys I would kick the tires on as well.

Some of these names are going to make people chortle and laugh but I really think if Liberty does open up a coaching search then they need to think BIG and open up their wallets. They need to elevate the program and do it fast, they need their version of Ron Hunter. Maybe do something like Grand Canyon did with Majerle?

Majorly has a great relationship with the Phoenix area. It gave GCU instant credibility. He doesn't exactly line up with their Statement of Beliefs but they aren't as steadfast to them as LU is about theirs. No one on the radar has the type of instant credibility that Majerle does. Unless you want to hire his team mate Kevin Johnson or AC Green

[PAmedic]

Im sorry that I'm not as articulate as the bald dunkmaster but I hope I made a good point

There's a first time for everything. It ain't this time

[Purple Haize]

Im sorry that I'm not as articulate as the bald dunkmaster but I hope I made a good point

There's a first time for everything. It ain't this time

Sorta like your growth spurt?

[PAmedic]

.

[SuperJon]

I really think if Liberty does open up a coaching search then they need to think BIG and open up their wallets. They need to elevate the program and do it fast, they need their version of Ron Hunter. Maybe do something like Grand Canyon did with Majerle?

No we don't. We've done that before and it hasn't worked. I'd rather get a high capacity assistant that will put in the work and is hungry. Enough retreads and guys who haven't worked elsewhere.

Barber has made great hires in some of the lesser sports by finding great coaches who line up with our beliefs and deserve a chance. If he can make the same type of hire with basketball, we'll be able to build an actual program.

[flameshaw]

SJ, don't disagree, however this team is soooooo bad that a BIG hire might make a 2-3 year difference in performance improvement/credibility. BTW, I didn't consider RMK a BIG hire when he came here. I was pushing for a guy like the former UCLA assistant who is now at Washington? Anyway, regardless of who we end up with, it will be better than where we are today.

[Purple Haize]

Anyway, regardless of who we end up with, it will be better than where we are today.

A Penguin in leopard print boxers can make us more competitive than we are right now

[Bigsouthking]

I've really struggled to think of quality candidates when it comes to Liberty. The Flames need to hit a home run and that's not Jason Allison. I really think they need to open their wallet and get someone on the promise of moving up conferences. For the coach it's going to seem like a lateral or backwards move. Kelsey is actually a guy worth poaching in my opinion. Pony up and pay a dude like Michael White or Steve Prohm. I know it sounds ridiculous but I think it's worth a shot.

I feel like the regional assistants have been picked over a bit as well. Rusty LaRue and Ryan Odom are next in line, but I don't think either would be a big enough hire. Maybe swing for the fences with a guy like Musselman, Lutz, or even Capel. Paul Mills and Tom Hankins are guys I would kick the tires on as well.

Some of these names are going to make people chortle and laugh but I really think if Liberty does open up a coaching search then they need to think BIG and open up their wallets. They need to elevate the program and do it fast, they need their version of Ron Hunter. Maybe do something like Grand Canyon did with Majerle?

This is why I wanted to get names from you. So i can shred your opinion. You do a great job writing, yes I read your articles. But i can tell in your comments above, you are a "big image guy" - you are caught up in the big name sexy hire, obviously being from Richmond you love Rhoades, he is a great guy, but let say this, every dude tht coached at RMC has won, so what makes him special?

Gregg Marshall had no BCS experience prior to getting the Winthrop job.
Jeff Meyer was on pace to be what Rick Byrd has become
Bob McKillop never has been at a BCS school
White and Prohm would NEVER leave where they are for Big South job, White turned down Tennessee last spring, Prohm turned down Mississippi State, but you say pony up huh??
DO you know what league you cover??
Only reason Cliff is in the league cause he is old and Myrtle is a retirement village.
go back get a new list of names...

[RVAparks]

First of all I've never understood why you're perpetually condescending from board to board. Second of all you really don't know me and I'm not a big "image" guy. I named 10 guys and you touched on 2. I know what league I cover and it's not a league Liberty will be in for very long. Your assumptions on people you've never even met are always profound.

Look back on my coaching articles on several people, especially Russ Pennell, and you'll see the type of people I champion. I think I prefaced my comments regarding Prohm and White well but you just zero in on what you want. You just referenced one guy hired in the 80s and another in the 90s, times change. Liberty is a unique situation for many reasons and I would never post the list I just did for any other school. Rusty LaRue would be great at UNCG or a place like Campbell but not for Liberty. Casey Alexande is another dude I would look at hard if I was Liberty.

Thanks for reading!

[JK37]

Casey Alexander would be spot on. Forgot that one.

[lynchburger]

Some quick points:

1) The notion that the Vines and Lynchburg -- to say nothing of Liberty's academic offerings -- can't draw good recruits is absolute nonsense.
2) The notion that winning and having kids with great character are mutually exclusive is also absolute nonsense.
3) There are different dynamics at every job in this conference. The dynamics at Liberty have been stated ad infinitum. For as much as some on this board want to bash Jayson Gee, he's a great fit for that job. He knows what he's up against in Farmville, and he believes in the mission. He has a past in situations like these, and he knows that it takes an incremental approach.
4) Craft has definitely inherited some great talent from Holtmann, but he also is someone in that previous mold who understands the situation. He's a good strategic coach and makes good in-game adjustments.
5) Coach Layer is a great man. No one here has denied this. He's personally been super-nice to me on a number of occasions, and it's tough to say anything negative about him as a being. As a coach, though, he doesn't really seem comfortable in his own skin. He fidgets and looks down during interviews, whether with Chierstin, Chris or others, and his answers don't seem to indicate that he can identify what started the snowball rolling downhill or reverse its course. There's no reason to celebrate the possibility that he may lose his job, but for a program with LU's history, they deserve better. Period.
6) As for local recruiting, you've got LCA across the freaking street. VES is near the end of Link Road. Brookville, Heritage, JF, etc. all have great athletes. I would be in Curtis Staples' office at VES tomorrow trying to see what kind of talent he had available.

Simply put, LU needs to really be insular and focus on their specific challenges in this -- or whatever -- conference, and identify the candidate who best understands and articulates a plan to stop the snowball. Don't worry about what Longwood's doing, Winthrop's doing, Gardner-Webb's doing or anywhere else. Accentuate your own positives, for whatever they may be right now.

[VAGolf]

People like name hires because they're comfortable. It requires ZERO creativity and it's more of a power move than anything else. Liberty needs to get creative, find someone who is doing something unique in both recruiting and game planning.

Fans like to look at our Turner Gill and Dot Richardson hires as being successful because they were both proven, prior to coming to Lynchburg. But the reason why Gill is working and the reason why Dot is going to work, doesn't have anything to do with how "big" they are. Both of them are really, really smart. Both of them are disciplined. Both of them are really, really passionate about Liberty.

I'll never forget when both basketball teams made the tournament and we had watch parties for the selection show. The guys party took place on the Sunday night and the girl's party took place the night after. I didn't make the guys party, so I can't vouch for that particular party. However, I did attend the girl's party and Gill showed up. This party was closed off to other students, it was on a Monday night, and it's women's basketball. When the selection was announced, he cheered as loud as everyone else, congratulated coach Green and all of the players. He never mentioned the football team. He didn't take pictures. He wasn't there for show. He was there for Liberty. That's passion.

We need a smart coach. We need a creative coach. We need a passionate coach. It does not matter if it's a big name or a NAIA coach, who none of us have heard of.

[ballcoach15]

Good post above VA Golf.

[thepostman]

If liberty does hire Jason Allison you all have certainly set the bar high for the guy. Geez.

[SuperJon]

I still don't know if Jason's the guy. I'd love for him to be everything we want and more because he's a good dude and a Liberty alum. Like many things with Liberty (and especially Liberty basketball), we are hyping the unknown so high that anything less than unprecedented success would feel like a failure.

[BJWilliams]

I still don't know if Jason's the guy. I'd love for him to be everything we want and more because he's a good dude and a Liberty alum. Like many things with Liberty (and especially Liberty basketball), we are hyping the unknown so high that anything less than unprecedented success would feel like a failure.

Id love for him to be just what the doctor ordered as well. the way some are talking though, itll take winning the conference 6 straight years and making it to the second weekend of the NCAA at least twice (the unprecedented success you mentioned). if he (or whoever it is)can get us into the top 2-3 with a couple titles and 16-18 or so victories consistently, I'd chalk that up as a win. we do not need a VCU or Wichita State type run for it to be a success