- March 6th, 2015, 12:55 pm
#478367
First off I want to say that this isn’t a hit piece directed at Liberty athletics or Dale Layer, or anyone involved in the Liberty basketball program. By all accounts, Dale Layer is a great man who really did point the guys on his team to Christ. That is very valuable, and I sincerely hope that a job can be found for Dale in Liberty’s athletic department if he wants it. That being said, a program that can be run in line with Liberty’s mission statement and a winning program shouldn’t be mutually exclusive, and no matter what positives can be pulled from Layer’s program, it can’t be mistaken for a winning one. Three consecutive twenty loss seasons is proof positive of this.
Anyone can list the negatives that are attached to the program, but it’s up to Jeff Barber to turn the program around. The good news for Liberty is it possesses some attributes not normally in the hands of a program coming off such a rough stretch. Fans can hope that Barber finds a coach who understands the unique advantages offered by Liberty and leverages them to take Liberty to the next level.
It might be hard to see what advantages Liberty has to offer at this point, but it’s pretty undeniable that they exist. Liberty is in a unique position due to its financial turnaround, pulling in 250 million a year in profit. The other schools in the Big South just aren’t going to be able to compete from a financial perspective. Dollars don’t equate to wins, but they sure make it easier if you spend them well.
Everyone knows you can spend money on facilities in college basketball. It’s a sure fire way to help your recruiting pitch while also improving the chance your guys improve once they have arrived on campus. Liberty has already taken dramatic steps in upgrading their facilities and will likely continue to do so, but it isn’t just facilities that will attract the next level of recruits. Weight rooms and new courts play a huge role in guys’ decisions when they love the game, but Liberty could elevate their program even further by flexing their financial muscle by investing in sports science and analytics.
Sports science has just recently started to be embraced, and the approaches are still developing. However it would not at all be difficult for Liberty to invest in equipment that would be able to track players fatigue, diet, and motion. The Philadelphia Eagles have taken it so far as to have personalized smoothies for every player after practice depending on his diet and goals. For the Flames being this detailed with the monitoring of a diet could help recruits who are still developing into their bodies. Packing twenty to thirty pounds of muscle onto a body could be extremely difficult for a kid who is eighteen and away from home for the first time. I am sure Liberty at this point has nutritional guidelines for their athletes, but taking it more seriously could really help. Helping those players adjust to the strength needed to play at this level quickly allows them to compete and learn sooner.
Looking closely at a player’s diet is only part of what sports science could do for the Flames. Having the players wear monitors during practice also could be really helpful. This equipment could easily show the coaching staff who is giving their all in practice and who is dogging it, who is severely fatigued and at risk for injury and who is still fresh. With an additional measure of accountability, and a diet behind them that shows the players they are cared for, practices will be more intense, and therefore productive. Practices are able to be pushed and turned into near game pace. Strains, sprains, and other injuries are all significantly reduced when this attitude is adopted. Recovery time is reduced. In general, these methods would create a healthier, stronger program.
Imagine a scenario for a moment. Liberty’s star forward has carried the team to the likely number one seed in the conference tournament with about two games in the regular season left. During practice one day it is noticed that discovered that his performance is off. Upon discussion it is noticed he has soreness that is beginning to bother him and hamper his ability to play. He is shut down for the rest of the regular season before it turns into an injury that ends his year. Instead of having to go throughout the conference tournament without their star, Liberty is able to win it and make the tournament.
Doesn’t this start to show why it might be worth it to invest in methods to monitor our athletes? They may see extreme to some, but if Liberty wants to truly build a program that is a consistent winner, this is an easy way to help that. John Calipari defends the use of monitors in practice by saying they are an extreme program. Liberty has the money to train their players just as intensely as Kentucky does. That’s unique to the Big South.
In addition to starting to utilize sports science methods, hopefully the administration of Liberty is looking at the developing field of basketball analytics with a keen eye. No sport is as close to being “solved” as basketball. By combining observations made by the analytic community with traditional scouting observations Liberty can make intelligent decisions. It wouldn’t be hard to hire a analytics director, as this team should again be looking for every possible edge it can find.
One thing that the analytics community embraces that the Flames didn’t seem as interested in this year is the three point shot. Liberty ranked only ahead of Presbyterian in three pointers attempted, and also ranked only ahead of Presbyterian in points per game. These things are related. Threes are more than just superior to twos in terms of the number of puts you get in a successful instance, they improve spacing on offense, giving your playmakers more room to navigate, and widen driving lanes. When you can shoot the three, suddenly driving and scoring inside become easier. Help defenders hesitate more to rotate. Shots at the rim and from behind the arc are by far the most efficient, so building an offense that creates good looks for these shots should be a top priority. Points in transition are also something that the team should be seeking, and by having a team in great shape they will come more naturally. Taking good shots and having legs at the end of the game can make up for a talent deficit.
Liberty will hopefully go back to the three. The last time Liberty made the tournament, just a couple short years ago, they lead the conference in three point percentages and were third in threes attempted. Davon Marshall just shot the lights out many nights, spacing the floor for his teammates. A team that runs, shoots threes, and drives hard is also really fun. Players want to play in a fun system, and fans want to watch entertaining basketball. In addition to all those benefits, shooting is also a skill that is relatively teachable. (Jeff Barber surely understands how having three point shooters can help a team, as his son Jay is currently tearing it up for LCA by bombing away from beyond the arc.)
Liberty also has the capability to literally track every shot its players take. This again may seem like overboard, but coaching players on what shots they are allowed to take and what shots they are not allowed to take can be crucial. A good coaching staff will be able to look at the reports of each player, seeing where they shot from successfully and where they didn’t, and make adjustments accordingly. Say next year it is noticed that Ryan Kemrite connects on 47 percent of his threes from the right corner but only 32 from the left. When you need three points at the end of the game, you now know to free him up in the right corner.
It doesn’t take too much effort to collect this potentially valuable data, a couple of student interns getting paid $8 an hour can record and tally each player’s results. Knowing the number of shots taken during practice can also help a coach see who is really putting in work when they are at the gym and who is there because it is required. It can also be encouraging to the players to notice that they were shooting only 52% percent from the line in October, but in January they have moved all the way up to being a 61% free throw shooter. Showing young athletes how their hard work pays off can be extremely encouraging to them.
The goal is twofold in these methods, helping our players reach their potential and giving our coaches the maximum amount of information so they can make the most informed decisions. The program should want to be able to give its coaching staff as much information as possible to analyze to make the best informed decision. This equipment is currently just starting to come out, but it can truly change the direction of a program. Liberty easily has the resources to invest in its basketball program and be one of the first college programs actively using analytics and sports science.
Liberty also has the unique potential of being a potential national brand program. College basketball has teams ascend from mid-major to noted national program all the time. Butler had 4,000 students when it made back to back trips to the national title game. These runs drew a massive increase in applications, and also have helped Butler establish a culture and a program that is known around the country. Liberty can do that.
They are in a talent rich section of the country, with a unique financial situation and a unique school profile that could make them appeal to recruits nationwide. They have the money and resources to attract a young coach with new ideas, and they could quickly build a program that would attract the right kind of recruits. Guys who are dedicated to improving their craft and becoming the best they can be. The football team has shown how passionate and great the fans can be when they are presented a winning product. In three short years this program could be an appealing option for Christian basketball players all over the nation. It’d be pretty nice to eventually land Chris Paul type talent because of our program and culture of character and competitiveness.
It happens all the time. Just ask Butler, or VCU, or Northern Iowa, or Wichita State. Big time college basketball success is within reach here in Lynchburg. This approach outlined isn’t guaranteed to lead to success, but it hopefully increases the odds for it. Here’s to hoping that the administration of the school opens the pocketbook for the right coach and upgrades and turns this program around in a new exciting direction.
Anyone can list the negatives that are attached to the program, but it’s up to Jeff Barber to turn the program around. The good news for Liberty is it possesses some attributes not normally in the hands of a program coming off such a rough stretch. Fans can hope that Barber finds a coach who understands the unique advantages offered by Liberty and leverages them to take Liberty to the next level.
It might be hard to see what advantages Liberty has to offer at this point, but it’s pretty undeniable that they exist. Liberty is in a unique position due to its financial turnaround, pulling in 250 million a year in profit. The other schools in the Big South just aren’t going to be able to compete from a financial perspective. Dollars don’t equate to wins, but they sure make it easier if you spend them well.
Everyone knows you can spend money on facilities in college basketball. It’s a sure fire way to help your recruiting pitch while also improving the chance your guys improve once they have arrived on campus. Liberty has already taken dramatic steps in upgrading their facilities and will likely continue to do so, but it isn’t just facilities that will attract the next level of recruits. Weight rooms and new courts play a huge role in guys’ decisions when they love the game, but Liberty could elevate their program even further by flexing their financial muscle by investing in sports science and analytics.
Sports science has just recently started to be embraced, and the approaches are still developing. However it would not at all be difficult for Liberty to invest in equipment that would be able to track players fatigue, diet, and motion. The Philadelphia Eagles have taken it so far as to have personalized smoothies for every player after practice depending on his diet and goals. For the Flames being this detailed with the monitoring of a diet could help recruits who are still developing into their bodies. Packing twenty to thirty pounds of muscle onto a body could be extremely difficult for a kid who is eighteen and away from home for the first time. I am sure Liberty at this point has nutritional guidelines for their athletes, but taking it more seriously could really help. Helping those players adjust to the strength needed to play at this level quickly allows them to compete and learn sooner.
Looking closely at a player’s diet is only part of what sports science could do for the Flames. Having the players wear monitors during practice also could be really helpful. This equipment could easily show the coaching staff who is giving their all in practice and who is dogging it, who is severely fatigued and at risk for injury and who is still fresh. With an additional measure of accountability, and a diet behind them that shows the players they are cared for, practices will be more intense, and therefore productive. Practices are able to be pushed and turned into near game pace. Strains, sprains, and other injuries are all significantly reduced when this attitude is adopted. Recovery time is reduced. In general, these methods would create a healthier, stronger program.
Imagine a scenario for a moment. Liberty’s star forward has carried the team to the likely number one seed in the conference tournament with about two games in the regular season left. During practice one day it is noticed that discovered that his performance is off. Upon discussion it is noticed he has soreness that is beginning to bother him and hamper his ability to play. He is shut down for the rest of the regular season before it turns into an injury that ends his year. Instead of having to go throughout the conference tournament without their star, Liberty is able to win it and make the tournament.
Doesn’t this start to show why it might be worth it to invest in methods to monitor our athletes? They may see extreme to some, but if Liberty wants to truly build a program that is a consistent winner, this is an easy way to help that. John Calipari defends the use of monitors in practice by saying they are an extreme program. Liberty has the money to train their players just as intensely as Kentucky does. That’s unique to the Big South.
In addition to starting to utilize sports science methods, hopefully the administration of Liberty is looking at the developing field of basketball analytics with a keen eye. No sport is as close to being “solved” as basketball. By combining observations made by the analytic community with traditional scouting observations Liberty can make intelligent decisions. It wouldn’t be hard to hire a analytics director, as this team should again be looking for every possible edge it can find.
One thing that the analytics community embraces that the Flames didn’t seem as interested in this year is the three point shot. Liberty ranked only ahead of Presbyterian in three pointers attempted, and also ranked only ahead of Presbyterian in points per game. These things are related. Threes are more than just superior to twos in terms of the number of puts you get in a successful instance, they improve spacing on offense, giving your playmakers more room to navigate, and widen driving lanes. When you can shoot the three, suddenly driving and scoring inside become easier. Help defenders hesitate more to rotate. Shots at the rim and from behind the arc are by far the most efficient, so building an offense that creates good looks for these shots should be a top priority. Points in transition are also something that the team should be seeking, and by having a team in great shape they will come more naturally. Taking good shots and having legs at the end of the game can make up for a talent deficit.
Liberty will hopefully go back to the three. The last time Liberty made the tournament, just a couple short years ago, they lead the conference in three point percentages and were third in threes attempted. Davon Marshall just shot the lights out many nights, spacing the floor for his teammates. A team that runs, shoots threes, and drives hard is also really fun. Players want to play in a fun system, and fans want to watch entertaining basketball. In addition to all those benefits, shooting is also a skill that is relatively teachable. (Jeff Barber surely understands how having three point shooters can help a team, as his son Jay is currently tearing it up for LCA by bombing away from beyond the arc.)
Liberty also has the capability to literally track every shot its players take. This again may seem like overboard, but coaching players on what shots they are allowed to take and what shots they are not allowed to take can be crucial. A good coaching staff will be able to look at the reports of each player, seeing where they shot from successfully and where they didn’t, and make adjustments accordingly. Say next year it is noticed that Ryan Kemrite connects on 47 percent of his threes from the right corner but only 32 from the left. When you need three points at the end of the game, you now know to free him up in the right corner.
It doesn’t take too much effort to collect this potentially valuable data, a couple of student interns getting paid $8 an hour can record and tally each player’s results. Knowing the number of shots taken during practice can also help a coach see who is really putting in work when they are at the gym and who is there because it is required. It can also be encouraging to the players to notice that they were shooting only 52% percent from the line in October, but in January they have moved all the way up to being a 61% free throw shooter. Showing young athletes how their hard work pays off can be extremely encouraging to them.
The goal is twofold in these methods, helping our players reach their potential and giving our coaches the maximum amount of information so they can make the most informed decisions. The program should want to be able to give its coaching staff as much information as possible to analyze to make the best informed decision. This equipment is currently just starting to come out, but it can truly change the direction of a program. Liberty easily has the resources to invest in its basketball program and be one of the first college programs actively using analytics and sports science.
Liberty also has the unique potential of being a potential national brand program. College basketball has teams ascend from mid-major to noted national program all the time. Butler had 4,000 students when it made back to back trips to the national title game. These runs drew a massive increase in applications, and also have helped Butler establish a culture and a program that is known around the country. Liberty can do that.
They are in a talent rich section of the country, with a unique financial situation and a unique school profile that could make them appeal to recruits nationwide. They have the money and resources to attract a young coach with new ideas, and they could quickly build a program that would attract the right kind of recruits. Guys who are dedicated to improving their craft and becoming the best they can be. The football team has shown how passionate and great the fans can be when they are presented a winning product. In three short years this program could be an appealing option for Christian basketball players all over the nation. It’d be pretty nice to eventually land Chris Paul type talent because of our program and culture of character and competitiveness.
It happens all the time. Just ask Butler, or VCU, or Northern Iowa, or Wichita State. Big time college basketball success is within reach here in Lynchburg. This approach outlined isn’t guaranteed to lead to success, but it hopefully increases the odds for it. Here’s to hoping that the administration of the school opens the pocketbook for the right coach and upgrades and turns this program around in a new exciting direction.
