[Purple Haize]

Agree on dunton but I didn't see much in Stewart to be honest.

Jeff Meyer

[FlameFan11]

Thanks SumItUp! Nice to see some insight into how the guys looked. The position battles for playing time should be fun to watch throughout the season.

Did we know why Kemrite didn't make the trip? oldflame I think last year he worked his way into being one of RMK's guys with his effort level on defense. Very good in rotations and willing to take charges. Wouldn't surprise me to see him end up out there a decent amount still but it will be tough to keep the Dawson/Homesley/Gardner trio off the court.

Myo's dedication to trimming down his body was so important and he is only a freshman but the guy is still 6'5 and not a big jumper. Shouldn't hurt that bad in conference with the lack of height but non-conference against the bigger schools is going to be tough for him. Still very excited to see his continued improvement and we need his physical style of play out there.

This team is looking like it can be a team with some nice balance on the offensive end. We won't have any 20 ppg or even BSC POY but we could have 5-6 guys averaging double figures compared to our 2-3 last year.

[FlameFan11]

At the start of his sophomore season, he played 4 minutes at Marquette. The NCAA counted that as a season played. If he had been injured, he likely would have received an extra year. Last year, he was unable to play until after the first semester due to transferring, but his play in the 2nd half was counted as his his junior season. While unofficial, I think there was a general understanding when he came to LU that his 4 minutes would not count as a season.

Wow. As a player, that would be tough to take. Feel bad for John. Really hope this can be appealed with the NCAA. Hard to believe that 4 minutes could count as a full season of eligibility. Seems logical that could count as one semester and then last season at Liberty would count as one semester. Not both counting as full seasons. I'm sure the staff will do everything possible.

[FlameFan11]

great for the summary..sounds like we have some real potential. Is brock gardner similar to Doug Stewart when he came in as a freshman?

Doug Stewart.....now that is a name from the past. I know bballfan84 was referencing the talent and future potential of Stewart compared with Gardner, not actual production.

When Cider Fan doesn't know your name, that is not a good sign. Doug only scored 182 points in his 55 games over two seasons at Liberty so don't feel bad Cider.

Pretty sure that Gardner will pass the 182 points and every other statistical category a little sooner than Stewart. Haha. Can't believe a Doug Stewart reference popped up. Day made.

[bballfan84]

great for the summary..sounds like we have some real potential. Is brock gardner similar to Doug Stewart when he came in as a freshman?

Doug Stewart.....now that is a name from the past. I know bballfan84 was referencing the talent and future potential of Stewart compared with Gardner, not actual production.

When Cider Fan doesn't know your name, that is not a good sign. Doug only scored 182 points in his 55 games over two seasons at Liberty so don't feel bad Cider.



Pretty sure that Gardner will pass the 182 points and every other statistical category a little sooner than Stewart. Haha. Can't believe a Doug Stewart reference popped up. Day made.

Obviously he fell a little flat at Liberty..but behind Blair he was the bell of that 2003 class. Im telling you the kid could play. As soon as he got into the system..Dunton got in his head and it was over almost from day 1. Really sad actually.

[olldflame]

great for the summary..sounds like we have some real potential. Is brock gardner similar to Doug Stewart when he came in as a freshman?

Doug Stewart.....now that is a name from the past. I know bballfan84 was referencing the talent and future potential of Stewart compared with Gardner, not actual production.

When Cider Fan doesn't know your name, that is not a good sign. Doug only scored 182 points in his 55 games over two seasons at Liberty so don't feel bad Cider.



Pretty sure that Gardner will pass the 182 points and every other statistical category a little sooner than Stewart. Haha. Can't believe a Doug Stewart reference popped up. Day made.

Obviously he fell a little flat at Liberty..but behind Blair he was the bell of that 2003 class. Im telling you the kid could play. As soon as he got into the system..Dunton got in his head and it was over almost from day 1. Really sad actually.

Jeff Meyer

You're slipping 84 Doug actually was a year after Blair, and we all know it was the now infamously naked David Dees who was Robin to Larry's Batman

Stewart played for a small christian HS if I recall, and put up big numbers and won some accolades against not very good competition This is a case where I don't think the problems he had with our coach at the time were a totally one-sided deal Doug was probably not as good as he thought he was, but he was 6'9" and had some skills It is a shame he didn't get much chance to use them at Liberty

[Cider Jim]

Had to do a little research on Doug Stewart. In his last year with LU (2005-2006), he played 14 minutes a game and averaged 4 points.

http://www.liberty.edu/wwwadmin/globals ... 6Final.htm

This was a team with more household names that were getting a lot more playing time--people like:
Larry Blair
Anthony Smith
Damien Hubbard
Rell Porter
Evan Risher

If Doug Stewart only played 2 years for LU, did he play anywhere after he left LU?

[bballfan84]

fellas I was on the team..trust me I know what im talking about. I lived in the coaches office..playing basketball with these guys everyday. Doug was part of the larry Blair and David dees class but he redshirted his first year which is prob why you think he came in the year after. He was part of the Liberty basketball team for a full four years and had the opportunity to come back and play his senior redshirt season but he graduated and basically couldn't be under the reign of terror anymore. I am not trying to bash anyone just giving you the hard cold facts. Dougs potential was limitless at Liberty..Coach Martin, Coach Leary and Coach Dunton were all ecstatic to land such a steal..he just could never put it together.

[Purple Haize]

fellas I was on the team..trust me I know what im talking about. I lived in the coaches office..playing basketball with these guys everyday. Doug was part of the larry Blair and David dees class but he redshirted his first year which is prob why you think he came in the year after. He was part of the Liberty basketball team for a full four years and had the opportunity to come back and play his senior redshirt season but he graduated and basically couldn't be under the reign of terror anymore. I am not trying to bash anyone just giving you the hard cold facts. Dougs potential was limitless at Liberty..Coach Martin, Coach Leary and Coach Dunton were all ecstatic to land such a steal..he just could never put it together.

Jeff Meyer

[olldflame]

fellas I was on the team..trust me I know what im talking about. I lived in the coaches office..playing basketball with these guys everyday. Doug was part of the larry Blair and David dees class but he redshirted his first year which is prob why you think he came in the year after. He was part of the Liberty basketball team for a full four years and had the opportunity to come back and play his senior redshirt season but he graduated and basically couldn't be under the reign of terror anymore. I am not trying to bash anyone just giving you the hard cold facts. Dougs potential was limitless at Liberty..Coach Martin, Coach Leary and Coach Dunton were all ecstatic to land such a steal..he just could never put it together.

Jeff Meyer

I figured that was about the time you were on the team It's strange that Doug's name is not on the 2003-4 roster Redshirted players generally are

As far as the problems Doug had with the coach, you obvious know things we don't Everyone here knows I am the farthest thing from a fan of RD

Jeff Meyer

[olldflame]

Getting back on topic, I think there are a couple of more recent guys who played more we can compare with Gardner; Tyler Baker and Tomasz Gielo Both were a couple of inches taller at 6'9", but I think with his athleticism and aggressiveness, Brock will play bigger than either of them did when he is called on to do so, scoring inside, rebounding and blocking shots I think 3 point shooting is a wash, but believe Brock's other perimeter skills (ball handling, passing and defense) are on a whole different level from those 2

[bballfan84]

using tyler baker as a comparison is rather scary..while a nice guy he was probably one of the worst players I saw while at LU..no personal knock to the guy. I am pretty excited about Gardner though. I think my main concern for this team is a lack of a true pg

[R i]

Doug couldn't jump and was slow. I saw him get roughed up by some Lahaye/Schilling pick up hoops talent on more than one occasion. Now if I am not mistaken , Doug's sister had some major talent.

Brock is fast, and can jump.

[olldflame]

It's amazing how widely the opinions of the respective talents of former players varies There have been people who posted here who I'm sure would swear that only injuries kept Tyler Baker from the NBA

I do think Brock Gardner is more athletic, skilled and versatile than any of the 3 we have talked about here, and should have a better college career

[Cider Jim]

Is there any comparison between Gardner and Anthony Smith?

[FlameFan11]

"Brock will play bigger than either of them did when he is called on to do so, scoring inside, rebounding and blocking shots I think 3 point shooting is a wash, but believe Brock's other perimeter skills (ball handling, passing and defense) are on a whole different level from those 2"

I agree completely with this oldflame. I know it takes time to get used to the speed of the game for all freshman especially aggressive players like Gardner who will likely make mistakes with turnovers and shot selection but we haven't had a newcomer with such a versatile skill set in a very long time. Barring injury, I expect four years of production in just about every category. Very excited to see him this fall.

Cider, I think there are some comparisons with Gardner/Anthony Smith in that they can both knock down the 3 and attack the basket above the rim. Looks to be like Smith who played hard with enthusiasm and can throw down some big dunks.

This roster could really end up leaving their mark in the Liberty record books 3 or 4 years from now. Cabbil and Homesley are off to a strong start after a solid first year. Gardner and Baxter-Bell will play big minutes this year as freshman. If these guys can stay healthy, they will have major minutes and production after 4 years. Potentially 4 different 1,000 point scorers in this bunch. Dawson would have got there if he had enough games. Very excited about where the program is headed from a talent and character standpoint. What a difference a year makes!

[bballfan84]

i agree 100%...and it all comes down to RMK...maybe I should be the AD as I was calling for bringing Mckay back the day Dale was fired

[olldflame]

i agree 100%...and it all comes down to RMK...maybe I should be the AD as I was calling for bringing Mckay back the day Dale was fired

You are actually selling yourself short there, since you started this thread

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22427&hilit=McKay

about 3 months BEFORE Layer's firing was announced

For the record, I was the first to sign on with you

[flamehunter]

Wow some people in that thread have had to eat their words. Now we know why bluejacket is AWOL.

[bballfan84]

haha good pull oldflame..and wow you were quick to have my back!

[olldflame]

Wow some people in that thread have had to eat their words. Now we know why bluejacket is AWOL.

At this point I think some of them would gladly consume those words with their condiment of choice, but for others, I believe the jury is still out Nothing wrong with that I personally love the direction things seem to be going, but it is VERY early in the rebuilding process

[Sly Fox]

For the record, the Ritchie camp on this board after he departed the first time was limited to basically me. And I took a beating for it. So glad it worked out to get him back.

[Purple Haize]

For the record, the Ritchie camp on this board after he departed the first time was limited to basically me. And I took a beating for it. So glad it worked out to get him back.

There were a lot of people who hated Ritchie when he left. I never understood it.

[bballfan84]

For the record, the Ritchie camp on this board after he departed the first time was limited to basically me. And I took a beating for it. So glad it worked out to get him back.

Ive been a Ritchie supporter since day 1. A lot of guys took it personal that he left..kinda weird. I just could never come to grips with someone hating on a guy to leave Liberty to go make double and be head asst coach in the ACC...I mean cmon!

[thepostman]

Hey, it only took BJ annoying the living crap out of me to hop on board apparently. So we've got that. Haha

BJ has sold me with his ridiculous arguement. I want mckay back too.