If roundball is your blood, this is the place to discuss the Flames as they move into the Ritchie McKay era for the 2nd time.

Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke

User avatar
By R i
Registration Days Posts
#540149
I really enjoyed the football thread discussing what success looks like over the next several years. So lets do the same for this season in hoops.

What would be a successful season for this years team ?
User avatar
By jcmanson
Registration Days Posts
#540182
I'll be happy as long as we keep showing signs of progress and improvement. There's several ways to judge that. One, is our calendar year record against DI opponents:

2015: 2-28
2016: 14-15
2017: 14-6 (& counting)

Another is our Big South record:
2014-15: 2-16
2015-16: 10-8
2016-17: 14-4

Also, final KenPom ranking:
2014-15: 333
2015-16: 292
2016-17: 211

Postseason play of some kind is also important, obviously NCAA/NIT is preferable. I also think its imperative we win at least 1 Big South Tourney game.

The 2018-19 & 2019-2020 seasons are when McKay will finally have a roster full of his guys, and I would think we would be a top 100 national team.
User avatar
By R i
Registration Days Posts
#540208
Successful season to me would be ,

1) Winning 20+ games. We have an extremely soft schedule and should get this done.

2) Winning 12+ conference games. Last season we went 14-4. That is a great mark to shoot for.

3) Making the Big South Championship.

4) Post Season Play - NIT would be fantastic, but any post season play would be successful.

That being said, if we do not reach all four of those marks I would not necessarily call it a failure.

Failures would be
Winning less than 10 conference games
Losing in the first round of the conference tournament.
No post season tournament play.
#540233
Definitely winning at least 20 games, top 2 in the conference (14-15 conference wins should put us in the top 2) and making the NIT at minimum
#540254
I am with BJ on this one. Anything less than 20 wins, a top 2 finish in the Big South, and the NIT and I will be disappointed. However, i would not call it a failure if we don't get there so long as we execute, play with passion, and keep improving all season.
I really think this team has a fair shot at winning the Big South tournament this year. We are deep and we are bigger than we have been in several years. We have good game experience coming back, our talent is near the top of the league and we have excellent coaching.
User avatar
By R i
Registration Days Posts
#540265
ALAFlamesFan wrote: our talent is near the top of the league
No first team nominations. Brock and Dawson were our most talented and they are gone. We were picked 3rd preseason.
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#540268
R i wrote:
ALAFlamesFan wrote: our talent is near the top of the league
No first team nominations. Brock and Dawson were our most talented and they are gone. We were picked 3rd preseason.
I'm going to disagree here, and it's not just my opinion, because McKay went on record last year as saying that Caleb Homesly was our most talented player.

Dawson looked like a world-beater for one semester and then regressed. He did not put 2 good halves of basketball together all last year. Brock has talent, but don't be surprised if Keegan McDowell has a more productive FR year even with stiffer competition for minutes. The more I look at how Brock left and where he ended up, the less I think I will miss him as a fan. Hope he enjoys being the big fish in the small pond.
User avatar
By R i
Registration Days Posts
#540270
Before the injury maybe Homesly was more talented than Brock and Dawson last season. I agree with the analysis above about depth, coaching and chemistry. I do not agree with having top talent in the league. Winthrop, UNC Asheville both have better top end talent, and Campbell has preseason player of the year nominee.

If we win this year it will be because of coaching, depth and a team first mentality.
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#540277
Chris Lang wrote:The only way Liberty is making the NIT is if it wins the regular season and fails to win the conference tournament. The NIT isn't taking a Big South team as an at-large pick.
I'll agree it's highly unlikely simply because to have a resume the NIT would accept would almost necessitate winning a regular season championship. I suppose it's possible if in a given year there were 2 dominant BSC teams with one coming out on top in both the regular season and the tourney and the other losing out by a hair, but having a couple of impressive OOC wins. Those wins would need to be doozies though. Even in that scenario, I doubt we will ever see 2 BSC teams in the Big Dance.
#540304
Right. Went back and did a quick look at the brackets since they moved to the format of giving auto bids to conference regular season champs in 2007, and there are some examples of at-larges going to some traditional one-bid leagues. But those leagues (Horizon, MAC, CAA, Ivy) are generally a step above where the Big South finishes on a yearly basis. You'd figure LU would have to make some hay in the Paradise Jam and knock off a big name or two, finish with 22 or 23 wins and finish a game out of the lead in the regular season before the NIT would take a look. I know we're getting way ahead of ourselves, but I'm a nerd like that.
User avatar
By jinxy
Registration Days Posts
#540487
Were def deeper and i personally like not having to rely on a clemons or cooks. One injury can derail your season or foul trouble can derail a game. If you look at our roster its hard to argue any one player would do either. Now maybe our next step is to add one of those players to what we have.
#540555
jinxy wrote:Were def deeper and i personally like not having to rely on a clemons or cooks. One injury can derail your season or foul trouble can derail a game. If you look at our roster its hard to argue any one player would do either. Now maybe our next step is to add one of those players to what we have.
I’m going to have to say Darius McGhee.
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#540556
cruzan_flame13 wrote:
jinxy wrote:Were def deeper and i personally like not having to rely on a clemons or cooks. One injury can derail your season or foul trouble can derail a game. If you look at our roster its hard to argue any one player would do either. Now maybe our next step is to add one of those players to what we have.
I’m going to have to say Darius McGhee.
Darius and Brendan Newton seem to be the 2 most likely, although Price is intriguing as well. I got excited about the problems Newton caused VCU in his brief stint on the floor. Setting aside the points and rebounds, he drew 4 fouls in like 2 minutes. The kid trying to guard him was totally overmatched.
User avatar
By jinxy
Registration Days Posts
#540559
Mcghee seems to me to be a one of those guys that will be a big hit or big bust due to his size and volume shooting. Atleast he does show fairly good ball handling skills to minimize that spread.

Its too early to say what brendans ceiling is but at this point hes def worth a scholly and should be at minimum a role player. The ceiling could indeed be pretty high if he develops.

Dont know enough about price to make any judgments.
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#540561
jinxy wrote:Mcghee seems to me to be a one of those guys that will be a big hit or big bust due to his size and volume shooting. Atleast he does show fairly good ball handling skills to minimize that spread.

Its too early to say what brendans ceiling is but at this point hes def worth a scholly and should be at minimum a role player. The ceiling could indeed be pretty high if he develops.

Dont know enough about price to make any judgments.
McGhee was a volume shooter and prolific scorer his Sophomore year in Roxboro, but on a State championship team loaded with veterans at Blue Ridge last year, he was more of a role player. This year could be interesting. His athleticsm is off the charts; something we have not seen at Liberty in a long time, if ever.
By JK37
Registration Days Posts
#540585
olldflame wrote: His athleticsm is off the charts; something we have not seen at Liberty in a long time, if ever.
I can accept the “long time”, but not the “if ever”. Julius Nuwoso on Line 1, Carl Williams on 2.
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#540590
JK37 wrote:
olldflame wrote: His athleticsm is off the charts; something we have not seen at Liberty in a long time, if ever.
I can accept the “long time”, but not the “if ever”. Julius Nuwoso on Line 1, Carl Williams on 2.
Thanks for jogging my memory. Williams was freakishly athletic. If his skill level had been a bit higher he would have had a shot at the NBA. I have always maintained he could have been an NFL DB though. As a big man I guess I mentally put Julius in another category, but for a guy his size his speed and agility were amazing.

I don't believe we have ever had a little guy with the jets and hops McGhee has. Freddie Morgan may have come closest, but he didn't even start for us when we were D2.

I think it also goes without saying we have never had a Player like Newton. That doesn't mean he'll be better than the likes of Nwosu and Aluma, just that he is a lot bigger.
Dondi Costin - LU President

Ive gone there a few times since moving to texas b[…]

There’s a cerebral side to the game, which M[…]

NCAA Realignment Megathread

Duke Gonzaga B12? https://larrybrownsports.com/co[…]

FlameFans Fantasy Baseball

We are on!!! Hope to see everyone tonight at 9:30[…]