[SumItUp]

So in follow up. Mcdowell was not a part of the team for the last several months from what ive heard and i never saw him on the bench after maybe the 10th game. Also he was not terribly well liked in the locker room and i had heard at one point that was due to a vote from the players.

It smells like to me we couldnt get anybody better so we accepted him back. Ive heard the words quitter and individual thrown around quite a bit by multiple parties. My guess is rmk hopes this will change him and he will be more of a leader with the large void.

I still would not have taken him back.

He's not the first player to quit and re-join the team, although his situation was announced via public statement. He didn't get back on the team without an invitation from RMK. Coach and the entire staff value team chemistry and culture. He's decided that having Keegan on next year's roster is what he wants to do.

[Jonathan Carone]

It's definitely a tricky situation, but I trust Ritchie completely at this point.

[Purple Haize]

So in follow up. Mcdowell was not a part of the team for the last several months from what ive heard and i never saw him on the bench after maybe the 10th game. Also he was not terribly well liked in the locker room and i had heard at one point that was due to a vote from the players.

It smells like to me we couldnt get anybody better so we accepted him back. Ive heard the words quitter and individual thrown around quite a bit by multiple parties. My guess is rmk hopes this will change him and he will be more of a leader with the large void.

I still would not have taken him back.

If what you say is true I’d be hard pressed to have him back on the roster. Having a core nucleus of players who are bought in can help with one who is not. RMK is far classier and more successful than I ever would have been at Upwards coaching so what can ya do?

[olldflame]

We haven't had a full compliment of 13 scholarship players who were not being red-shirted in years, and they have been the most successful years we have ever had. Last year we basically played 8 guys, and that dropped to 7 when Caleb was out a while. I can't imagine that Ritchie would feel any need to invite Keegan back if he had the slightest reason to believe he would be anything but a great teammate and an asset on and off the court. He would have just given the scholarship to Reed for next year and started looking for a 3rd player in the 21 class.

[cruzan_flame13]

We haven't had a full compliment of 13 scholarship players who were not being red-shirted in years, and they have been the most successful years we have ever had. Last year we basically played 8 guys, and that dropped to 7 when Caleb was out a while. I can't imagine that Ritchie would feel any need to invite Keegan back if he had the slightest reason to believe he would be anything but a great teammate and an asset on and off the court. He would have just given the scholarship to Reed for next year and started looking for a 3rd player in the 21 class.

Who's Reed? Is that the high prospect in the class of '21?

[olldflame]

We haven't had a full compliment of 13 scholarship players who were not being red-shirted in years, and they have been the most successful years we have ever had. Last year we basically played 8 guys, and that dropped to 7 when Caleb was out a while. I can't imagine that Ritchie would feel any need to invite Keegan back if he had the slightest reason to believe he would be anything but a great teammate and an asset on and off the court. He would have just given the scholarship to Reed for next year and started looking for a 3rd player in the 21 class.

Who's Reed? Is that the high prospect in the class of '21?

Colton Reed. Walk-on guard. Ritchie has a history of giving scholarships to walk-ons rather than just signing the best recruit "available". Efton Reid is a 7' C we have offered for 21, but we actually don't have a scholarship available since Keegan returned. I believe that will change at some point though. Reid is a 5 star, and signing him is a long shot at best.

[jinxy]

I trust rmk as well. Even the best make wrong choices. Hopefully this works out well. I dont post items like these very often and ive been right when i did on all but robert washington (dud source who i got rid of ha This particular piece comes from 2 very different very close sources. So i believe. I heard the player vote back a couple months ago. I just didnt put it on here because we all thought he was gone!

My guess is with all the departing vets via graduation and transfer he felt like he may be able to redeem his image. Hopefully he does. I think weve all made emotional decisions that were wrong and grown from them and hopefully he does. I just hate risking blowing up the locker room when chemistry was strong for the most part.

However i still take a d2 4 if i can and turn the scholly over next year.

[olldflame]

I trust rmk as well. Even the best make wrong choices. Hopefully this works out well. I dont post items like these very often and ive been right when i did on all but robert washington (dud source who i got rid of ha This particular piece comes from 2 very different very close sources. So i believe. I heard the player vote back a couple months ago. I just didnt put it on here because we all thought he was gone!

My guess is with all the departing vets via graduation and transfer he felt like he may be able to redeem his image. Hopefully he does. I think weve all made emotional decisions that were wrong and grown from them and hopefully he does. I just hate risking blowing up the locker room when chemistry was strong for the most part.

However i still take a d2 4 if i can and turn the scholly over next year.

That last statement is one of the silliest I've heard in a while. I assume by "a d2 4" you mean someone who played PF at the D2 level last year, and although you didn't say it, would also have to be a grad transfer in the portal. I'm sure there are some players out there who would fit that description, but you have no idea who they are, how good they are, whether they would be a fit for either the school/team culture of our system on the court, or would even be interested. To arbitrarily say you would "take" someone based just on the criteria you gave over a known commodity who has been in our program for 3 years is basically laughable, and totally contradicts your statement that you trust our coach's judgement.

I think it's clear that our staff looked into multiple options for this scholarship. Some of them were in high demand, and decided to go elsewhere. Perhaps there were others we could have signed. Ritchie decided that of the options that were actually available to us, this was what was best for the team. IMHO the main sticking point is that because Keegan has 2 years left, it temporarily means we don't have an opening for 2021, and I'm sure they would like a 3 man class there, but I think it's highly likely that will change.

[jinxy]

You have no clue what i know or dont know.

You still thought he had been practicing for months with the team? And i dont know anything?

[thepostman]

I don't have any inside info but I do trust RM and if he is willing to give the kid a second chance, I'm good with it. I think Ritchie has done more than enough to earn that kind of trust.

[olldflame]

You have no clue what i know or dont know.

You still thought he had been practicing for months with the team? And i dont know anything?

I have more than a clue that you know less than Ritchie McKay about what is best for the team. You may have a "source" who is feeding you info that Keegan is some sort of "cancer". You probably should "fire" them like you fired the other one.

As far as whether you have specific knowledge about a "d2 4" who wanted to come to play for Liberty and would have been a better option than McDowell, I'm gunna call on that one.

[jinxy]

quarantine in the DR sure is making oldflame cranky.

[olldflame]

quarantine in the DR sure is making oldflame cranky.

Maybe sometimes. Overall I'm hanging in there, but some of the restrictions are really pointless. Curfew starting at 5PM (2 hours before sundown) and prepared food cannot even be sold to go, only delivered. Not allowed to go for a swim at the beach (5 minute walk from my apt.) even if I'm the only one there.

Just a few thoughts on the McDowell situation. I think it's safe to say this outcome was not what either Keegan or Ritchie ideally wanted, and would almost certainly have been different if not for the face to face recruiting ban due to the virus. We all know our campus atmosphere and facilities are huge selling points and if we can get a recruit to the mountain, our chances of signing him go way up. We probably would have had a real shot at Ian DuBose if he could have visited. Things being as they are, you can see why he would choose Wake. Same could probably be said for the Ferguson kid from Belmont Abby and a couple of others.

Similar situation with Keegan, who didn't get to play much at the end of his Soph. year, but IMHO is a legit D1 player. If he could have had a chance to do campus visits and work out in front of coaches, things might have been different. It looks like he almost went to Wright State, but either they changed their mind or he decided he would rather see if he could come back to Liberty. If our new players (and I include Marten Maide in that group) are as good as we think/hope, chances are he won't play a lot this year. I'm sure he is well aware of that. I won't be at all surprised if we see him in the transfer portal again come next Spring, which is fine with me.

[A Sea of Red]

A lot of good stuff from Coach McKay in the Wednesday with the Flames segment today. Here's a recap of some of the main takeaways as he talks Keegan McDowell, scheduling, and next year's team:

https://www.aseaofred.com/ritchie-mckay ... mes-recap/

[Jonathan Carone]

Ritchie’s perspective on things is so great.

[Chippy]

Be interesting to see both the offense and defense with 4 guards and one 6'7" post player being either a Soph (Robinson) or Frosh (Abii) with Preston (6'9")playing sparingly. Basically played 4 and 1 this year with a lot of success. My lineup at this time:

1 - McGhee
2 - Cuffee
3 - Maide
4 - Rode
5 - Robinson (with 15 lbs of muscle added)

[A Sea of Red]

Liberty to compete in 2020 Legends Classic

https://www.aseaofred.com/liberty-to-co ... s-classic/

[Sly Fox]

Still awaiting dates in Texas

[thepostman]

2 for 1 deal with Missouri

https://www.aseaofred.com/liberty-and-m ... ll-series/

[Purple Haize]

2 for 1 deal with Missouri

https://www.aseaofred.com/liberty-and-m ... ll-series/

I like that set up. A-H-A in the next 3 years. If things go well maybe add more Of course Missouri might come knocking on Richie’s door too

[ballcoach15]

I like this deal. I might make road trip to Missouri. It's my old stomping grounds from the 1970s.

[LUOrange]

It's interesting that Football seems to have a decent relationship with the ACC and MBB with the SEC. So far, "I like it. I like it a lot." Although, it'll be kinda embarrassing to play the Tigers in the lil'Arena. Unless of course we move back to the Vines for big games...

[cruzan_flame13]

It's interesting that Football seems to have a decent relationship with the ACC and MBB with the SEC. So far, "I like it. I like it a lot." Although, it'll be kinda embarrassing to play the Tigers in the lil'Arena. Unless of course we move back to the Vines for big games...

Here we go again

[Class of 20Something]

Well they won’t be capable of hearing in the new arena so let’s take that.

[olldflame]

2 for 1 deal with Missouri

https://www.aseaofred.com/liberty-and-m ... ll-series/

I like that set up. A-H-A in the next 3 years. If things go well maybe add more Of course Missouri might come knocking on Richie’s door too

I hope I'm wrong, but if I were a betting man, I'd wager this series ends up being cancelled.
https://www.rockmnation.com/missouri-ti ... basketball

They do have a new president since the fiasco of a few years ago, but I'm still afraid the admin. there is so snowflake they will cave to the criticism. If I wanted to take the time, I could write an article just as long about how scheduling Missouri is a huge mistake for Liberty because they are a cesspool of Marxism and Identitarianism.