[flameshaw]

I disagree. This year LU is more athletic with more lengths than ever before. Athleticism is the biggest difference than the teams of yesteryear.

I would argue that we are really not any better than most teams we have had since the mid -80"s. I am not sure why we can't get over the hump in basketball. You only need 10 good players. Football you need 50+.

[Chippy]

Had Ihnen stayed healthy, we'd be undefeated in the conference, especially with the addition of Maughmer and Peter. Peter is the best player on this team, while he is as equally selfless as any of the players on this team. Good chemistry and the talent to compete. 1-6 we're fine but a drop off after that is quite obvious.

[Humble_Opinion]

I don't know how anyone could be honest with themselves in thinking we didn't upgrade the talent and athleticism this past offseason. We brought in 5 players - Smith (Out w/ injury), Ihnen (Out w/ Injury), Aquino, Maughmer, and Peter. The latter three are all longer than the players they're replacing. The real problem here is the injury to Ihnen, which ruined the rotation in the front court. The portions of the roster that we lost from last year have all been upgraded. Essentially, our 1-6 this year vs last. The real issue is the 7-15, which right now are either unproven freshmen, or players that have not developed (thinking mostly Spell and Yates to a degree).

I will say, Yates showed something in the win against NMSU this past weekend that I hadn't seen before. He showed a little grit and toughness down low defensively that may give him the confidence to perform and gain some additional minutes. If he can hit open shots like he did, he could become that guy to give us some needed minutes. Prior to Peter's emergence though, it was becoming obvious that Ihnen was our most skilled player. He started slow, but he started knocking down 3s and his inside game became very smooth. It's hard to understate how much he is missed.

On to the guards... do I like the fact that two of our guards are below 6'? No, I don't and I do think it hurts us at times. However, Decker is not the answer and is not going to run the offense the way Porter is able too. And to be honest, what Porter gives up in height, he makes up for in grit, determination and IQ. He leads the team in steals and consistently draws tough assignments. Metheny is the only person I could see Peter replacing in the starting line-up, but again it doesn't matter because Peter is getting a lot of minutes now coming off the bench. We essentially have a 4-man rotation at guard, with McKay providing some needed minutes of rest when needed.

Big picture, depth in the frontcourt is the issue, not the backcourt.

[LU Armchair coach]

Ah, yes, the classic "we upgraded talent, but the real problem is depth" conundrum! It’s like buying a new sports car and then realizing you forgot to fill the tank—sure, the shiny new players are great, but when the injury bug hits and your bench is as deep as a kiddie pool, things get... interesting. I totally get the frustration with the frontcourt depth; it's hard to thrive when your so-called MVP (Ihnen) is out, and your backup plan is "pray for some grit from Yates." But hey, if Yates can keep bringing that grit and toughness like he did against NMSU, we might just turn that depth issue into a depth perception problem instead. "Looks like HCRM is all about building a fortress before launching an attack! Maybe he's secretly training us to be the ultimate defensive team and "HCRM must think our smaller guards are like ninjas—quick, stealthy, and always ready to swipe the ball! Who needs height when you can have a team of defensive dynamos sneaking around the court? " . And hey, aren't we all armchair coaches? It's much easier to call the shots from the comfort of our couches with a snack! "

[Ill flame]

I really don’t get all of the pessimism. We hit our ceiling in one of the worst conferences in the country years ago and coasted for awhile. Now we are clearly on the upswing again with the best yet to come. If ihnen stays healthy we are the favorite in one of the best mid major conferences in the country during year two. Even with Ihnen gone we are 2-1 against the top 3 teams in the conference with a real chance to win this thing.

McKay took a chance on two talented but injury prone forwards and it backfired. If even one of them stays healthy we aren’t having this conversation, if both stay healthy the conversation would be about whether or not this is the deepest team in program history.

[olldflame]

I disagree. This year LU is more athletic with more lengths than ever before. Athleticism is the biggest difference than the teams of yesteryear.

I would argue that we are really not any better than most teams we have had since the mid -80"s. I am not sure why we can't get over the hump in basketball. You only need 10 good players. Football you need 50+.

You are probably the only one on this board who has been following Liberty basketball as long as I have, so I'm a bit perplexed at your post. Thinking either you miss-typed or got your years confused, because in the mid 80s we were playing in D2. We transitioned to D1 in the late 80s, and we did have some really good players (Alston, Nwosu,) but anything comparable to what we have now did not arrive until the mid 90s. We spent our first 30 years in D1 playing in the Big South and ASUN, 2 really weak conferences. We had some success, but the only time we were really dominant was our first few years in the ASUN.

We are just now seeing what it is like to play in a top 10 caliber conference. While our 3-3 record so far this year is not what we hoped for at this point, I am cautiously optimistic. If you look at the C-USA standings, 2 of the 3 teams leading the pack at 4-1 suffered their only loss to Liberty. In addition, we handed SHS their first home loss in almost 2 years. All of this happened while making a big adjustment to playing without Ihnen. We have shown we can beat the best teams in our conference. Now we need to get more consistent.

[LU Armchair coach]

I get it, we’ve all been there—hitting our ceiling, coasting, and wondering why the good old days of mediocrity feel so comfortable. But hey, I love the optimism! If Ihnen stays healthy, we're basically the mid-major Avengers, ready to take on the basketball world. Without him? Well, we’re still 2-1 against the top 3 teams in the conference, which honestly sounds like we’re just warming up for a late-game comeback. And McKay? I mean, he took a chance on some injury-prone forwards, but if they had stayed healthy, we'd be debating whether this is the deepest team in history or if we should just build a statue of the training staff. Either way, it’s a fun ride—let's just hope no one pulls a hamstring on the way to the championship!

[Humble_Opinion]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we KNEW Josh Smith was injured and would be out for the year when he offered him. Ihnen was injury prone, and we did take a risk on him, but that's water under the bridge and no one's fault.

It's still early on in conference play and I think we're making adjustments to how teams are choosing to guard us now. While FTs concern me, I think McKay is and will remain the man for the job. My kid attended the LU basketball summer camps two summers in a row and HCRM knows him by name. That's special. He has photos with basically all the players now and each one of them are class acts. I understand some of the pessimism here, but overall, I'm optimistic about the trajectory of the team and its leadership. It's hard not to root for these guys.

[flameshaw]

I disagree. This year LU is more athletic with more lengths than ever before. Athleticism is the biggest difference than the teams of yesteryear.

I would argue that we are really not any better than most teams we have had since the mid -80"s. I am not sure why we can't get over the hump in basketball. You only need 10 good players. Football you need 50+.

You are probably the only one on this board who has been following Liberty basketball as long as I have, so I'm a bit perplexed at your post. Thinking either you miss-typed or got your years confused, because in the mid 80s we were playing in D2. We transitioned to D1 in the late 80s, and we did have some really good players (Alston, Nwosu,) but anything comparable to what we have now did not arrive until the mid 90s. We spent our first 30 years in D1 playing in the Big South and ASUN, 2 really weak conferences. We had some success, but the only time we were really dominant was our first few years in the ASUN.

We are just now seeing what it is like to play in a top 10 caliber conference. While our 3-3 record so far this year is not what we hoped for at this point, I am cautiously optimistic. If you look at the C-USA standings, 2 of the 3 teams leading the pack at 4-1 suffered their only loss to Liberty. In addition, we handed SHS their first home loss in almost 2 years. All of this happened while making a big adjustment to playing without Ihnen. We have shown we can beat the best teams in our conference. Now we need to get more consistent.

You are correct, I should have said the mid 90"s, when we had Peter and Julius. I will stand by my comment that we have not really made a lot of progress since then.
I believe 100000000% that today's team could beat our first NCAA team. But Peter has passed away and the rest of the guys are in their 50"s. Of all the teams on the mountain, I would say that the MBB and WBB have improved the least in the last 20-25 years. IMHO.

[Ill flame]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we KNEW Josh Smith was injured and would be out for the year when he offered him. Ihnen was injury prone, and we did take a risk on him, but that's water under the bridge and no one's fault.

Looks like you’re probably right but it’s hard to say. I thought he was coming off an injury when we picked him up then he got injured again in the offseason but apparently he still hasn’t returned from his injury he received last February. Looking back at some of the articles concerning Josh smith its not clear if McKay knew he would be out the entire season when he added him or he thought smith would be back at some point. If mckay added him with the intention to do a medical redshirt and have him in the front court for the 2025-2026 season that’s certainly a risky move.

[jcmanson]

We knew Smith would miss this season when we added him.

[Ill flame]

We knew Smith would miss this season when we added him.

Thanks for the clarification.

[LU Armchair coach]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we KNEW Josh Smith was injured and would be out for the year when he offered him. Ihnen was injury prone, and we did take a risk on him, but that's water under the bridge and no one's fault.

It's still early on in conference play and I think we're making adjustments to how teams are choosing to guard us now. While FTs concern me, I think McKay is and will remain the man for the job. My kid attended the LU basketball summer camps two summers in a row and HCRM knows him by name. That's special. He has photos with basically all the players now and each one of them are class acts. I understand some of the pessimism here, but overall, I'm optimistic about the trajectory of the team and its leadership. It's hard not to root for these guys.

That sounds like an incredible experience for your kid! It's truly special when coaches and players take the time to connect personally with young fans. Having those photos and memories with the players must be priceless. This team is made up of such class acts, and your optimism about their future is inspiring. It's always easier to support a team when you know the people behind it are genuinely good. Here's to hoping for continued success and growth for the team!

Winning on the court or field is great, but winning for Christ? Now that's a championship worth celebrating! Raising champions for Christ is the ultimate goal, and playing basketball or football is just an elective. After all, the real MVPs are those who live out their faith with integrity and love. So, let's cheer for those slam dunks and touchdowns, but remember, the biggest victory is in the game of life!