[Liberty_2023]

Liberty MBB Roster Next year as I understand it. We are actually pretty tall if we don’t play porter & Metheny at the same time.

Returning Starters
PG - Colin Porter - 5’10
SG - Kaden Metheny - 5’11
F - Owen Aquino - 6’8
F - Zachery Cleveland - 6’7

Bench
G - Brett Decker - 6’3
G - Curtis Blair - 6’6
F - Zander Yates - 6’7
F - Isaiah Ihnen 6’9 (pending medical RS)
F - Josh Smith - 6’9

Incoming Freshmen
G - Zander Carter - 6’6
F - TJ Drain - 6’8
F - Andrew Grimes - 6’8

[Liberty_2023]

Players we’ve contacted so far…

Ryan Jones Jr- Forward (Virginia Tech)
Grant Walsh- Forward (Binghamton)
David Simon- Center (San Diego)
RJ Johnson- Guard (Charleston Southern)
Mikhail Pocknett- Forward (King College)
Ethan Duncan- Guard (Lubbock Christian)

Based on the quote above, size seems to be an emphasis…

6’11 David Simon- Center (San Diego)
6’8 Ryan Jones Jr- Forward (Virginia Tech)
6’8 Grant Walsh- Forward (Binghamton)
6’6 Mikhail Pocknett- Forward (King University)

6’1 RJ Johnson- Guard (Charleston Southern)
6’0 Ethan Duncan- Guard (Lubbock Christian)

[olldflame]

Players we’ve contacted so far…

Ryan Jones Jr- Forward (Virginia Tech)
Grant Walsh- Forward (Binghamton)
David Simon- Center (San Diego)
RJ Johnson- Guard (Charleston Southern)
Mikhail Pocknett- Forward (King College)
Ethan Duncan- Guard (Lubbock Christian)

Based on the quote above, size seems to be an emphasis…

6’11 David Simon- Center (San Diego)
6’8 Ryan Jones Jr- Forward (Virginia Tech)
6’8 Grant Walsh- Forward (Binghamton)
6’6 Mikhail Pocknett- Forward (King University)

6’1 RJ Johnson- Guard (Charleston Southern)
6’0 Ethan Duncan- Guard (Lubbock Christian)

My guess is that Duncan was contacted before Metheny announced his return. Probably no longer in the mix
Simon only weighs 190 at 6'11" and barely played as a FR and went to HS in Canada.
Walsh is a big time rebounder, but 42% shooting is not what you want from a player who doesn't take 3s.

Our primary likely losses are Maughmer and/or Peter, so Pocknett would seem to be a fit there.

[paradox]

Metheny is a misread. He committed to 2. Wise to wait on his part before committing to a 3rd year. LU was last stop either way, and again, wise to make sure pieces in place, etc.

[Liberty_2023]

What do you mean? I am confused.

[paradox]

Guys don’t resign in their prime when they’re in a favorable position. His position is very favorable. He’s actually peaking.

[jbock13]

If only the common man could elucidate into plain English the droppings of superfluous words into the modern paradigm like Paradox can.

[paradox]

I’m confident you can comprehend when you want to

[olldflame]

Guys don’t resign in their prime when they’re in a favorable position. His position is very favorable. He’s actually peaking.

Hmmmm.
I'm a huge Metheny fan, but one thing about him that IMHO is not in dispute is that his upside is somewhat limited.
In other words, you could easily make an argument that he has already peaked. That he peaked in the CUSA tournament.

I touched on this in some earlier posts. What he did in the last several days of this past season has set a bar that is going to be really hard to top. Another year will not make him an NBA prospect. I highly doubt another year will even improve his value as a pro overseas. He could no doubt make some money there right now. Another year should also have no effect on his future in real estate. So why did he decide to return?

Clearly Ritchie wanted him back, and he let him know. Between his participation in Senior day activities and his announcing his return, something changed regarding the "value" of his spending another year at Liberty, and I'm perfectly fine with that.

[LU Armchair coach]

Ritchie & the BROTHERHOOD that has developed within the players is the reason he is back. Tuesday the 25th before the deadline of Thursday he decided to come back.

[paradox]

There’s a time and place for everything. If you’re adding a year, it’s announced after season. During season focus is on games. Zero evidence he had one foot out the door.

[olldflame]

Ritchie & the BROTHERHOOD that has developed within the players is the reason he is back. Tuesday the 25th before the deadline of Thursday he decided to come back.

That is no doubt true.
I suspect it it was also true on March 2.

[olldflame]

There’s a time and place for everything. If you’re adding a year, it’s announced after season. During season focus is on games. Zero evidence he had one foot out the door.

No year was "added". From the time he arrived, we knew he had 3 years of eligibility.
I don't consider going in front of a full house on Senior day with the players whose eligibility has actually expired to be zero evidence. He also told Alan York (who repeated it on air) that his plan was to get started on his career in real estate.

I want to be very clear. I'm not dissing Kaden at all. We are raising funds to provide NIL assistance to athletes for a reason, and quite frankly, since Ritchie clearly wanted him back, I would be surprised and disappointed if he was not offered something.

[paradox]

You’re getting lost in your own interpretation

[olldflame]

You’re getting lost in your own interpretation

Nothing I typed was an "interpretation" of anything.

He was at Bowling Green for 3 years.
Medically redshirted 1 year
Covid exemption for another
Arrived at Liberty with 3 years of eligibility remaining.
Played 2 years
Participated in Senior Day ceremony on March 2.
Told York he decided to forego his final year to get started on his career.
Announced he was returning last week

Show me something there that is subject to "interpretation".
Is he getting NIL $$$?
Don't know, but he probably should be.

[LU Armchair coach]

There’s a time and place for everything. If you’re adding a year, it’s announced after season. During season focus is on games. Zero evidence he had one foot out the door.

My understanding he had 2 out the door per father!

[olldflame]

There’s a time and place for everything. If you’re adding a year, it’s announced after season. During season focus is on games. Zero evidence he had one foot out the door.

My understanding he had 2 out the door per father!

That's consistent with what Kaden had been saying. What he "had" has nothing to do with his "dad"
He "had" 3 years of eligibility. If he did not, we would be hearing about a petition/appeal for an extra year right now.

Crickets

Players do not always use all their eligibility. Some other recent examples from Liberty MBB are Keegan McDowell and Elijah Cuffee.

That was what Kaden planned to do.


Until it wasn't.

[paradox]

A certain player and a certain coach wanted him to try a certain haircare solution. This made Kaden very nervous. Colin too. More on that later.

So, let’s just say that this was used as motivation and that’s exactly how they pulled off the epic comeback against KSU, and ultimately the CUSA championship.

[olldflame]

A certain player and a certain coach wanted him to try a certain haircare solution. This made Kaden very nervous. Colin too. More on that later.

So, let’s just say that this was used as motivation and that’s exactly how they pulled off the epic comeback against KSU, and ultimately the CUSA championship.

Are you OK??

[paradox]

[media][/media]

There’s a time and place for everything. If you’re adding a year, it’s announced after season. During season focus is on games. Zero evidence he had one foot out the door.

My understanding he had 2 out the door per father!

Are you talking Kaden’s father or Dale’s father, who happens to very old by the way. Anyway, Dale’s father can confirm the controversial haircare solution aspects. Oh, and he’s in real estate too.

[olldflame]

Sorry Armchair, I misunderstood your "2 out the door" remark. Reference to feet, not years of eligibility. Senior moment

So you are saying he absolutely planned on leaving.
Until he didn't

[paradox]

It’s like they say, there’s nothing more convoluted than talking with someone else’s dad, a real estate agent, or a dad experimenting with ill-advised hairline techniques.

[LU Armchair coach]

Sorry Armchair, I misunderstood your "2 out the door" remark. Reference to feet, not years of eligibility. Senior moment

So you are saying he absolutely planned on leaving.
Until he didn't

Yes, He was done.

[jbock13]

I don't blame either one of you for not knowing what the other is saying.

[JK37]

I don't blame either one of you for not knowing what the other is saying.

Post of the year. I’m dying