[LU Armchair coach]

VT secret scrimmage was held at HCRM arena! IMO Josh is going to be very good for us. He can stretch the floor, brings toughness, I also think he will be playing on 2 good legs. This kid will struggle to gain minutes unless like Oldflame said LU has an injury.

[olldflame]

VT secret scrimmage was held at HCRM arena! IMO Josh is going to be very good for us. He can stretch the floor, brings toughness, I also think he will be playing on 2 good legs. This kid will struggle to gain minutes unless like Oldflame said LU has an injury.

I can absolutely see a scenario where, having seen the campus and facilities and possibly had some interaction with our staff, Jones had us on his short list from day one when he entered the portal.

Smith should be a big asset. Not so sure about stretching the floor though. He really doesn't take many 3s, and based on his numbers, with good reason. I don't know how serious his knee injury was, but he will have had an extended rehab (almost a year and a half) when he resumes practice in earnest this June. He should be fine.

[paradox]

Smith can definitely shoot

[Liberty_2023]

If Ryan Jones Jr. had committed in high school would he not be the highest rated commit in liberty basketball history?

[olldflame]

Smith can definitely shoot

He shoots a high % overall because he can finish inside (which is a very good thing). From 3, he shot well as a FR (.378) and since then he is under 30%. If we want to stretch the floor with a big man, Yates and Ihnen are better options. Maybe Jones as well.

[LU Armchair coach]

Smith will be hard to take off the floor!!!!!

[paradox]

…Jones…

Minutes are tight. But, wouldn’t bet against RJ. Got squeezed by incoming transfers last year. Ceiling remains very high

[flameshaw]

Is this VT kid really 6'8" or is he 6'2" with 6 inches of "fro"?

[LUOrange]

Is this VT kid really 6'8" or is he 6'2" with 6 inches of "fro"?

Like the chimney sweeper from Lipscomb?

[olldflame]

Is this VT kid really 6'8" or is he 6'2" with 6 inches of "fro"?

I suppose he is still enrolled VT, but he's a "Liberty kid" now.
According to verbalcommits.com , he's 6'9".

If we are going to subtract the hair, Willard DeShazor was like 5'8" (actual height 6'4").
One of the most underrated athletes we have ever had.
If he had not played in the no dunk era, he would be a legend.

[paradox]

There’s only one person donning a most unfortunate haircare solution in Liberty Arena. And he knows who he is.

[John_6_47]

With Ihnen returning, we could have 8-9 guys that are playable. Maybe more, especially if Peter and/or Maughmer return. Could still be recruiting more, too. Am I the only one who feels that next year will be better than this one?

[olldflame]

With Ihnen returning, we could have 8-9 guys that are playable. Maybe more, especially if Peter and/or Maughmer return. Could still be recruiting more, too. Am I the only one who feels that next year will be better than this one?

Nope.

[cruzan_flame13]

Didn't know where to put this, but here's some calculations that was evaluated from the Wall Street Journal Valuation for school athletic programs at the end of the 2024-25 season:

[olldflame]

So, were there other portal recruits besides Ryan Jones on campus this weekend? Can we expect more good news soon?

[Humble_Opinion]

Yeah I was expecting to hear some news at the Guard spot. With Maughmer and Peter likely not getting another year, I'd imagine we pick up at least one in the portal and rely on the development of Decker.

[LU Armchair coach]

Yeah I was expecting to hear some news at the Guard spot. With Maughmer and Peter likely not getting another year, I'd imagine we pick up at least one in the portal and rely on the development of Decker.

Two other recruits were on campus this weekend. LU didn't offer the West Liberty guard but did offer the kid from Clemson. Maughmer & Peter very not likely to get another year. NCAA is leaning towards giving all D-1 athletics 5 years.

[olldflame]

Math wasn't my best subject but wouldn't 5 years work in Peter's favor?

[LU Armchair coach]

Math wasn't my best subject but wouldn't 5 years work in Peter's favor?

I was told that those 2 Jayvon & Taelon wasn't looking good and its looking like the NCAA is going to 5 years period. Thats all I know. I don't remember a class in school was one of my best maybe GYM.

[olldflame]

Maughmer played 4 years of D2. Peter only played 3. Plus last year is 4. If they are really going to 5 in 5.

[olldflame]

JJ Harper, 6'5" 200 G/F from West Liberty, has committed.

https://www.aseaofred.com/west-liberty- ... o-liberty/

35% from 3
83% from FT line
Serious hops
Serious lenth
Besides the usual expected dunks and 3s, there are several sick blocks in the highlight video.

[LU Armchair coach]

Yeah I was expecting to hear some news at the Guard spot. With Maughmer and Peter likely not getting another year, I'd imagine we pick up at least one in the portal and rely on the development of Decker.

Two other recruits were on campus this weekend. LU didn't offer the West Liberty guard but did offer the kid from Clemson. Maughmer & Peter very not likely to get another year. NCAA is leaning towards giving all D-1 athletics 5 years.

Looks like the LU Armchair coach was acting like the rest of the posters and really didn’t listen to what I was being told Saturday evening.

[olldflame]

I think Jones was a good get, but barring injury, he will probably not make a big impact this year.
Harper is another story.
Calling it now.
CUSA 6th man of the year

[Humble_Opinion]

The one thing that jumps out at you re: Jones is his ability to drive and get to the basket. He has no problem driving and initiating contact and he appears to finish well. From watching the highlights and considering his FT % it appears he has a solid midrange game, which I don't know that we've had much of recently. If he learns the defense, he could be a nice mixture of Maughmer and Peter. Seems likely he will see the court plenty.

Starting Line-up:
PG - Porter
SG - Metheny
SG - Jones
F - Cleveland
F - Smith/Ihnen

[John_6_47]

Nice to see some good news. Are we expecting any of the three rookies to make an impact this year? Even as bench players?