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

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By LU Armchair coach
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#668423
As the greatest armchair coach on the board , I’m gonna go ahead and say what should already be obvious to anyone paying attention to Liberty Flames men’s basketball but obviously some don’t think like the great one.

They’re holding tight on offers right now for a reason.
This isn’t hesitation. This isn’t falling behind. This is calculated.

Head Coach Ritchie McKay is clearly waiting on the NCAA to sort out the whole “5 for 5” rule situation before making any big moves. And honestly… that’s just smart roster management in today’s chaos.

Why lock yourself into commitments when the rules of the game might shift in your favor?

Meanwhile, you’ve got powerhouses like UConn Huskies men’s basketball being very vocal about all this—so yeah, people are paying attention at the highest level. And oh yeah… I know when the portal closes too.

And when that portal does close? Let’s not act like that’s the end of the story. With seniors exhausting eligibility, my guess is it won’t take long before someone files a lawsuit—and just like that, the doors swing right back open.

I would’ve thought some of you posters would’ve thunk that already.

Patience isn’t inactivity—it’s strategy.
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#668426
I can't even imagine a scenario where this year's 4th year payers are granted a 5th year at the last moment. If 5 for 5 does happen, it will start with the players who are currently on rosters with remaining eligibility.

BTW, Liberty currently has just one open spot on it's roster, which makes me wonder what all the "inactivity" talk was about.
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#668430
Anyone 6'10" or taller who can walk and chew gum simultaneously is wildly overvalued in todqy's portal/NIL situation. I'm happy to see Ritchie is not buying in.
By Humble_Opinion
Registration Days Posts
#668434
If you listened to the HCRM interview on the Flames Central podcast this past week, you'll hear some interesting tidbits about what his strategy was in the portal and how this team will compare to prior years.

No one will be surprised to hear this, but LU became heavily reliant on 3 pt FGs the past 4 years going back to Darius McGhee's last year. We have not had a true consistent finisher at the bucket since the 2020-21 season. That team had several players that had the ability to drive and finish at the rim from the Guard spot. McKay seemed to really be focused on re-establishing that capability with the transfers he brought in. If you watch the video footage of Matthew Shelton, you see he is able to knock down open shots from behind the arc, but his strength is leveraging his length and athleticism to drive to and finish at the rim.
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By LU Armchair coach
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#668451
If HCRM has a bad year, the greatest LU Armchair Coach of all time is calling it now… he’ll walk right out of the MT and join his colleague HCTB at the pro level. 😂

This is also the first time HCRM has truly had to rebuild a roster from the ground up, but you experts already knew that from your recliners.
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