2016-17 Liberty Men's Basketball Preview
11/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The phrase what a difference a year makes is thrown around a lot. In athletics, sometimes that difference is shocking.
Heading into the 2015-16 season, the Liberty men's basketball team was pegged 11th in the Big South Preseason Poll. Head coach Ritchie McKay had just returned to the program months prior with a new defensive scheme in hand. With a roster consisting of 12 players, the Flames surprised everyone but themselves, finishing 10-8 in the conference and receiving a first round bye in the 2016 Big South Men's Basketball Championship.
Liberty's journey ended after a loss to eventual conference champion UNC Asheville. McKay isn't one to dwell on the past, but there are some takeaways from his first season back at Liberty he gladly brings into the upcoming campaign.
"I think our guys got a little bit of confidence in our defensive system," he stated. "They had a huge buy-in to one another. I think it is a positive that is not only essential for our program's development, but also one that I'm proud of because the underlying meaning is our complete belief in our university and its mission."
Liberty's effort last season did not go unnoticed by the same group that predicted an 11th-place finish in 2015-16. This season, the Flames are No. 2 in the Big South Preseason Poll. Led by redshirt senior guard and Big South Preseason First Team all-conference selection John Dawson, Liberty's roster combines some familiar faces with a hungry group of freshmen salivating to take the court.
McKay says he doesn't put a lot of stock into preseason rankings. Instead, he is more focused on merging the youthfulness of his team with those already accustomed to Liberty's pack-line defense. While the Flames are once again young, McKay is encouraged by what he sees.
"We have a more talented group," he said. "There is a real spirit of competition, not only for playing time, but for roles. We have an unbelievably fun group to coach. They are passionate about the game. They enjoy one another. They are a unique bunch and are really fun to be around."
Liberty's incoming freshmen class features four players with impressive high school résumés – Xzavier Barmore, Brock Gardner, Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz, and Josiah Talbert. The additions of Barmore and Pacheco-Ortiz will provide a boost to Liberty's already talented guard play. Meanwhile, Gardner and Talbert bring height and explosiveness to a previously smaller lineup.
"We've got a young group of freshmen who are energetic and really talented if you equate talent with being all-in for the team," McKay said. "I think we have a player or two that could have a lasting impact on our overall development as a program."
Add to the group redshirt freshmen forward Myo Baxter-Bell, who spent this past season learning Liberty's complex defensive system during practice sessions. Standing at 6-5, 255 pounds, Baxter-Bell may look like a lineman, but his teammates know he is built for the hardwood. After witnessing Baxter-Bell become more disciplined in his fitness during practice, the rest of the Flames are ready to watch the big guy go to work.
"I'm definitely impressed with Myo Baxter-Bell," sophomore guard Caleb Homesley commented. "I think he's going to be a good player for us. He's in pretty good shape right now and when he is in shape he's a monster. I think no one can stop him in the Big South when he's at his best."
Of course, the younger players on the roster will also look to veteran leadership. Enter Dawson, who after missing the first 11 games due to the NCAA transfer rule, paced the Flames in scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg) en route to earning all-conference honorable mention accolades. In his final collegiate season, Dawson hopes to build upon last year's efforts by being the best teammate he can be and reserving none of the glory for himself.
"This last year has been a life changing experience," Dawson stated. "All of this growth inside of me is just a by-product of what God is doing [in my life]. My expectations are to give my very best, to do what I can to help this team and honor God in what I do."
This summer, Dawson and the Flames had the opportunity to practice and play alongside one another in exhibition games. With the option of taking an international trip every four years per NCAA rules, Liberty journeyed to Costa Rica in August. The Flames finished 2-1 in exhibition play, while also visiting a local orphanage and letting loose on a zip-line tour over the Costa Rican rain forest.
Homesley shined during the international experience, leading Liberty with 22 points in its final matchup agaisnt Brock University. When looking back at the trip, Homesley chooses to focus on more than just his individual effort.
"We definitely got a step ahead [as a team]," he noted. "I think [the trip] helped us come together not only as a team, but as a brotherhood."
Now, a more united Flames squad looks toward the upcoming basketball season with anticipation. Understanding that preseason polls are merely conjecture, the team knows it still has more to prove.
"We're not trying to [let it go] to our heads," Homesley said. "Anybody can say you are going to be second. [People predicted] we were going to be 11th last year and we weren't. It's just predictions, but we've got to go out there and play every game."
