Cleveland (POY) and McKay (Coach of Year) Earn CUSA Major Awards
3/9/2026 3:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Conference USA outright regular season champion Liberty featured two major award winners – Zach Cleveland (Player of the Year) and head coach Ritchie McKay (Coach of the Year) – along with four total All-CUSA performers and an All-Defensive team member.
Cleveland has been named Liberty's first CUSA Player of the Year, in its third year in the league. McKay has been voted the CUSA Gene Bartow Co-Coach of the Year along with Sam Houston's Chris Mudge.
Cleveland and Brett Decker Jr. represent the Flames on the All-CUSA first team. Kaden Metheny has been tabbed to the All-CUSA third team, and Colin Porter was selected All-CUSA honorable mention. Finally, JJ Harper garnered inclusion on the CUSA All-Defensive team.
Liberty led all teams in the league with three all-conference players (among the 15 first, second and third team members) and was one of only two teams with multiple players (other: Missouri State). Ten players from the league were tabbed All-CUSA honorable mention as well.
Cleveland is the first Flame to win conference player of the year since Darius McGhee was named ASUN Player of the Year for the third consecutive season in 2022-23. Cleveland and Metheny are now three-time All-CUSA performers. McKay receives his fourth conference coach of the year honor and first since earning back-to-back ASUN Coach of the Year awards during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns.
This is Porter's second straight year being named All-CUSA honorable mention. Decker Jr.'s All-CUSA first team nod is his first postseason award. JJ Harper's CUSA All-Defensive team recognition is his first postseason award with the Flames.
In three years in the league, Liberty has featured 11 All-CUSA recipients (two first team, three second team, four third team, two honorable mention) and a pair of CUSA All-Defensive team members.
The Flames (25-6, 17-3 CUSA) won the outright CUSA regular season crown for a second straight year and earned the No. 1 seed for the 2026 CUSA Men's Basketball Championship. Liberty will square off with the winner of No. 8 seed FIU (15-16, 8-12 CUSA) and No. 9 seed Missouri State (14-17, 8-12 CUSA) in the quarterfinal round, Wednesday evening. Tip time is 6:30 p.m. Eastern at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala.
Zach Cleveland (CUSA Player of the Year, All-CUSA first team) | Senior | Forward | Bloomington, Ill.
Ticket packages for the 2026 CUSA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are now on sale. Both the Flames and Lady Flames will look to defend their conference tournament titles at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala., March 10-14.
Fans can purchase an all-session booklet through the Liberty Ticket Office for $175, a savings of $25. This includes tickets to all nine men's games and all nine women's games throughout the tournament. To purchase tickets and find more information, please visit http://www.libertyflames.com/CUSABasketball.
Students will be able to purchase tickets for the tournaments on a session-to-session basis. These may be purchased at Propst Arena with a valid student ID (of a CUSA school) for half the price of the current day's session.
Cleveland has been named Liberty's first CUSA Player of the Year, in its third year in the league. McKay has been voted the CUSA Gene Bartow Co-Coach of the Year along with Sam Houston's Chris Mudge.
Cleveland and Brett Decker Jr. represent the Flames on the All-CUSA first team. Kaden Metheny has been tabbed to the All-CUSA third team, and Colin Porter was selected All-CUSA honorable mention. Finally, JJ Harper garnered inclusion on the CUSA All-Defensive team.
Liberty led all teams in the league with three all-conference players (among the 15 first, second and third team members) and was one of only two teams with multiple players (other: Missouri State). Ten players from the league were tabbed All-CUSA honorable mention as well.
Cleveland is the first Flame to win conference player of the year since Darius McGhee was named ASUN Player of the Year for the third consecutive season in 2022-23. Cleveland and Metheny are now three-time All-CUSA performers. McKay receives his fourth conference coach of the year honor and first since earning back-to-back ASUN Coach of the Year awards during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns.
This is Porter's second straight year being named All-CUSA honorable mention. Decker Jr.'s All-CUSA first team nod is his first postseason award. JJ Harper's CUSA All-Defensive team recognition is his first postseason award with the Flames.
In three years in the league, Liberty has featured 11 All-CUSA recipients (two first team, three second team, four third team, two honorable mention) and a pair of CUSA All-Defensive team members.
The Flames (25-6, 17-3 CUSA) won the outright CUSA regular season crown for a second straight year and earned the No. 1 seed for the 2026 CUSA Men's Basketball Championship. Liberty will square off with the winner of No. 8 seed FIU (15-16, 8-12 CUSA) and No. 9 seed Missouri State (14-17, 8-12 CUSA) in the quarterfinal round, Wednesday evening. Tip time is 6:30 p.m. Eastern at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala.
Zach Cleveland (CUSA Player of the Year, All-CUSA first team) | Senior | Forward | Bloomington, Ill.
- First CUSA Player of the Year in program history and sixth conference player of the year in Liberty men's basketball history
- Named All-CUSA for a third straight year (2025-26 first team, 2024-25 third team, 2023-24 second team)
- Two-time CUSA Player of the Week this year (Nov. 10, Feb. 9) (three total for his career)
- Named to 2025-26 Lou Henson Award Early Season Watch List
- Averaged 11.6 points (No. 4 on team), 7.4 rebounds (No. 1 on team), 6.9 assists (No. 1 on team), 1.3 blocks (No. 1 on team) and 1.3 steals (No. 2 on team) in 30 regular season games (all starts) while shooting 62 percent from the field and totaling 21 double-digit scoring games (tied for No. 2 on team)
- Ranks No. 8 in the country in assists per game (6.9) and No. 14 in defensive rebounds per game (6.7) while ranking tied for second in double-doubles (8)
- Notched his first triple-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists), the conference's only triple-double this season and first since 2023
- Averaged 12.7 ppg, 6.5 apg and 6.4 rpg in 20 CUSA regular season games
- Ranks fourth in program history in career assists (552), eighth in career rebounds (722), 27th in points (1,175) and second in blocks (125)
- Fourth career conference coach of the year honor (others: ASUN 2020-21 and 2019-20, Big South 2015-16)
- Guided Liberty to a 25-6 regular season record and 17-3 CUSA record to earn the outright CUSA regular season title for a second straight year
- Opened the year 15-0 in CUSA play, the first team to start 15-0 or better in CUSA play since the 2012-13 Memphis team (16-0)
- Led Liberty to 17 consecutive victories from Dec. 16-Feb. 19, a new school record (previous record 14 during 2019-20 season)
- Flames went 73 days between losses (Dec. 10-Feb. 21)
- Finalist for three major coaching awards: 2025-26 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award, 2025-26 Hugh Durham Award (top mid-major head coach) and 2025-26 Ben Jobe Award (top minority head coach)
- Tabbed to 2025-26 Lou Henson Award Early Season Watch List
- First postseason honor, one of only five total players on All-CUSA first team
- Team's leading scorer at 16.9 points per game, leading the Flames in three-pointers made (109) as well while shooting 48.9 percent from deep
- Started all 31 regular season games, also averaging 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and 83.8 percent from the free throw line
- Ranks No. 2 in the nation in three-point percentage (48.9), No. 8 in three-pointers per game (3.52) and No. 8 in total threes (109) (leads CUSA in all three categories)
- Led the Flames in 20-point games (10), 30-point games (1) and double-digit point games (28) during regular season
- Ranks No. 3 in school history for single-season three-point makes (109)
- Listed at No. 1 among active Division I players for career three-point percentage (48.0)
- Averaged team-high 16.4 ppg in 20 CUSA regular season games while connecting on 46 percent (64 makes) from long distance
- Hit eight three-pointers in a game on two occasions (tied for third most in a single game in school history), including in a home contest against Louisiana Tech on March 5 in which he scored a career-high 30 points
- Named All-CUSA for a third time in his career, earned All-CUSA second team honors last year (2024-25) and third team honors the year prior (2023-24)
- Received CUSA Player of the Week honors on Dec. 29
- Team's second-leading scorer at 13.4 ppg, ranks No. 2 on the team with 94 made three-pointers and is also second on the squad in 20-point games (5) and double-digit scoring games (21, tied for second)
- Also averages 3.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 0.7 steals per game
- Ranks second in CUSA in both three-pointers per game (3.03, No. 30 nationally) and total triples (94, No. 31 nationally)) on the year
- Ranks No. 2 in CUSA in assist/turnover ratio (2.55)
- Averaged 13.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 3.2 apg in 20 CUSA regular season games while leading the team with 66 three-pointers in league play
- Had five 20-plus point efforts during regular season while appearing in and starting all 30 games. He matched a career high and set Liberty career high with 29 points in road win at Middle Tennessee (Jan. 29)
- Ranks third among active Division I players in career three pointers (405) and fifth in games played (161)
- Ranks 20th in program history in career points (1,298) in only three seasons with the Flames and 26th in career assists (252)
- Garners All-CUSA honorable mention distinction for a second straight year, third postseason honor overall (other: 2022-23 ASUN All-Freshman team
- Averaging 11.7 points (No. 3 on team), 3.4 assists (No. 2 on team), 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game (No. 1 on team, No. 6 in CUSA) while appearing in and starting 29 games
- Leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.56), ranks No. 7 among active Division I players in career assist/turnover ratio (2.67)
- Shooting 92.2 percent (71-of-77) from the free throw line on the year
- Averaged 12.2 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.3 rpg and 1.4 spg in 20 CUSA regular season contests
- Shooting 37.4 percent from three-point territory while connecting on 58 triples, his most in a single season
- Has started 132 games of his four-year Flames career to date, ranks fifth in program history for career assists (510) and 26th in career points (1,192)
- Voted to CUSA All-Academic Team for a third straight year
- Second CUSA All-Defensive team member in program history, joining Joseph Venzant (2023-24)
- Tied for team lead in steals (40, 1.3 spg) and second on squad in blocks (32, 1.0 bpg)
- Ranks tied for 10th in CUSA in steals per game and 12th in blocks per game
- Averaged 1.2 spg and 1.1 bpg (12th in CUSA) in 20 CUSA league games
- Tallied season-high four steals on two occasions (at Kennesaw State, Feb. 26 and vs. Midway, Dec. 16)
- Blocked three shots in two games (vs. Kennesaw State, Jan. 2 and vs. Sam Houston, March 7)
- Totaled multiple steals in 11 regular season games and two or more blocks eight times
- Averaging 11.0 ppg (No. 5 on team) while shooting 59.2 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point territory
Ticket packages for the 2026 CUSA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are now on sale. Both the Flames and Lady Flames will look to defend their conference tournament titles at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala., March 10-14.
Fans can purchase an all-session booklet through the Liberty Ticket Office for $175, a savings of $25. This includes tickets to all nine men's games and all nine women's games throughout the tournament. To purchase tickets and find more information, please visit http://www.libertyflames.com/CUSABasketball.
Students will be able to purchase tickets for the tournaments on a session-to-session basis. These may be purchased at Propst Arena with a valid student ID (of a CUSA school) for half the price of the current day's session.
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