FlamesNation POY 2015
Voting for the 3rd annual Flames Nation Player of the Year is underway. There are currently 10 nominees, of which you can vote for 3 this round. After 2 weeks of voting, we will reduce the field to our 3 finalists. Be sure to get your vote in! Jacob Hagen won both the 2013 and 2014 Flames Nation Player of the Year awards.

maxwellMen’s hoops falters in Music City, Radford
It was a tough week for the Flames in Nashville, as they dropped all 3 games to Appalachian State, Western Michigan, and Tulane. Liberty led App State at halftime, 34-33, thanks to an A.C. Reid 3-pointer at the end of the first half, but the Mountaineers seized control in the 2nd half on their way to a 73-62 win. The Flames opened conference play at Radford on Thursday night, falling to the Highlanders in the closing seconds. Evan Maxwell and Lovell Cabbil combined to score 39 of Liberty’s 52 points on the evening. LU returns to action Saturday afternoon in the Vines Center as they host Charleston Southern.

Men’s hoops player notes

  • Evan Maxwell has been the biggest surprise on the team so far this year. He’s leading the way with 14 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. He’s also been to the free throw line more than any other Flame, but is only shooting 57% from the charity stripe. However, Maxwell ranks in the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage shooting over 70%.
  • Lovell Cabbil has developed into a nice 2nd option for the Flames. The true freshman is averaging 11.9 points per game while playing the most minutes on the team. He’s shown the ability to be a ball-disrupter leading the team in steals (14) and blocked shots (5).
  • Ryan Kemrite is shooting 41% from 3 and averaging 10.3 points per game. He’s had a couple off games, scoring just 2 points against Appalachian State and 5 against Radford. At least until John Dawson is eligible, Liberty needs him to be a consistent 3rd scorer to win games against Division I competition.
  • A.C. Reid has attempted more field goals and 3-point shots the an any other Flame, yet his field goal and 3-point field goal percentage is the worst on the team.
  • Anthony Fields is Liberty’s best penetrator. His quickness with the ball allows him to get into the paint and wreak havoc. Fields leads the team with 25 assists and has a healthy 1.67 assist to turnover ratio.
  • Ezra Talbert has proven to be a solid contributor off the bench even playing out of position. Like most of the time, he has been inconsistent, but he’s averaging 8 points and 3.6 boards per game while connecting on 38% of his 3-point attempts.
  • While not getting as much playing time as the other true freshmen, Caleb Homesley has made 5 of his 9 3-point attempts while averaging 4 points and 2.4 rebounds. His length gives Coach McKay some versatility coming off the bench.
  • The true freshman point guard Hansel Atencia has lived up to his reputation as a pass-first point guard. His assist to turnover ration of 2.0 leads the team while he has struggled to find his shooting touch shooting 25% from the field and 0/4 from 3.

 First RPI released
The first RPI of the 2015-16 basketball season was released this week. Liberty checks in at #350 out of 351 Division I teams. The Flames spent much of last season at either 350 or 351. Other Big South teams: #46 Coastal Carolina, #157 Radford, #189 High Point, #192 Winthrop, #221 Gardner-Webb, #238 UNC-Asheville, #299 Campbell, #303 Longwood, #319 Charleston Southern, and #343 Presbyterian. 

Basketball commits update

  • Xzavier Barmore had 29 points to lead Seneca to a 15 point win over Greater Atlanta Christian in their opener.
  • Brock Gardner had 26 points, 9 boards 7 assists, 5 steals in his team’s opening night 67-49 win.
  • Josiah Talbert and Olathe East open the season tonight.
  • Class of 2017 commit, Jay Barber, had 9 points on 3/6 shooting from 3 for LCA in its loss to Benedictine, 50-25.
  • The Flames’ other 2017 commit, Elijah Cuffee, begins his season on December 11th.

FCS playoffs update
The FCS playoffs got started last weekend as Coastal Carolina lost to the Citadel, 41-38, on a last second field goal. The Citadel advances to the round of 16 where they will travel to #8 Charleston Southern for a Saturday afternoon showdown at 1pm on ESPN3. Montana also advanced with a 24-17 win over South Dakota State. The Grizzlies will play #3 North Dakota State in a rematch from a game played back in September that saw Montana victorious. Danny Rocco and the Richmond Spiders face William & Mary on Saturday at noon on ESPN3.

Football commits update

  • Stephen Calvert finished the season passing 133/235 for 1,905 yards, and 19 touchdowns. He was also visited this week by Liberty coaches Joe Dailey and Robert Wimberly.
  • Rud Yearick was named to the NCISAA All-State team following his successful senior season.
  • Damian Bounds and his Stockbridge Tigers lost to Glynn Academy, 24-21, in the state quarterfinals last week. Stockbridge finishes the season 12-1.
  • Ethan Crawford and Aquinas defeated Christian Heritage, 28-27, to advance to the state semifinals where they will face Stratford Academy. Aquinas defeated Stratford Academy twice this season by scores of 35-28 and 48-28.
  • South Forsyth and Jalen Camp faced defending state champ Colquitt County last Friday night, losing 49-31. Camp had a big game finishing with 5 receptions for 181 yards and 3 touchdowns. Camp finishes the season with 8 carries for 58 yards, 47 receptions for 819 yards and 15 touchdowns, 30 tackles, and 2 interceptions. He will play safety at Liberty. 
  • Kicker Alex Probert got an in-home visit from Liberty’s coaching staff this week. He was also named his conference’s special teams player of the year.

Flames in the NFL update
Rashad Jennings had 6 carries for 14 yards and 2 receptions for 14 yards in the Giants loss to the Redskins. Walt Aikens did not have any recorded stats in the Dolphins’ 38-20 loss to the Jets.

Women’s basketball update
The Lady Flames fought tough against top 15 programs in Ohio State and California as part of the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas last weekend. Liberty lost 75-65 to #11 Ohio State and 77-72 against #15 California. The Lady Flames were upended by Gardner-Webb, Wednesday night, to open conference play. Liberty was unable to overcome 31 turnovers. LU hosts Charleston Southern Saturday at 5pm.

FlameFans thread of the week
This week’s FlameFans thread of the week is College Coaching Carousel 2015-16.