Liberty played four games over the course of five days to open the 2020-21 season. With a team full of new faces and several question marks, we got a taste of what this team can be through its first few games of the season, all of them coming against Power Five opponents. With those games in the books, let’s take a look at what we learned.

1. THE FLAMES HAVE RELOADED

Coming off 59 wins the past two seasons, which is the second most of all teams in the country, and two ASUN regular season and tournament titles, the Flames must move forward without the services of the best senior class in school history. Caleb Homesley is off to the NBA, while Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz, Scottie James, and Myo Baxter-Bell are no longer in a Liberty uniform, but McKay has retooled this team to compete at a high level.

Many expected this year to be a rebuilding year for the Flames, but with the additions of five newcomers and returners taking on increased roles, McKay and this team have simply reloaded are looking like they will not miss a beat from the previous two seasons.

2. THIS TEAM WILL CONTEND FOR A THREE-PEAT

With two straight ASUN championships, one of the biggest questions entering this season was whether or not the Flames could contend for a three-peat. After the first week of the season, that answer is a resounding yes. Liberty will be a force to be reckoned with in conference play, and while Lipscomb is the preseason favorite from this offseason, the Flames have the best resume of any team in the league after one week.

3. MICAIAH ABII IS A FRESHMAN PHENOM

Much was made of this incoming freshman class with Isiah Warfield (the highest rated recruit in school history), Drake Dobbs, Jonathan Jackson, and Micaiah Abii. As fall workouts and practice began, it became increasingly obvious that Abii would be the freshman to stand out and make the biggest impact as a freshman.

The 6’7″, 250 pound forward from Texas has entered the team’s starting lineup for the first four games even despite missing about a month when he first got to campus due to COVID-19 contract tracing. In his collegiate debut against the Big Ten Purdue Boilermakers, Abii made all of his field goal attempts, including three from three-point range, as he finished with 19 points. Through the first four games, he is averaging 9.8 points and 2 rebounds per game while playing 17.8 minutes each outing and shooting 56.5% from the field and 58.3% from three.

4. CHRIS PARKER IS THE PERFECT ADDITION

Shortly following the abrupt ending to the 2019-20 season, Liberty went and filled its remaining vacancy on the roster with the addition of grad transfer Chris Parker from Division II Henderson State. The addition was questioned as it seemed the Flames needed to add more of an interior presence than the 6’1″ guard would provided, but through the first week of play Parker has proven that he is the perfect addition to this team.

He’s averaging 9.8 points and 5 assists per game so far this season and is second on the team in minutes, just behind Darius McGhee. He recorded a double-double in the second game of the season with 10 assists, and his ability to attack the rim gives Liberty an added dimension this season.

5. MCGHEE WILL BE A FIRST-TEAM ALL-ASUN SELECTION

The junior guard was selected as a preseason first-team all-ASUN selection, and he is proving that he will be involved in that discussion later this season. The 5’9″ guard leads the team with 17.3 points per game through the team’s first week, and he set career highs in scoring in each of the first two games, topping 20 points for the first time in his college career. He has attempted nearly twice as many field goals than any other player on the team, but he’s shooting 34.9% from three, a good number with that type of volume. He’s also leading the team in rebounds at 5.3 per outing, and leads the team with 6 steals.

6. CENTER WON’T BE THE WEAKNESS WE THOUGHT

The past few years, Liberty benefited from the services of Scottie James and Myo Baxter-Bell. Those two combined to give the Flames a formidable threat in the paint for a full 40 minutes. With their departure and no clear returner, it seemed that Liberty would struggle on the interior this season.

With the addition of Abii and the emergence of Blake Preston, it is clear that the Flames will hold their own inside and it could even be a strength of the team against ASUN opponents. We mentioned Abii already, but Preston has also been a pleasant contributor early this season. He’s averaging 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds to go along with his team leading 4 blocks in 18.3 minutes per game. Throw in the length of Shiloh Robinson who can fill in at the 5 if needed, and the Flames’ will be just fine inside.

7. FRESHMAN CLASS IS SPECIAL

We’ve talked about Abii, but the rest of this four-member freshman class has also shown glimpses of their potential. Point guard Drake Dobbs has filled in off the bench for McGhee and Parker for just over 7 minutes a game. While his numbers are minimal, he has shown the ability to be a reliable backup guard for the team this season.

Isiah Warfield has only played in about 8 minutes through the first 4 games, but he should get much more playing time over the next few weeks against non-Power Five competition to showcase his ability. His frame is reminiscent of an early Caleb Homesley with his length. McKay is already utilizing him in defensive situations.

We’ve yet to see Jackson in a game as he is dealing with some type of undisclosed injury or illness which has kept him out of the first four games. The coaching staff and his teammates were raving about his ability to shoot the ball leading up to the start of the season, so if he is able to get healthy, it would be expected that he will be inserted into the rotation.

8. CUFFEE CAN BE COUNTED ON

The returning senior and most experienced player on the roster, Elijah Cuffee has proved that he will be counted on in crucial spots for this team. He’s not a volume shooter or prolific athlete that will wow you at times, but he’s a solid and steady piece for this team. While seemingly playing under the radar of all the new pieces, Cuffee is second on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game through the first week and he’s shooting 57.7% from the field and 56.3% from three. Not a bad start against the competition the Flames have faced through the first week.

9. THIS TEAM LIKES TO SHOOT THE THREE

McKay has always liked to recruit shooters and this team is full of them. The Flames made a school record 19 three pointers in their win over Mississippi State and has already made 47 triples on the season. McGhee leads the team with 15 makes, but the Flames have 7 different players who have already made at least one three pointer. 125 of the team’s 208 field goal attempts are from behind the arc with the team making them at a 37.6% clip. Expect some three point records to fall this season.

10. THIS IS MCKAY’S DEEPEST TEAM

McKay has eight guys averaging double digit minutes through the first four games, as Blake Preston, Keegan McDowell, and Shiloh Robinson are the first three subs off the bench. Dobbs is also a fixture in the rotation as well. Look for either Warfield or Jackson (maybe both) to break into that rotation as the non-conference schedule continues. This team may not have the star power the Flames had the past two seasons, but this roster offers more versatility and bench depth than McKay has probably ever had.

*photo courtesy Liberty Athletics