Under head coach Ritchie McKay, Liberty won three straight conference tournament championships in the ASUN from 2019-2021, clinching an NCAA Tournament appearance. McKay and the Flames then went three years without having the taste of March Madness as the team transitioned to Conference USA. That changed last year when Liberty won both the CUSA regular season and tournament championship this past spring, clinching a spot in the NCAA Tournament once again.
The Flames had one of its best seasons last year, going 12-1 in the non-conference slate leading up to CUSA play. The lone loss was a three-point setback in overtime against FAU. The team lost three of its first five conference games before bouncing back to win 14 of the next 16 games entering the NCAA Tournament. Playing in Seattle, the Flames were blitzed by Oregon, losing 81-52, in a game that was in hand within the opening minutes. Liberty’s loss in that game by 29 points was more than the team’s combined deficit in its other six losses on the season (27)
“We had a really good season last year,” said McKay. “We started 2-3 in the league, then had a really good run from there. Our confidence at the end of the year was really high. Oregon was just way better than us. It left a bitter taste to a really good season.”
In a day and age where players come and go from one team to the next like a revolving door, the Flames return the core of last year’s championship squad. Colin Porter and Zach Cleveland will play their fourth and final season, all at Liberty, while Kaden Metheny elected to come back for his third season at Liberty, the final year of his collegiate eligibility.
“It would be easy to say last year means nothing, but obviously it definitely gives you a sense of confidence that once you did it you know you can do it, especially with a core group of guys coming back,” Metheny said. “Having that experience, knowing what it takes, knowing what it feels like…that was one of the best experiences of my life, definitely a feeling I want to strive to reach again. It’s a motivation of you haven’t felt it, now it’s a motivation of I felt it, now I want to feel it again.”
In addition to three returning starters, McKay’s squad also returns three rotational pieces from last year in Brett Decker, Zander Yates, and Isaiah Ihnen. Josh Smith, a Stetson transfer, was on the team last year. He redshirted as he was recovering from an injury, but was able to practice with the team and learn the system. This group has been added to from the portal in West Liberty transfer JJ Harper and Virginia Tech transfer RJ Jones. The Flames also welcome in a talented group of freshmen that are expected to compete for playing time.
“I think we have more depth, but for that to come to fruition we’ve got to stay injury free,” said McKay of his team compared to last year. “I think guys got to find how to star in their role.”
Cleveland agrees, saying the team has “a lot of different options. We have a lot of scoring firepower.”
While Liberty has its expectations on another championship and getting back the Big Dance, it also knows it won’t be an easy path there. Reigning CUSA Tournament MVP called the league, which was rated as a top 10 conference last season, “a gauntlet.”
“If we think for one second that we’re entitled to a conference championship run or to be in that conversation or to be a top mid-major program in the country because of what we’ve done historically, that would be rat poison,” said McKay. “Our convictions are we are going to give our very best. We are going to compete and give our very best every day. We are going to be about us more than we are individually. We are going to play together, play smart, have the details add up. Our purpose is going to be larger than just what we accomplish on the court as players and as coaches. We want to live in our true identity.”
The Flames are in the midst of a month of preseason practices preparing for the start of the season on Nov. 3 when Liberty hosts Kentucky Christian. That first tune up comes before a challenging Field of 68 Tip-Off Event hosted at Liberty Arena when the Flames host Charleston and FAU Nov.7 and Nov. 9. The rest of the non-conference slate is highlighted by a three-game tournament in Orlando during Thanksgiving week and road trips to NC State and Dayton in December. The chase for a second straight CUSA championship begins Dec. 28 in Miami against FIU before the team’s CUSA home opener on Jan. 2 against Kennesaw State.
“Now that we’ve been there, we know what it takes,” said Metheny. “We know what it’s like.”
Behind a core group of returners and talented newcomers, the veteran Flames want to taste March Madness once again, but this time have it last a little bit longer.
“This past year was more like a field trip,” Cleveland said. “We’re hopeful to make it more of a business trip when we go back next year. It was fun to just be there and see all the cool things, all the March Madness things. We got that under the belt, hopefully we can get there and be more intent of making a run.”
