We are halfway through ASOR GOAT Madness!
In this single-elimination bracket challenge, we’ve matched up sixteen of the greatest Liberty Basketball players of all-time. After two opening rounds, we are down to the final four players as the top four seeds all advanced to the semifinal round. Fans will be able to vote on each matchup on our social media pages and ultimately decide who is Liberty Basketball’s GOAT! Voting will be tallied from our Twitter account as well as our Instagram and Facebook stories.
In order to get you prepared to vote, here’s a preview of all of our final four matchups.
Darius McGhee vs Larry Blair
The number one overall seed cruised through the first two rounds, defeating former teammates Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz and Scottie James. This sets up a final four matchup of two of the most prolific scorers in program history. The all-time leading scorer in Liberty history won three ASUN Player of the Year awards becoming the only Flame to win three Division 1 conference player of the year honors. McGhee is also the ASUN conference’s all-time scorer and three-point leader, along with being Liberty’s all-time three-point leader. McGhee became only the second player in program history to be named an honorable mention All-American at the DI level this past season and tied Steph Curry for the most three-pointers made in an NCAA DI single season with 162. McGhee is Liberty’s most winningest player and also won three ASUN Championships and an ASUN tournament MVP while on the Mountain. McGhee also played in two NCAA tournaments with the Flames and scored a team-high 15 points against Virginia Tech as a true freshman in Liberty’s only round of 32 appearance in 2019.
Blair defeated the 13th seed Steve Isaacs in the first round, before narrowly avoiding an upset versus Lovell Cabbil in the quarterfinals to advance to the final four setting up a matchup with Darius McGhee. Blair is second to only Darius McGhee on the Division I all-time scoring list and is third all-time. Blair won the Big South freshman of the year award and would earn a spot on the first or second team all-conference in all four seasons on the court for Liberty, making the first team on three occasions. Blair was also named VaSID first-team all-state once and VaSID second-team all-state once. Blair also led the Flames to a Big South Championship and an NCAA Tournament bid during the 2004 season.
Caleb Homesley vs Peter Aluma
Homesley defeated former teammate Elijah Cuffee and 7th seed Jesse Sanders to gain his spot in the final four. The 2nd seed in our bracket starred on the best teams in Liberty basketball history and is currently ranked No. 12 on the school’s career scoring list, No. 8 in career rebounds, and No. 15 in career assists. He carried Liberty to its first and only NCAA Tournament win over Mississippi State in 2019 with 30 points. Homesley’s list of achievements include, being named ASUN Player of the Year, ASUN Tournament MVP, to the ASUN all-tournament team twice, the ASUN first-team twice, the VaSID first-team in 2020, and a Lou Henson and Lute Olson All-American in 2020.
#3 seed Peter Aluma arguably had to toughest path to the final four, narrowly defeating Seth Curry in the first round and then 6th seed Karl Hess in the second round. Aluma was a dominant force for the Flames during his time on the Mountain. He currently ranks No. 7 on the career scoring list and No. 9 in rebounding. He’s the only Flame to be named to a conference all-tournament team in three different seasons, while also being named first-team all-conference in the Big South twice and to the second-team once. Aluma is also the only player in program history to be named conference tournament MVP multiple times and was named to first-team VaSID all-state multiple times. Aluma was a key player on the 1994 Big South Championship and NCAA Tournament team.
