Liberty F Isaiah Ihnen will miss the entirety of the 2025-26 men’s basketball season after suffering a new knee injury during his rehabilitation process.
“He’s no longer day to day, he’s out indefinitely,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay Tuesday night shortly following the Flames’ 95-57 win over Midway. “I will be surprised if we get him back. It’s tragic for him. My heart goes out for him. He’s sat out three or four more times than he’s played. Let’s keep praying for him…he’s out for the season.”
Ihnen originally suffered a knee injury in the second half of Liberty’s game against North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Dec. 14 last year. He was working his way back towards game action when suffering the setback earlier this month in practice. Ihnen previously missed two years at Minnesota due to ACL injuries prior to transferring to Liberty.
The 6’9″ Ihnen quickly made an impact on the Flames last year, averaging 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game through the first 11 games of the season while also starting four. He was shooting 55.7% from the field and 38.9% from three.
Prior to coming to Liberty, Ihnen was originally recruited by Richard Pitino at Minnesota and entered the portal after being with the Gophers since the 2019-20 season. He started his career as a rotation player, appearing in 21 games his freshman season and 29 games his sophomore season, playing 11.4 and 14.3 minutes per game in those years, respectively. But that was before back to back ACL injuries sidelined him for the entirety of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Ihnen returned to action two years ago for the Gophers, playing 11.4 minutes per game in 28 games. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the field and 35.8% from three.
He is originally from Germany where he played for the International Basketball Academy Munich (IBAM) team, averaging 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. He was the team’s top rebounder, second-leading shot blocker and third-leading scorer. Ihnen was rated the No. 89-ranked prospect in the class of 2019 according to 247Sports, who also listed him as a four-star recruit.
“You know what I love about Isaiah,” McKay said. “He is invested, encouraging, communicating. He’s like another coach. I’m proud of him for that, but a lot of empathy for what he’s going through.”
Ihnen still has one year of eligibility remaining after previously being granted an additional year from the NCAA due to his injuries. With his absence, the Flames will have to rely on a smaller lineup like they have to begin this season with 6’5″ JJ Harper seeing plenty of time in the post alongside Zach Cleveland in the frontcourt. Josh Smith will also be a big piece for the Flames in the middle while RJ Jones and Zander Yates could also have bigger roles moving forward.
“Josh is a good player,” said McKay. “He’s got to navigate that burden of expectation. He’s been out, essentially, two years, and wants to get back to form and is in a hurry to do so. We are in a hurry to have him do so. He’s such a conscientious young man, but in each game he gets a little better, a little better. Our guys are trusting him and RJ, some more, and TJ Drain is coming some too. We are just a work in progress, especially at the post position.”
