ABII’S MINUTES HAVE DECLINED

In the first four games of his collegiate career, true freshman Micaiah Abii played between 15 and 20 minutes and scored double figures in two of the games as the Flames opened 2-2 against Purdue, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and TCU. In Liberty’s last two games against Division I opponents, Abii has played only 8 minutes in each game.

McKay was asked earlier this week if he was trying to ease the freshman in with limited minutes.

“No,” McKay responded quickly. “I’m trying to send a message that it’s a defensive program, not just offensive. If you see guys with inconsistent minutes, it’s probably because they’ve been a little inconsistent in executing our defensive system.”

McKay was then quick to heap praise on the 6’7″ freshman.

“That being said, that dude is special,” he continued. “He’s going to have a chance to be one of the best at Liberty. He’s really got it all. He’s a wonderful kid. I think the sky is the limit for him, but we’re trying to get our group ready for what will be a very competitive conference season. For us, you got to be really, fully committed on that end of the floor. I’m just trying to say, ‘Micaiah, I need you to be a little better.'”

PRESTON CONTINUES EMERGENCE

Blake Preston spent the past two seasons sitting behind Scottie James and Myo Baxter-Bell as he patiently waited for his opportunity. This season, he continues to show the Flames that he was worth the wait. He’s averaging 7.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 16 minutes of action each contest.

“It’s just a matter of time for Blake,” McKay said. “Blake is one of the most compliant people you will ever meet. He really wants to do whatever his team needs to win the game. I think the more confident he gets, the better we’re going to be. I love Blake. I think he has a long future with us and a successful one.”

The 6’9″ forward scored a career-high 12 points Wednesday night at Missouri to go along with a team-high 5 rebounds in 14 minutes of action.

“It was definitely a learning process being behind those two guys those last two years,” Preston said. “Whenever you commit to a school, you’re wanting to come in and be able to contribute right away, but that’s not what God had planned for me. I’m grateful for it though because just being able to learn behind those two guys who have such a high IQ for the game but also so much experience really allowed me to grow.”

MCDOWELL NAMED ASUN POTW

Liberty redshirt-junior guard Keegan McDowell was named the ASUN Player of the Week for the first time in his career. It’s the second straight week a Liberty player has earned the award to begin the season. McDowell averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the Flames’ two wins last week at Liberty Arena over St. Francis (PA) and Bluefield College.

He scored a career-high 21 points in the win over St. Francis (PA) and followed that up with a career high 7 assists in Liberty’s win over Bluefield College. He shot 55% from the field and 46% from three in the two games.

FLAMES RISE IN MID-MAJOR TOP 25

Liberty debuted last week in the Mid-Major Top 25 at No. 15 following the team’s 2-2 start to the season. This week, the Flames rose to No. 8 following two wins at home to open Liberty Arena. Gonzaga checks in at No. 1, followed by Furman, Loyola, BYU, Saint Mary’s, Winthrop, and South Dakota State. Just behind Liberty at No. 9 is Northern Iowa and Austin Peay rounds out the top 10.

The Flames were a mainstay in these rankings over the past two seasons and have risen as high as the top 5 last season. Provided Liberty has no slip ups, the Flames should remain in the ranking the rest of the year.

FLAMES REVAMP OFFENSE

“By way of what we lost, we needed to find different ways to score,” said McKay. “Having some point guards like we do and the shooters like we do, we tweaked our offense a little bit.”

Liberty has always been heavily reliant on three point shooting under McKay, but even more so this season. over 58% of the team’s field goal attempts through the first seven games this season are from behind the arc. The Flames have had 9 different players make at least one three-pointer and three have 15 or more.

“I don’t think it’s possible to do the same stuff that Scottie, Caleb, Myo, and Georgie brought to the table,” said Keegan McDowell. “Those guys were just incredible for four years. I think we’re a different team now. This year, the guys that we have are super for each other. It makes the offense look good when everybody is unselfish.”