Staring 1-10 in the face, with only one Division 1 game left in the 2012 calendar year, it would be easy for Liberty fans to panic.  To be sure, nothing about the 2012-13 season has gone according to plan for Dale Layer and company.  The team has yet to win a Division 1 contest, and has thrown away numerous halftime leads in the first eleven games of the season.  The Flames have only broken the 70 point barrier once, against Division 3 Southern Virginia, and failed to break 50 twice.  Clearly, things are not going well for the Flames, and the remainder of the season brings uncertainty at best.

Coach Layer is feeling the heat of higher expectations for the program

Don’t think Coach Layer hasn’t started to feel his seat getting warm either.  Since taking over for Ritchie “this is where God wants me” McKay after the 08-09 season, Layer’s teams have gone 15-16,  19-13, and 14-18.  What matters more than regular season records though, are tournament wins.  In that area, Layer has yet to achieve.  The Flames are 0-3 in the Big South tournament since Coach Layer took over.  For Layer to extend his welcome, he knows this has to change and fast.  Bringing in several Junior College transfers is evidence of that.  With the rapid expansion of facilities on campus, a possible move to FBS, and increased budgets all around, expectations have to rise.  So far under Layer, the Men’s Basketball program hasn’t met those expectations.

With all of the failures and shortcomings of the first eleven games though, it is not time to panic.  Much like the 2012 football season, which started 0-4 but finished 6-5, Flames basketball still has a clean slate in terms of a conference championship, and a shot at an NCAA tournament berth.   Coach Dale Layer brought in several Junior College transfers this season, and with those transfers come a lack of cohesion.  These players have not had the benefit of playing multiple seasons together, and it takes time to gel as a unit.  On top of that, one of the Flames’ stars, Antwan Burrus has been sidelined the entire season thus far, leaving a big talent gap down low.  While the prospects of a Burrus return this season remain foggy at best, if Liberty can get improved production from JR Coronado, Tomasz Gielo, and Joel Vander Pol, the trio could make up for his absence.  Until the team hits Big South play, we just won’t know what is going to happen.

The absence of Antwan Burrus hurts the Flames

While there is little to point to that says Liberty will compete for the Big South title, there is hope that the team can turn things around.  The Big South looks as weak as it has since this writer has been following it, going back to the late 1990’s.  The Flames do seem to excel in outside shooting at times, and should they improve on defense, a few hot shooting nights will lead to quite a few Big South wins.  And remember, at this level of basketball only one thing truly matters, the conference tournament.  For all of the gnashing of teeth and pain the regular season brings, it can all be erased by 4 wins over beatable teams in early March.   With a good 5 days, even this team could find itself where only the 1994 and 2004 Liberty Flames Men’s Basketball teams have, in the NCAA tournament.  So while things are tough for the program, and everyone is questioning the direction it is taking, don’t go over the ledge yet.  This still could be a season to remember for the Flames.  Let’s get into conference play and see what happens.  In March we could all be dancing, and laughing about a 1-10 start.