I was going to make a new thread or topic but since this pretty much comes from our Coach (Randy Dunton) I thought I would post it here.
The Liberty Flames Men's Basketball Outlook.
Men's Basketball
2005-06 Men’s Basketball Outlook
Ask anyone that is familiar with the Liberty men's basketball program or even the Big South Conference and its no surprise that they all are going to say that they must shut Larry Blair down to hinder the Flames from succeeding this year.
However, the surprise that the Flames' coaching staff hopes to spring on opponents this year is in the supporting cast that surrounds Blair as the staff believes that the collective group is built for success.
It is true that the 12 players that will don Liberty uniforms this season do have a seemingly monumental task ahead of them as Liberty returns just one starter and five letterwinners from last year's squad, while losing 63.0 percent of its offense (1,199 out of 1,902 points) and 63.3 percent of its rebounds (675 out of 1,066 rebounds).
Big South all-conference performers David Dees, who transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette in the offseason, and graduated senior Leo Lightbourne account for a majority of the previously mentioned numbers as Dees averaged 16.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season, while Lightbourne finished his senior year in stellar fashion by averaging 10.4 points and a Big South Conference best 7.0 rebounds per contest.
Joining Lightbourne in the underappreciated group of seniors that graduated last year is point guard Brian Woodson, who averaged 7.9 points and 4.7 assists per game, and forward Glyn Turner, who averaged 5.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. Finally, the Flames will also be without the services of reserve forward Rashad Robinson, who also left the program late in August, after averaging 4.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
However, where most would look at the 2005-06 season as an insurmountable year of challenges, fifth-year head coach Randy Dunton looks at the upcoming campaign as an opportunity to prove the critics wrong again.
And Dunton has proven that he can turn things around in a hurry as the long-time assistant coach returned to the program after the 2001-02 season when it had hit rock bottom with a 5-25 final record and one of the bottom five Sagarin rankings (out of 325 schools).
Two years later, he guided the program back to national prominence as Liberty claimed it's second-ever Big South Conference championship in the history of the program and returned to becoming a perennial threat in the league (top two finishes over the last three seasons).
Now the Flames by no means find themselves in the same situation as the 2002-03 squad did; however, Dunton is approaching this year with the same mentality as a return to the basics has been stressed during preseason workouts and continued as practice began on October 15th.
Dunton will obviously be looking to Blair for his abilities and leadership this season as eight of the 12 rostered players are new faces; however, the head coach is quick to point out that this year's team certainly will not be a "one-man show".
“We’re going to face inexperience versus experience in a lot of scenarios this year, and we as coaches have got to do a great job of getting these guys ready,” stated Dunton. “There has to be tremendous clarity in what we’re doing. If you ask me ‘Coach … what are you emphasizing right now on the team?’ it would be CLARITY! We want everything to be clear, no second guessing in terms of what we’re doing.”
“These are the things that we need to make sure we’re doing that bring substance to the table. If people beat us and we’re doing these things at a high level, then we’ll shake their hand. But again I think that there is enough talent on this team if they will pull together and be a great team, well we can have a lot of successful nights and compete for the championship in the Big South.”
Blair will certainly guide the program after garnering first-team all-conference honors last year as he averaged 16.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and ranked in eight of the 12 individual statistical categories that the Big South Conference ranks players. He reached double figures in all but six games last year, including against 14 out of 17 conference opponents.
“Larry enters the season in the best shape of his three years both physically and conditionally,” commented Dunton. “We fully believe that he is going to be more difficult to defend this year as a cutter on the offensive end of the floor. Its no secret that he’s certainly our number one option on this team, and people are going to come in and defend him; therefore his conditioning and skill preparation are going to be keys to his success.“
Also returning are sophomores Russell Monroe, Evan Risher, Rell Porter and Doug Stewart with three of the four players seeing playing time in at least 27 out of 28 games during their rookie campaigns.
Risher enters the season as the heir to the starting point guard position as the sophomore finished his inaugural college season playing in all 28 games, starting 11 contests, while averaging 3.8 points per game and shooting 33.3 percent from three-point range (19-of-57) and adding 25 assists.
“Evan needs to build on his year experience,” commented Dunton. “We think that he’s capable of leading this team and capable of coming in and assuming the point guard and really establishing himself as a great quarterback for Liberty basketball. You are going to see us take care of the ball at a higher lever this year and Evan is going to lead the charge.”
Monroe, the tallest player on the Flames' roster at 6-11, is slated to start at center after finishing last year by averaging 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds per contest in 18 games; however, the sophomore showed a solid shooting touch around that goal as he shot 46.7 from the field (14-of-30).
“Russell has a great opportunity this year and this team needs Russell to step up and really be a factor in the low post,” stated Dunton. “This team is very confident in Russell’s ability and our coaching staff is very confident in Russell’s ability to develop into an impact post player. Russell has tremendous shooting skills.”
Porter (1.5 points and 1.6 rebounds) and Stewart (2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds) will be vying for the starting role at the power forward position along with several of the new faces on the team as Eric Bigby and Jeremy Eck will push for playing time in the post for the Flames.
Porter, who is penciled in as the starter at the four, was a key reserve for the Flames during his rookie season, seeing playing time in all 28 contests. He averaged 9.4 minutes per game, ranking as the third most minutes played by a non-starting player, while finishing the season tied for fifth on the team with eight blocked shots.
“Rell is coming off a great fall workout season and is somebody who is going to contribute greatly at the four spot,” remarked Dunton. “He runs the floor as well as anybody that we have. I also feel that he is a stopper on defense and that he is going to be somebody who is capable of taking the opponent’s best player and really making it a tough night on him.”
Stewart followed closely behind Porter in minutes played as he averaged 7.9 minutes per contest, seeing playing time in 27 games. He finished fifth on the squad with nine three-point field goals, while shooting 75.0 percent from the free throw line (12-of-16).
“Doug is much improved over last year as he has made a genuine commitment to shooting the ball with great efficiency,” stated Dunton. “He will be able to stretch defenses for us this year and as he battles for playing time at both the three and the four spots.”
Bigby and Eck both transferred to Liberty after successful careers at Allegany College in Cumberland, Md., where they led the Trojans to the semifinals of the NJCAA district tournament as teammates.
Bigby, who will be vying for playing time at the four spot, averaged 8.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game last year for Allegany, helping the Trojans to a 22-8 record and was named the team’s Most Improved Player. He played his prep ball at Meade Senior High School in Meade, Md., helping the squad to the state tournament for the first time in 50 years during his junior season, while averaging 16.0 points a game as a senior which helped the team finished the season ranked in Baltimore.
“Bigby is an explosive athlete,” stated Dunton. “We are certainly counting on him to challenge the glass offensively. He’s somebody who is capable of being a real defensive positive for us with his athleticism. He’s also shown a real high propensity of being effective in the open court.”
Bigby’s junior college teammate Eck was a first-team all-region honoree and was twice named Allegany College’s Student-Athlete of the Year. Eck played his high school basketball in Iwakuni, Japan and finished his senior season averaging 27.0 points per game and 12.0 rebounds per contest, while being named the Far East MVP finished with four 50+ plus point contests.
“Jeremy has been a real positive for us this year,” remarked Dunton. “He is going to remind a lot of people that are familiar with the program of Jason Sarchet and Glyn Turner. He’s a banger that steps up and takes the charges. He’s hard nosed when he is on the floor and he is big enough that he can post up and score.”
The remaining starting role has been captured by another junior college transfer as Damien Hubbard signed with the Flames last spring out of Frederick Community College and is penciled in as the starter at the three/wing man. Hubbard averaged 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds last year and was a first-team Maryland JUCO honoree as he helped the Cougars to a 27-4 final record.
“Damien is just a complete basketball player,” stated Dunton. “He brings a lot of versatility to this team as he’s played multiple positions and does multiple things at a high level on the floor.
“He should start at the three spot, but he’s capable of playing the one and the four spot for us. He does a great job of rebounding from his position. He comes from a winning program as his team finished the regular season 27-3 and he was the team’s most valuable player. For us he needs to be an offensive contributor at a high level and he needs to be able to handle one of their better players on the defensive end.”
The final four members of the Flames roster are freshmen as Justin Holland will push Risher for time at point guard, while Anthony Smith provides the team with depth at the shooting guard/wing position. Tyler Baker is a talented 6-8 player that can either play on the outside or inside, while Lee Corning is a walk-on member of the program that has already added to the program since joining the team.
Holland is a product of the highly successful prep program at Landmark Christian School in Atlanta, Ga., where he was a first-team all-state selection as a senior, while being named the National Christian School Player of the Year when he averaged 30.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 steals and 4.0 assists per game. A McDonald’s All-American nominee as a senior, he finished his final prep season shooting 63.0 percent from the field and 48.0 percent from the floor and holds the school record with 46 points scored in a game.
“Justin is a very athletic point guard. We expect him to contend for playing time right away,” remarked Dunton. “We do feel like he has a chance to be our best, on the ball, defender. He has demonstrated a tremendous competitive nature in terms of being able to pressure the ball.
“He’s also shown that his perimeter shooting is something that’s going to command the attention of the defense. I think that he’s going to knock down some threes for us.”
Smith, who will be vying for time behind Blair and Hubbard, was a three-year letterwinner at Plano East Senior High School in Plano, Texas, where he was named 8-5A Defensive Player of the Year as a senior as he averaged 18.4 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per contest and finished his career as the third leading scorer in school history. He was a first-team all-district and all-region as a senior, while shooting 63.0 percent from the field and averaging 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals per contest.
“Anthony Smith is as talented of a player that we’ve brought to Liberty,” added Dunton. “He has tremendous one-on-one scoring ability and he is a high major perimeter athlete. He’s going to have a lot of big nights.”
Baker should challenge for playing time behind Monroe at center or at the four spot as the 6-9 freshman was a four-year letterwinner at Temple Baptist Academy where he was named to the all-state and all-metro squads as a senior after shooting 56.0 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from three-point range, while averaging 25.6 points, 15.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.
“Tyler Baker has a chance to be a very special player,” remarked Dunton. “At 6-9, he is a tremendous shooter. He somebody that we think is a major impact player in this program. His greatest skill is that he’s as good of a shooter as we have in this program.”
Corning is the latest addition to the Flames roster as he joined the program as a walk-on and will battle for playing time amongst the guards. He was a three-year letterwinner at West Chicago High School and was the regional three-point shooting champion as a senior with 71 three-point field goals, while shooting 46.0 percent from three-point range as a senior. The Marmion Tournament Player of the Year shot 51.0 percent from the field during his final prep season and recorded 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per contest.
“Lee has great enthusiasm and a tremendous work ethic,” stated Dunton. “He’s a warrior that has already added an incredible amount of value to this program in just a short period of time.”
Another daunting schedule awaits this new-look squad as contests at the ACC’s Virginia and the SEC’s Kentucky, along with a mid-season trek to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the San Jan Shootout spotlight the 2005-06 men’s basketball schedule.
“Our schedule presents exciting challenges and the opportunity to gain valuable experience for a younger Liberty team,” said Dunton. “The Virginia game and playing in storied Rupp Arena at Kentucky will again allow our program to compete against the nation’s top programs in preparation for Big South Conference play.”
The Flames will open the season against in-state opponent Virginia on November 18, marking the seventh meeting between the two programs, followed by Liberty’s home opener against Cincinnati Christian on November 21.
Liberty will take to the road for its next two games as the Flames travel to Lexington, Ky., for a post-Thanksgiving Day game against Kentucky on November 25, while continuing the road swing with a much closer game as they travel to Farmville, Va., to face Longwood on November 30.
Liberty returns home for two contests as they host cross-town opponent Lynchburg College on December 2 and Buffalo on December 6 before traveling to Nashville, Tenn., to square off against Lipscomb on December 10.
The Flames will take the fourth trip outside of the continental United States in the history of the men’s basketball program on December 19-21 as they travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to participate in the prestigious San Juan Shootout.
Liberty is one of eight teams in the field this year as they are joined by Akron, Clemson, Holy Cross, Mississippi State, Mount St. Mary's, Puerto Rico Mayaguez and Tennessee-Chattanooga. The Flames open the event against Mississippi State on December 19 and are scheduled to face the winner/loser of the Akron and Mount St. Mary’s game on December 20.
“The popular San Juan Shootout will provide high quality competition in a tournament format,” added Dunton. “This is a great opportunity for our boosters, fans and alumni to enjoy terrific basketball and the tropical sunshine of Puerto Rico.”
After returning to the “mainland”, Liberty will travel to Lake Charles, La., to face McNeese State on December 29 in the team’s final tune-up before starting Big South Conference action.
The Flames begin the new year with three-straight home games, including two league games against High Point (January 3) and in-state rival Radford (January 7) and a non-conference match-up with Marist (January 10).
Five out of the next six games will have the Flames on the road as Liberty travels up the mountains to Lexington, Va., to face VMI on January 14 and to defending conference champion Winthrop on January 19. Liberty will break-up the road stretch with a home contest against Birmingham-Southern on January 21 before returning to the road against UNC Asheville (January 25), Coastal Carolina (January 28) and Charleston Southern (January 30) to close out the first month of the new year.
The month of February will see the Flames host six opponents in the Vines Center, beginning with three conference match-ups against VMI (February 2), UNC Asheville (February 6) and Charleston Southern (February 11), followed by a non-conference game against Longwood (February 13).
Liberty will travel to Birmingham-Southern (February 15) and Radford (February 18) before returning home to close out its regular-season home schedule against Winthrop (February 20) and Coastal Carolina (February 23), while the team will have its final regular-season game before the Big South Basketball Championship on the road at High Point on February 25.
Hosting rights for the Big South Basketball Championship will once again be on the line during the regular season as the first round quarterfinal match-ups will be played at the higher seeds site on February 28, while both semifinal match-ups will be played on March 2 at the site of the regular season champion which will be televised LIVE on ESPNU.
The final two remaining teams will square off on national television as part of ESPN’s Championship Week as the league’s championship game will air LIVE on ESPN at Noon on March 4 at the site of the highest remaining seed.
The Flames Television Network (FTN) will once again broadcast 11 home contests this year LIVE via the Liberty Channel, while FTN will continue to air its games on a tape delayed basis on iLifetv, a digital channel on the Inspirational Network (INSP), expanding the Flames Television Network by seven million households across the United States.
www.libertyflames.com/mbball/page.asp?page_id=79Unfortunately as Scar has posted Tyler Baker will be redshirting due to ligament damage to his ankle.