It’s hard to believe, but the Flames are now 10 games in to the 2016-17 basketball season. While we are in our 2nd year of the 2nd McKay era, there’s still plenty of unknowns about this team and these players. With 10 games under our belt, we’ve got a good indication of what this team can be this year. With those games in the books, let’s take a look at what we have learned.
1.) As much as we would like to, we can’t hurry the rebuilding process along.
The Flames were picked to finish 2nd in the Big South preseason coaches’ poll in just McKay’s 2nd year. Coach McKay cautioned prior to the season that if his team was able to finish that high it would be sooner than he anticipated. One thing that is easy to forget is just how young this team still is and how low the program was when McKay took over. As “gravely disappointing” as the growing pains are, we have to go through them. Stick with the team through the ups and downs. They’re on the right track.
2.) The team is deeper this year, but that has led to the rotation being somewhat of a jigsaw puzzle.
McKay is routinely playing 11 guys each night. It’s great to have that much depth, but it also stunts the team’s chemistry. “We’re deep so it’s a little bit of a jigsaw puzzle sometimes,” McKay acknowledged. “It’s hard to play 11. I think I’m going to shorten the rotation, but I want to watch the tape before I act on that.”
3.) The team has some work to do defensively.
Since his return to Liberty, Coach McKay has often mentioned how long it takes for the guys to fully understand and know the pack-line defense. The team has shown flashes of being a very good defensive team, like the first half against Furman, but there are still too many stretches when the other team has sustained success on offense. “We can’t let our identity be offense,” McKay said after the loss to Furman. “Offense comes and goes. I’ve been at Virginia for 6 years prior to coming back here. I know what lasts. Until we get that solved, then we will do this again, hey they played close but no cigar. That’s not really my agenda, I’m too competitive for that.”
4.) Caleb Homesley was quickly becoming the team’s best player before succumbing to injury.
Homesley, who is listed at 6’4″ but looks like he’s easily 6’6″, had taken a giant leap this season. He’s been inconsistent at times, but other times he is the team’s best player. He registered the first two double-doubles of his career against Central Penn and UNCG. McKay calls plays designed for him at times and said he had all-conference potential at the end of his freshman campaign. He was on his way to realizing that potential this season seeing increased production across the board from his freshman season, with increases in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. His season-ending injury suffered against Princeton will be a tough obstacle for the Flames to overcome this season.
5.) John Dawson’s play through 10 games has been a head-scratcher.
Voted to the Big South’s preseason all-conference team prior to the season, Liberty’s senior captain was expected to carry the team on his shoulders. With the slight exception of short bursts in certain games, that has not been the case so far this year. His points, rebounds, and assists numbers are all lower than from a season ago. If Liberty wants to live up to its expectations the rest of the way, Dawson will need to perform at an all-conference level.
6.) Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz looks to be the team’s point guard of the future
Pacheco-Ortiz was a last minute signee back in the late spring/early summer signing period, and he has been the early gem of this class. As a true freshman, he has come in and laid claim to the starting point guard spot, averaging nearly 30 minutes per game. He’s a pass-first point guard that won’t always make the flashy play, but he seems to always maintain his poise and composure, something that is direly needed at his position. Comparisons have been made to Virginia’s point guard London Perrantes who has been Tony Bennett’s steadying force for 4 years..
7.) The Flames still have a lot of youth and inexperience.
As mentioned in #1 above, this team is still very young and not incredibly experienced. Of the 11 guys that play most nights, there are 3 true freshman, 1 redshirt-freshman, and 2 true sophomores. According to KenPom, Liberty ranks 302nd out of 351 Division I teams in experience. There have been and will continue to be growing pains as this group continues to grow up together.
8.) Liberty will be competitive in conference play.
The Flames have shown that they have the ability to compete with any team not named Indiana. The schedule so far this year has included 5 games against teams that are similar to the Big South’s level of play. In those games, Liberty is 2-3, including a 2-1 mark at home. The 3 losses have come by an average of 6 points per game. “Last year, we were getting boat-raced, I mean, we weren’t even competitive,” McKay said. “We’re competitive, we just got to be better. If we want to win, we have to be better.”
9.) There are several young pieces to build around.
We’ve already mentioned Pacheco-Ortiz, but there are other freshmen Liberty can build around the next few years. Forwards Brock Gardner, Myo Baxter-Bell, and Josiah Talbert have all shown flashes of their potential. With more playing time, each of these guys should develop into solid players for the next several years. Xzavier Barmore is another true freshman that hasn’t had a lot of playing time, which shows how deep this team is. If Barmore was on the roster a year ago, he would be getting playing time most nights. He’s another young guy who could develop into a solid contributor for Coach McKay
10.) The team’s ceiling for this season is still very much an unknown.
This is especially true after Homesley’s injury. This team has the potential to finish among the top 4 in the Big South this year, but is that the ceiling? Could they challenge Winthrop and Asheville for a regular season title? Could we go on a run in early March?
