On Wednesday, Liberty commit Curtis Blair made it official as he signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Ritchie McKay and the Flames. The 6’5″ guard committed to Liberty in March and can enroll at the school this coming summer.
“We’re really excited about the addition of Curtis Blair III. He comes from a wonderful family, “said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “Not only is he an exceptional prospect, but he is a tremendous cultural fit for our program. His skill and positional versatility will add a ton of value to our team.”
Blair is a consensus three-star rated prospect out of the Steward School in Richmond, Virginia. He signed with Liberty over offers from Richmond, Virginia Tech, and Florida. South Alabama and Tulsa were also recruiting him hard prior to his commitment to the Flames.
Blair averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as a junior with the Steward Spartans. The guard is a two-time All-Metro Richmond first team selection and was the Tidewater Conference of Independents School Player of the Year as well as a first team all-state honoree.
Blair is the No. 6-ranked player in PrepHoops Virginia’s 2023 class and the No. 8-ranked player in Virginia in 2023 according to 247 Sports. Blair helped lead Steward to a 28-3 record last season, falling to Blue Ridge in the VISAA Division 2 state tournament semifinal.
“They’ve been recruiting me since I was 14 years old, so they’ve shown lots of love, loyalty and trust in me,” Blair said after he committed to the Flames in the spring. “It’s a good place where I can go to develop as a person and as a player. Coach McKay has laid out a plan for me to get to the next level. I think this is a good opportunity to further my game and me as a person.”
Blair has taken several trips to Liberty over the past several months as the Flames prioritized him during this recruiting cycle. Liberty offered Curtis Blair III in August 2020, and since that time the Flames’ have continued to pursue the 6’5″ guard from Richmond, Virginia. He has taken several visits to Lynchburg to check in on Liberty over the past several months, including an official visit last fall.
Blair’s dad is currently an NBA official who is originally from Roanoke, Virginia. The elder Blair played his college basketball at Richmond where he was named CAA Player of the Year in 1992 before being selected in the second round by the Houston Rockets in the 1992 NBA Draft.
