Liberty Athletic Director Jeff Barber spoke with numerous media outlets on Thursday speaking about his decision to fire Dale Layer and what he is looking for in Liberty’s next head coach. We boiled these conversations to 5 main qualities the Flames will look for in their next men’s basketball coach.
1. A Christian
This is basically a requirement for any head coach at Liberty University which makes its search unique. Barber reiterated this point in all of his statements to various media outlets on Thursday.
2. Embrace Liberty’s mission
Successful coaches at Liberty have been able to embrace its mission of “training champions for Christ,” and use its mission to succeed on the court/field.
3. Experience
Jeff Barber has repeatedly talked about wanting someone who has been where we want to go. He also spoke on Thursday about wanting a coach with Major Division I experience or a Mid-Major head coach who has experienced some success.
4. Recruiter
Something that Jeff Barber said repeatedly in interviews after Layer’s firing, is that he wants someone who can recruit. He said if you can get the high quality talent at the school, the rest pretty much takes care of itself.
5. Energetic
The next coach needs to provide an infusion of energy. He needs to bring enthusiasm and excitement to a program that is on its death bed. Liberty needs a coach who has passion for the job, a passion to have LU competing in the Big South and to move towards being FBS ready.
