30 seasons. 2 regular season titles.
That’s been Liberty’s history as a Division I member.
Since moving to the Division I ranks prior to the 1988-89 season, the Flames have struggled to find sustained success. Those two regular season titles came in 1997 and 2004, and here we are 15 years later and Liberty (24-6, 13-2) stands just one win away from its 3rd regular season title. The Flames are in Newark, New Jersey for its regular season finale Friday night at NJIT (20-10, 8-7). With a win, Liberty will clinch at least a share of the ASUN regular season title.
When Ritchie McKay returned to Lynchburg as head coach in 2015, he had visions of building a championship contender, but he was taking over a program that was returning just 4 scholarship players, none of which averaged more than 4.8 points per game, and coming off three consecutive 20 loss seasons. His first two months back at the helm weren’t any fun. The Flames lost the first 13 Division I games of McKay’s return, not getting a win until January 6th.
“It was a hard road,” Caleb Homesley said of the past 4 years. “I remember being here when we went 0-13 for our first DI games. It was really hard coming from (high school) thinking you’re going to win every game to going in not winning. It was really hard on us, but I really want to pay respect to the coaches for sticking with us and really building a good culture. I think that right now, we have one of the best cultures in the country, and I think that really sticks to them because they made the changes and the moves they needed to make and the guys around me have really bought in.”
After losing those 13 straight to open the 2015-16 campaign, things started to turn around. The Flames won 7 straight to move to 9-5 in Big South play entering the final two weeks of the regular season. There were flashes that McKay had the ship turned in the right direction, but then Liberty lost 3 out of 4 to finish the regular season and were then embarrassed by UNC Asheville, 80-49, in the first round of the Big South Tournament.
The Flames suffered a heartbreak last year, losing to Radford on a buzzer-beater in the Big South Tournament Championship game
Each of the next two seasons brought more positive moments, but also disappointments as McKay and his staff continued to build the foundation of a championship program. There were 20 wins, wins over Power 5 opponents, blowouts of conference opponents, but also head-scratching losses and heartbreaks in the conference tournament.
Then, in year 4, on the backs of several who have been part of the program the entire ride, the Flames have risen to heights never seen before – setting records for most wins in a season and consistently being ranked in the top 100 of all major metrics. And now just 40 minutes away from a championship.
“For me, I really look at the guys that have started from the bottom – Caleb (Homesley), Myo (Baxter-Bell), Zach (Farquhar), Lovell (Cabbil),” McKay stated. “Those 4 kids began when we did and however many games were lost beforehand, that doesn’t matter, but what does matter is they created that expectation (of winning). I’m really proud of them. We chose to go the hard and difficult way. By that, I mean we didn’t take a ton of transfers, only took guys that were a good fit for our University – some waited, some didn’t, they wanted to play more. But the guys that have stayed and that have really invested in the building of this program, I’m really proud of them.”
The only senior that was here for the entire road, Lovell Cabbil, will leave Liberty as the winningest player in program history.
“The road to get here, it’s been hard, a lot of hard work,” Cabbil said as he echoed Homesley’s sentiments. “We started off the first year really bad. It’s gotten better over the years, and I’ve been a part of that.”
Along that road McKay and the Flames picked up several other key pieces. Scottie James transferred in from Bradley. Keenan Gumbs joined the fray as a grad transfer this year. Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz, Elijah Cuffee, Keegan McDowell, and Darius McGhee were all recruited to help build a championship caliber team.
Homesley could be Liberty’s first selection to a first-team all-conference team since 2012
“Any program, especially this program, it’s goal is to be a champion at the end of the day,” Cuffee said. “That’s what Coach McKay was preaching to me (when he was recruiting me), and I’m glad we’re living it out.”
Another team record the Flames are looking to set Friday night is becoming the first team in school history to reach 10 true road wins, currently sitting on 9. NJIT is having a historic season in their own right, with a program best 20 wins. The Flames control their own destiny for a share of the regular season crown, but with some help from North Alabama (hosts Lipscomb Friday night) McKay and his team could win the regular season title outright, something a Liberty team has never done before.
“We would like to win (the championship) outright, but getting a share of it, we haven’t had that since I’ve been here, I think that’s a huge accomplishment,” Cabbil stated. “Just to get a share of it, that would be good, but we can’t look past NJIT because they’re a really good team. We have to take care of that business first.”
The Flames would be happy with the regular season title, but also have their eyes set on higher prizes.
“24 wins is great, but I hope we win more,” McKay said after Tuesday night’s win over Kennesaw State.
In year 31 as a Division I program, the Flames have built a championship contender. And it’s been built to last.
