On Saturday, Liberty guard Keegan McDowell will be honored prior to the Flames’ game against Kennesaw State as part of the Senior Day festivities. It will be a ceremony that almost didn’t happen.
The story has been told before, of McDowell electing to enter the transfer portal on the eve of the 2019-20 men’s basketball season. After spending his first two years in the program, where he had played in 68 games, starting three, and averaging 3.3 points per game, McDowell would be leaving the Flames and electing to move in a new direction seeking more playing time elsewhere.
Over the next several months, McDowell and Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay would have conversations at times to see if the other had changed their mind. That didn’t happen until after the 2019-20 was over and the final touches were being put on the roster for the final season. McDowell reached out to Coach McKay about his change of heart, and, after sleeping on it, McKay realized it was the best decision for the two and the team moving forward.
“There was a real mindset shift for me my redshirt year of having gratitude for everything that this staff and this program does for us as players,” McDowell said of that year he contemplated transferring. “Getting to that point where I’m going to work as hard as I can to get the minutes that I deserve or that I want, I’m going to work my butt off to get that, but if that doesn’t happen, am I content with just being in this program full of people who love me and who I love? I’d say once I shifted to that mindset, it’s been an incredible five years here. I’m really thankful for it. I’ve grown a lot through it and the experience. I owe a lot to the program and everybody that’s been there with me throughout the last five years.”
Despite being counted out on many occasions, McDowell has become a key cog in Liberty’s team over the past two seasons. Last year, he was the Flames’ sixth man, playing in 29 games and averaging 20.7 minutes per game. He averaged 6.8 points per game and shot 40.% from three as he made 44 triples.
This season, McDowell has become a fixture in Liberty’s starting lineup and is the second leading scorer on the team behind likely ASUN Player of the Year Darius McGhee. McDowell is averaging 10.0 points per game and is second on the team with 72 made triples. He is shooting 42.4% from three-point range, which ranks in the top 20 nationally.
More than his contributions on the court, McDowell has become one of the more outspoken team leaders.
“Anything that Keegan does on the floor for us, is only icing on the cake,” McKay said. “I mean that sincerely. Having done that as long as I have, you just don’t get guys who are as terrific as leaders as he and Kyle Rode are. They are once in a generation, I mean that.”
Still, his contributions on the court this season have played a large part in the Flames’ reaching the 20-win plateau for the sixth consecutive season and being in contention for a fourth straight ASUN tournament title. He’s frequently been the second scorer on the Liberty offense behind McGhee. The Flames are 19-2 this season when someone other than McGhee scores 13 points or more and just 1-8 when nobody other than McGhee reaches 13 points.
McDowell scored a career high 21 points in Liberty’s win over Jacksonville, 88-49, on Jan. 18 earlier this season. He connected on 7 of his 9 three pointers that night, setting a career high for three-pointers made in a single game. That was the second time Keegan has gone over 20 points in a game during his career. In 15 of 27 games this season, McDowell has reached double figures in points. He’s made two or more three-pointers in 20 games this season.
“The fact that it’s gone in at a 40 some odd percent clip from three and he’s taking care of the ball, he’s defending better, all of that is a bonus,” McKay said of McDowell. “I hope he continues to do that because it just makes our team better.”
McDowell has been a huge part of Liberty’s success under McKay in recent seasons. The Flames have won 20 or more games in each season he’s participated in. He’s also been part of two conference championships and Liberty has advanced to the conference championship game in each year he has been on the roster. He’s hoping to conclude his collegiate career on a high note and get back to the NCAA Tournament for a third time.
“If we didn’t even win any championships in this last five years, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything because of the people that have been here along the way that have made it so enjoyable,” he stated.”
He is the last player on Liberty’s basketball team that played when the Flames were in the Big South. McDowell was part of the 2018 Big South Championship game when Carlik Jones hit a buzzer beating three-pointer to lift Radford over Liberty. Since that time, the Flames have not lost another conference tournament game, winning nine straight and three straight ASUN conference tournaments.
“I’ve loved having him in our family,” McKay said of McDowell. “Thankful that we got to get through a tough time relationally and see how much better and closer we are as a group and as a player and a coach.”
