With the addition of grad transfer Chris Parker this week, the Liberty men’s basketball roster for the 2020-21 season is nearing completion.
The Flames have just one scholarship remaining for next year’s squad and here’s an early depth chart breakdown by position of those on the roster:
G – Chris Parker, Drake Dobbs, Josh Price, Tytist Dean
G – Darius McGhee, Isiah Warfield, Colton Reed
G/F – Elijah Cuffee, Marten Maide, Jonathan Jackson
F – Kyle Rode, Micaiah Abii
F – Shiloh Robinson, Blake Preston
This is obviously very early and things are likely to change once players arrive on campus, especially with four incoming freshmen and at least one transfer.
Liberty has four known pieces in McGhee, Cuffee, Rode, and Robinson. We’re slotting them in as starters until someone is able to beat them out.
McGhee is able to play the point, but he is best suited off the ball and will be one of the team’s top offensive options over the next two seasons. With his quickness and playmaking ability, McGhee has first-team all-ASUN potential.
Cuffee has started virtually his entire career and that’s not going to change for his senior campaign. He has become the team’s defensive stopper after the graduation of Lovell Cabbil, taking the challenge of shutting down the opposing team’s top perimeter threat each night. The Flames will need him to pick up some of the lost production on the offensive end next season, and he’s proven in spots that he has that ability.
Head coach Ritchie McKay has not been shy about Kyle Rode’s potential, and he showed flashes of it on occasion during his freshman season. He fought through an undisclosed injury in the second half of the season, which slowed some of his production, but moving forward he will get plenty of opportunities. Reminder, in the three games in the Bahamas when Caleb Homesley was out injured, Rode averaged 13 points and 5 rebounds per game while shooting 54.2% from the field and 57.1% from three. Could that be the type of output that becomes the norm for him?
A year ago, we all assumed Shiloh Robinson was an easy redshirt candidate, but once he got on campus he proved he was too good to keep off the floor. He played in all 34 games and was the team’s 8th man. Per 40 minutes, he averaged 9.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. The biggest question for him moving forward, is where does he fit in position wise? He has the size to be a 5, but that’s not his natural fit.
Another big question mark for the team’s production next season is Blake Preston. We haven’t seen much out of the rising redshirt-sophomore as he’s only played in 68 minutes in a Liberty uniform and nearly half of those came against Kentucky Christian and Trinity Baptist. Can he be a steady contributor and even push for starter’s minutes? If so, this team will be a factor in the ASUN championship race.
The easiest comparison to Chris Parker is recent grad transfer Keenan Gumbs who came in as a star at the Division III level and was a key part of the 2018-19 team that won the ASUN Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Of course, Parker is a different type of player, a 6’1″ guard, but there’s no reason he shouldn’t be an immediate fit into the rotation. He has the skills and the Flames have to replace over 100 minutes of playing time from the departing seniors.
Marten Maide redshirted last season as he fought back from an injury. He could have found some minutes as a true freshman after Keegan McDowell elected to transfer. Now, Liberty has a need and hope Maide can find his way in the rotation.
Then there’s the four incoming freshmen – Drake Dobbs, Isiah Warfield, Jonathan Jackson, and Micaiah Abii. Dobbs appears to be the most game ready and is likely to find a role in the backcourt. He’s possibly the only true point guard on the roster. If he can work himself into a three-man rotation for the two guard spots with Parker and McGhee, that would be perfect.
Warfield is the highest rated recruit in program history, just besting Kyle Rode’s rating from 247Sports. Still, it’s a big transition from high school to the Division I ranks. He’s a similar type player to Lovell Cabbil and could take over for Cuffee as the team’s lockdown perimeter defender in the future.
Jackson has the pedigree (younger brother of UNC and NBA star Justin Jackson) and length to be a factor. Again, it’s difficult to project how all these freshmen will translate to the college game, especially in their first season.
Abii is an intriguing prospect. He was the last of the four freshmen to commit, but he has a similar type game to that of a taller and leaner Myo Baxter-Bell. He’s 6’7″ and could find some time at the 5, but he’s more like a point forward than a traditional big.
Don’t count out returners Josh Price and Colton Reed. McKay wasn’t shy to find spot minutes for Reed this past season, proving that he trusts him. We could see similar to type roles with maybe even more minutes for either this season.
Then there’s the final scholarship spot. The obvious need a grad transfer plug and play big, but those are few and far between. If McKay can find someone to help ease the burden of Shiloh and Blake, that would be a huge boost for next year’s squad.
