MCKAY DISCUSSES DARIUS’ RETURN

Before his press conference condluded last week, Liberty head men’s basketball coach Ritchie McKay made sure he discussed the return of Darius McGhee who has elected to use his COVID year of eligibility. Unprovoked, McKay had the following to say about the two-time ASUN Player of the Year returning.

“Season ended, he had senior night, we were recruiting,” said McKay. “We had a plan to talk to different NBA teams, personnel. He got invited to the Portsmouth Invitational, the Reese’s All Star Game – I was going to get to be his coach. He could have transferred virtually anywhere and mad six figures easly. He didn’t ask for a dime, and when he told me he was coming back there was no fan fare. I said it last year, if you haven’t gotten tickets to come see us play, you’re missing out because he’s a special talent.”

“What a great kid and what great teammates he has,” McKay continued. “I was on the phone with a person after the season that said if he signs this deal right now he could make $10 grand for the next month. $10 grand to that demographic is a lot of money. I mean, it’s a lot of money to you and I too, but when they’re only getting coast of attendance…I just think we’re privileged to coach him.”

JONES, HORNETT ROUND OUT STAFF CHANGES

In addition to the hiring of Rob Jones as Associate Head Coach, McKay has also hired Robb Hornett as Director of Athletic Performance. Hornett replaces Henry Barrera who took a similar position at Alabama. Hornett comes to Liberty after previous stints at Memphis and Saint Louis.

“I love the group that we’ve been able to attract,” McKay said of his staff. “I think it speaks volumes to what our guys have accomplished. To attract someone like Rob Jones, who was the Associate Head Coach at Richmond and has been with Coach Mooney 17 years and that program has experienced a ton of success, and then Rob Hornett, who was at the University of Memphis, prior to that Saint Louis. We knew each other when I was at Virginia, he was working under Mike Curtis. Some big shoes to fill because of just how much Caoch Barrera did for our program, and, man, I love that dude so much. Coach Soucie’s departure, obviously we had so much familiarity with one another. I just think this was one of those deals where God had someone new for our family. I think the way they’ve integrated in our program has been a really positive experience for our guys. It’s early, but I couldn’t be happier with their addition.”

MCKAY ON SCHEDULING

The ASUN recently released the men’s basketball schedule. Those games go along with the Flames’ non-conference games that we already know about. McKay and his staff are still working on finalizing this season’s schedule.

“I’m reminded that it’s a compliment that other teams may not want to play you,” he said. “I get that. When Darius McGhee announced that he was coming back, sheduling died. We’re still trying to complete it. I think we’re close. We’ve had to take what we can get. I’d love for our guys to play whoever they can because we love to test them in the non-conference. We used to be able to that more early in the non-con, but scheduling has changed in college basketball. The NET has produced an intent from other high majors to manipulate it the best they can so the numbers or the analytics look a certain way to the committee. That’s the mode of operation for most high major programs. I get it, we’re trying to do the same thing at the mid (major) level.”

MCKAY ON TRANSFER PORTAL

The transfer portal has become one of the most discussed topics in college athletics today as it has made a huge impact on the game across all major sports, including men’s basketball. McKay shared some of his thoughts on the portal.

“I think this is our third year in a row where we haven’t taken someone out of the transfer portal,” McKay stated. “Chris Parker came but that was a grad transfer so I’m not referencing him or Keenan Gumbs. We’ve been fairly cautious about that pursuit and we’ve also acquiesced guys who wanted to come back who initially thought they wanted to look for a different opportunity in Keegan (McDowell) and (Jonathan Jackson). I think it’s a tribute to the guys when they’ve felt like this is the best place for me regardless of the minutes, the stats, or the shine that you get when you put the jersey on. It’s a testament to the kind of people God has blessed us with.”