A lot has changed in our world over the past few months, and Liberty’s men’s basketball team has also gone through a lot of change this offseason.
Gone are the winningest players in program history – Myo Baxter-Bell, Caleb Homesley, Scottie James, and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz. Back is Keegan McDowell, and 5 newcomers have joined the roster in Chris Parker, Micaiah Abii, Drake Dobbs, Jonathan Jackson, and Isiah Warfield.
McKay’s son, Luke has also been officially added to the roster as a walk-on.
“I never anticipated Luke McKay playing Division I college basketball, but I marvel at his work ethic. He earned (his spot), but I want to make sure his mom stays happy,” McKay quipped.
The Flames do have some familiar faces returning in Elijah Cuffee and Darius McGhee, both of whom were part of the past two ASUN championship teams that combined to win 59 games. Liberty also welcomes back Kyle Rode and Shiloh Robinson who had solid true freshman campaigns.
“It’s going to look different when you’ve had so many players with so many minutes,” McKay said of his new look roster. “We’re just trying to get to know our new guys, in terms of what they do on the court, where their strengths lie, and try to develop chemistry because every team is different season to season. Even the 29 win (2018-19 team) was different than last year’s team. So, as a coaching staff, we’re just trying to figure some of those things out and keep it fun but productive.”
Like most teams around the country, Liberty got back on the practice court this week and will have a couple of weeks of practice before taking a break in early August prior to the start of the fall semester.
“We have new players,” said McKay. “We also have a lot of guys that are familiar with our verbiage, the atmosphere that’s in the room. Obviously, there will be concessions that we as coaches need to make in terms of our patience and some of the luxuries we had the opportunities to reside in when you had Myo, Scottie, Caleb, Georgie. Those guys are gone. They won’t put on a Liberty uniform unless it’s in an alumni game. We’ve got to deal with that, but (I’m) really optimistic about our group. I think the young guys are really talented. I think the future is bright.”
Parker is a 6’1″ grad transfer guard from Henderson State where he played in 31 games last season while averaging 15.3 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game and shot 42.7% from three. He helped lead Henderson State to a 23-8 record and was named the GAC Tournament MVP following his team’s run to the conference tournament championship. He is expected to immediately challenge for a starting backcourt position alongside McGhee and provide a scoring punch.
“I really like our class,” McKay said of his true freshmen. “I think Micaiah Abii is a really good player that has a bright future. Jonathan Jackson is going to have an impact. Isiah Warfield is an elite defender that has a chance to be really good. Drake Dobbs, man he is a winner, there’s a reason why. His AAU team and high school team are both really well coached. Having Drake in your lineup is a factor in that winning equation.”
Abii is a 6’7″ forward from Frisco, Texas. He could play in the post or at a forward position. He likes to describe himself as a point forward. Jackson is the younger brother of NBA star Justin Jackson and could force himself into a role as a true freshman at guard. Warfield, a 6’5″ guard from Pennsylvania, is the highest rated recruit in school history while the 6’3″ Dobbs joins redshirt-sophomore Josh Price as the only two true point guards on the roster.
One of the team’s biggest strengths the past few seasons was having Scottie James and Myo Baxter-Bell in the post. There aren’t many mid-majors that have two bigs that talented and experienced. This season, Liberty’s roster makeup is much different and Blake Preston is the only true post on the team.
“We are a little smaller,” said McKay. “I think if Scottie and Myo would not have been seniors, you probably would have seen a little more of Blake Preston. I think Blake’s got a really bright future.”
The 6’9″ Preston played in 14 games as a redshirt-freshman a season ago. He saw just 68 minutes of game action behind James and Baxter-Bell while averaging 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
The Flames could also see Abii, Robinson, or even Rode get some playing time in the post this season.
“He’s obviously the biggest, the strongest interior,” McKay said of Preston, “but we have some other capable players at that position. Although it might be a little unconventional in the form of a lineup that you’re used to seeing, we’ve got a little bit more versatility when we put another guy in that position. So, we’re just kind of toying with some things with how that might look, but Scottie and Myo did yeoman’s work for our program and for our growth. We are very thankful for them, yet we do like the guys that we have on our roster.”
While we still don’t know what the 2020-21 season will like look in a COVID-19 world or even if there will be a season, the Flames are preparing as if there will be one, and McKay plans on keeping the level of play at the same level Liberty has shown the past two years into the future.
“They experienced a lot of success as a group,” McKay reflected on his outgoing seniors. “That senior class will be remembered for a long time. They can share in the fact that they helped grow Liberty basketball in a mighty fashion, not just for their on court productivity but the way they represented their family names and our program off the court. It has enhanced our recruiting. The ’20 class, the future classes, I just think we’re in a really healthy place. If we’re right about our evaluations and we can continue to develop, I think you’re going to see a program that continues to compete for conference championships.”
