Goodman has begun a series ranking the top assistants in each conference by polling at least 20 coaches in each respective league. Liberty’s Brad Soucie is ranked as No. 2 and Derek Johnston is picked as No. 4 in the ASUN, according to this metric.
“Brad is one of the best listeners I’ve ever met,” Ritchie McKay told Stadium. “He has a great pulse in what a team needs in a given moment in time.”
“Coach McKay’s right hand man,” said an unnamed ASUN assistant of Soucie. “Touches every phase of the program. Extension of McKay’s voice.”
Soucie has been on staff at Liberty the past 5 seasons, helping the Flames turn into one of the top mid-major programs in the country. Liberty has increased its win total every season over the past 5 years, including the recently completed 30-4 season which set a program record for wins.
Soucie has spent his entire coaching career as an assistant under McKay or on a staff alongside McKay. He was at Virginia as Director of Player Development for 6 seasons under Tony Bennett in between two stints at Liberty.
“Derek is an elite teacher, hard worker – and is a Swiss Army knife,” said McKay. “He does everything well in our program.”
“Helped tweak offensive schemes that made Liberty move versatile and harder to guard,” said an unnamed ASUN assistant of Johnston. “Behind-the-scenes grinder in recruiting.”
Johnston joined Liberty’s staff in 2018 and has helped lead the Flames to two ASUN regular season and tournament championships. Prior to his time at Liberty, Johnston has also been on staff at Alabama-Huntsville and Williams College.
