When McKay returned from Virginia in 2015, he declared that he would build the Liberty program this time on the pack line defense. And that he has done with the Flames improving its scoring defense numbers each of the past 4 seasons and ranking in the top 20 in that category each of the past 2 years. That continues to be the case this season, with the Flames holding opponents to 60.9 points per game, a mark that currently ranks 12th in the country.
Ask McKay and he will tell you that he’s always been an offensive coach though.
“I’ve changed my ways,” he joked. “I’m a recovering offensive guy.”
Remember back to his first stint at Liberty and how the Flames were setting numerous offensive records, primarily with regard to shooting the 3. He also had a famous quote in 2008, “play no D, pass to me, shoot the 3,” in regards to his highly touted freshman class highlighted by Seth Curry.
So, while he has built the program over the past 4 seasons on the pack line, he’s always been an offensive-minded coach, and, with Liberty off to its best start in nearly 30 years, it’s been the offensive side of the ball where we’ve seen the most improvement.
The Flames are currently averaging 77.9 points per game while shooting 50.5% from the field, 39.7% from 3, and an effective field goal percentage of 58.3%. The latter number is 5th best in the country according to KenPom and all of those numbers would best any of the team’s previous 3 seasons with McKay at the helm. The 77.9 points per game, is up significantly from 70.8 points last year and 64.7 in 2015-16. If the Flames continue scoring at that pace, it would set the program’s Division I record (currently 77.2 set in 92-93). KenPom puts Liberty at 44th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, which would best the program’s previous best season finish of 126, which happened on a 2007-08 squad that was also coached by McKay.
While the Flames rank near the bottom in offensive pace, it puts an emphasis on efficiency, and Liberty’s offensive efficiency numbers rank with the best of anyone in the country. Shooting percentage from 2-point range, from 3, and from the free throw line all rank in the top 20 of the country.
“I think we have better players, guys that are committed to improvement,” McKay said when asked about the success of the offense this season. “I think that helps us get better. In our recruiting, we’ve gotta have guys that fit our system well.”
This is the first year that the roster is made up of all guys that were recruited by McKay (Caleb Homesley the lone exception), and we’re beginning to see what McKay envisioned this program would look like, offensively and defensively, 4 years ago.
“We’ve been really unselfish. When we’ve taken care of the ball, we’ve been really hard to guard because we have balance. We could have a (different) leading scorer on any night.”
On a team that routinely plays 9 guys each night, the Flames have had 7 different leading scorers this season. Scottie leads the ASUN in field goal percentage, shooting over 70% from the field. Darius McGhee leads the conference in three pointers made while hitting at a 38% clip. Both Elijah Cuffee and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz are shooting 50% or better from 3 on the year.
After a brief 1 game home-stand, Liberty takes its improved offense on the road to face Kennesaw State Wednesday night at 7pm.
The Owls joined the Big South as an associate member for football in 2015 and began to develop a rivalry with the Flames before Liberty moved up as an FBS Independent, but the basketball squads have never met before.
Long-time Boston College head coach Al Skinner is in his 4th season as head coach at KSU where he has compiled a 38-72 overall record and 20-24 mark in the ASUN. This year, the Owls are 3-14 and have dropped each of their first 2 conference games (NJIT and Jacksonville) by exactly 20 points.
