Retic’s insertion into the starting lineup has given the Flames a boost
Flames have won 2 straight
A week ago, Liberty had lost 7 straight, and seemed destined to end the season in a terribly disappointing way. All of a sudden, the Flames have won 2 consecutive games by comfortable margins, and many are thinking we may be on the verge of a repeat of last season’s tournament championship run. Before you make that leap, take a step back. The Flames have defeated 2 of the worst teams in the league, comfortably. So, they’ve at least proven they are not the worst team in the Big South. Before we begin making reservations for a weekend stay in Myrtle Beach for the semifinals and finals, let’s wait and see how the Flames do against Radford. If Liberty closes out the regular season with an impressive showing and a win against the Highlanders, it would be safe to say Coach Layer is on to something. If not, we should all temper our expectations entering next week’s tournament.
Also, this year’s Big South is much deeper than last year’s. Last year there were probably only 3 teams that most thought had a real shot at winning the tournament (CSU, HPU, & G-W). This year, Liberty, as the 4 seed from the North, could likely face preseason favorite Charleston Southern in the first round. Sure the Buccaneers have struggled, but they have the potential to get hot and go on a run behind guards Saah Nimley and Arlon Harper.
Senior Day
Saturday’s matchup with Radford is Senior Day for the 6 seniors. Antwan Burrus, JR Coronado, Davon Marshall, Casey Roberts, John Caleb Sanders, and Joel Vander Pol will be closing out their careers at the Vines Center. This class brought us a Big South Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, hopefully they will get their rightful sendoff with a good crowd on Saturday.
Antwan Burrus is 1 of 6 seniors who will be honored Saturday
Jesse Sanders back in Australia
Former Liberty point guard Jesse Sanders has recently resigned with the Sydney Kings of the Australian NBL. Sanders previously played seven games with Sydney last fall, when he averaged 9.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Women’s hoops update
The Lady Flames swept their two games this week with wins over Winthrop and Radford. With just one game remaining in the regular season, Liberty is 14-5 in conference play.
Baseball update
The baseball team had a busy week, beginning with a weekend tournament in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Flames faced both UNC-Wilmington and Ohio twice, splitting the 4 games. The FlameTrain picked up a win Tuesday afternoon over SEC member Missouri, 2-1.
Be sure to check out our weekly Baseball Roundups which detail all the latest action on the diamond.
Spring practice
Liberty’s 2014 spring practice is right around the corner, and the Sporting News had a Big South Football spring practice preview this week. Liberty’s spring practice is scheduled for March 18 – April 12.
FlameFans thread of the week
This week’s FlameFans thread of the week is New to FlameFans? Introduce Yourself. This is where new members have the opportunity to introduce themselves to the rest of the FlameFans and FlamesNation community. So, if you’ve recently joined, or you’re thinking of joining FlameFans, go ahead and do it and make your introduction in this thread! We love to have new members!
