Ritchie McKay was this week’s featured guest on Wednesday with the Flames hosted by Alan York. In this 30 minute segment, the Liberty head coach discussed a variety of topics including some questions asked by fans. Here are his main takeaways:
Recapping what the team missed out on with no 2020 NCAA Tournament
“Everyone says, can you be the Gonzaga of the East? I do think we missed out on an opportunity because Gonzaga became Gonzaga not because they won regular season championships because they won in the NCAA Tournament. We worked and labored hard, our guys, to get to this point and to not have a chance to win and advance, I just think we may have missed out on an opportunity for the nation to see Liberty University and our program. But I still think there are good things on the horizon for us, and we’re going to continue to pursue being the best we can.”
On the 2020-21 season
“Typically the freshmen would arrive sometime in early June. Obviously, we can’t do anything until the stay at home that the governor imposed is lifted. So, we’re still planning on summer school at this point, but as you well know with COVID-19 it’s always a fluid situation. For our guys who can work out and have access to a gym, they’ve been working out. That’s who they are and it’s who we recruit, so I’m pleased with that.”
“For me, I know that this team coming up in 20-21 will be different than the team we had last year. I think it’s sometimes a little bit of a seduction to think you can replicate a team or you can put guys in positions that other guys leave. There’s only one Scottie James.There’s only one Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz. I want to learn our guys to the degree that I knew the others, and I think I speak for our staff when I saw that. Although we do have some guys returning we have a lot of new guys that are very inexperienced. I really believe this group that we have coming up could have a chance to compete for a conference championship as well because of what I’ve seen from them so far. I think guys will emerge in roles.”
“Four or five years ago we weren’t talking about Scottie James or Myo Baxter-Bell. Oddly enough, everyone asks how you’re going to replace Myo. Myo played 17 minutes a game his senior season. Not many people ask about how you replace a guy who played 17 minutes a game. I just think he took advantage of the minutes he got, and I think you will see that of a lot of these new faces.”
On the Liberty Arena and next year’s schedule
“How blessed are we to have an administration that would provide for us an arena like the new arena? I think it’s really unprecedented, fabulous, especially for this level. Thank you to President Falwell and all those on his staff, as well as Ian McCaw and Mickey Guridy. I know Coach Green, Coach Johnson, and myself are all really excited about moving in. We’re supposedly going to be on track, but again it’s fluid with the pandemic we reside in, but I think we have a home opener scheduled for November 10. That contract is not signed yet, but we will play on opening night.”
“We’re really excited to move in there. The plans that I saw were unbelievable, it is first class. I think it will be a great experience for our fans and student body.”
“Hopefully soon (we will be able to announce some non-conference games). We have some contracts that are yet to come in. There’s a tournament that we were invited to that is a little fluid because of the pandemic and its location. Scheduling has not been easy as our program has evolved. The good news is we’ve been invited to more tournaments or neutral games than we had been before. The bad news is it’s really hard to play some high majors. They sometimes have a different scheduling philosophy in the non-conference, especially with most leagues going to 20 games, but it is what it is. We will try to make it as competitive as we can and prepare our guys for the ASUN conference.”
On the return of Keegan McDowell
“I think for some they would have a little bit of negativity towards Keegan because he decided to transfer right before the season started. Though I was frustrated with that decision at the time, I completely understood it because guys want to play and they have dreams and aspirations that they’ve had for a long time.”
“So, it was an amazing God thing honestly, him coming back. We were headed down the road to recruit another big and Keegan asked to meet with me. I could see in his face, in his countenance, his love for Liberty and desire to be a part of our family again. Not only a little bit of remorse but also a great sense of maturity and gratitude just for me taking the meeting.”
“I slept on it a night or two and God put it on my heart, this is not about pieces this is about people. Keegan McDowell is one of the finest people I’ve ever come in contact with. It didn’t fit into the scheme of our depth chart or whatever, but I know out of the obedience to what was on my spirit it was the right thing to do. He’s been fabulous in his return. I think he’s going to add a ton of value to this team and this program. I’m really excited he came back, and I think our campus is better with him being a part of it.”
“I’m sure some will think, well, we needed another big man or why did we bring a guy back that walked out on us. I left Liberty my first time, and I was privileged enough to come back. I think it’s going to work out well for Keegan and for us.”
On grad transfer Chris Parker
“I really enjoyed getting to know Chris. He’s a terrific young man. He fits into our fabric. He’s sharp. Really good player, he can score the basketball. Kind of a combination guard, can run some point, can play some 2. The thing I like the best about him is he’s been a winner everywhere he’s gone. One of the strongest endorsements was Lovell Cabbil and what he said about him. I think he’s going to have a chance to compete right away for minutes. Obviously, there’s a couple of big holes that need to be filled in terms of Caleb’s and Georgie’s departure from the guard line. I really like the guys that we’ve signed, including Chris, and the guys we have returning that may fit into that role. It will be really competitive.”
“It will be different. We’ll play differently. I like our pieces a ton. I’m not afraid, I’m not stuck in my ways offensively to experiment a little bit given our personnel. I’m challenged by that, but I really do like our pieces.”
On the incoming freshmen
“Drake Dobbs was a player of the year candidate in a state that has 20 Division I players. We were really fortunate to be on him early because I think he’s a high major recruit. Isiah Warfield, I think, is the highest ranked player, I’ve heard, that we’ve signed. Signed, not committed because I think there’s some others ranked highly as well. I can’t say much more about that. (Side note: We can! Check out this recent piece on the 2021 class). Jonathan Jackson, I recruited when he was in the 8th grade when I first got to know him. I think he’s going to make a great impact. Micaiah Abii, probably the least of the fanfare of recruits, but I saw him last year in Houston and I loved him. I just think this kid’s got a tremendous chance. He’s a versatile forward that I think is multi-positioned and has a major upside. I’m excited about our entire class and I’m also excited about our returners.”
“Josh Price didn’t play much last year, Marten Maide sat out, but those two kids will have a chance as well. Shiloh and Kyle will headline maybe the younger guys, but we’ve got a group that I think our practice will be really competitive.”
On Marten Maide
“He’s got a chance with his talent level. He’s really athletic. He definitely has a chance. It would be unfair for me, with 8 or 9 guys in the backcourt, we could have a 4-guard lineup more often than not is my guess. I’m not quite sure how it will play out quite yet, but there will be a lot of competition for minutes and we want that. This is a program that has been built on the right things and that’s people first. I think anytime you have a great teammate, one that’s fully invested, you have a chance to be able to compete. Marten, as well as the others, I’m excited about.”
