It’s time for basketball. Obviously, the season starts on Friday, but that’s not what I mean. At Liberty, the football team is in the home stretch of one its best seasons to date. They are playing to record crowds against the 3rd best schedule in the country. The baseball team has been to two straight NCAA regionals, and is poised for another great season. The olympic sports continue to do impressive things, characterized by the Flames’ field hockey program winning its second consecutive conference championship. It’s time for basketball.
Liberty was once a basketball school. The Vines Center was packed, and teeming with life in the mid-90’s, when Liberty’s student body was miniscule compared to today. The arena was rocking again in the early and mid-2000’s, when the Flames won the 2004 Big South title in dominating fashion behind the performance of this 18 year old named Larry Blair. It was the Ken Karcher era for Liberty football. The ice hockey team was still playing in Roanoke. Men’s basketball was all we had in many ways. Almost everyone knows the story from here. A charismatic coach came to revive the program, along with a young phemon shooter, only to have them both leave in a flash. Aside from a magical 2013 Big South tournament run, Liberty basketball has been on life support for much of the past 5 years. It’s time for basketball.
Andrew Smith will lead an athletic Flames team in the Vines Center this year.
To say expectations are low would be an understatement. 60 losses over the past three seasons have left many wondering where this program is heading. It has been said that basketball is just not that important to the current athletic administration. A once promising recruiting class nearly fell apart with two of Layer’s best signees not ending up at Liberty. The Flames were picked 9th of 11 teams in the Big South, and that was higher than some expected.
Still, when you look at this roster, and the experience on it, it’s hard not to think there is potential. Especially in conjunction with a very favorable schedule. If you haven’t taken a look at the Flames’ schedule, it’s not exactly murderer’s row. Liberty will have a chance to work the bugs out and gain confidence. Liberty will be looking to replace Davon Marshall, JC Sanders, and JR Coronado from the starting rotation, but with all due respect to those guys, that should be doable. This team will have plenty of athleticism, and if it can find some outside shooting from Peter Moller and Ryan Kemrite, the Flames could make some noise in the Big South. It’s just a matter of guys stepping up.
The fans have a part in this. I’m not naive enough to believe that students and the community are going to sell out the Vines Center for a team that isn’t winning a ton of games. Still, for this program to catch up to the other athletic programs at Liberty, we as fans HAVE to make the Vines a tough place to play for opponents. There is nothing intimidating about a big quiet arena. However, there is no sport where a raucous home crowd can shift a game like college basketball. Liberty is going to be in some tight games at home this year, and having their backs really could make the difference in some of those. The atmosphere matters, so do your part. Coach Layer and the guys are going to do theirs. It’s time to revive this program. It’s time for basketball.
