Liberty opened up the 2024-25 men’s basketball season with a 83-63 win over Valparaiso on Monday night from Xenia, Ohio.

“It’s a credit to them,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said of his team full of newcomers. “Their care factor is high. I think part of our process is to stay committed to recruiting the right kind of people. Liberty attracts that kind of young man. It was neat to see the improvement from the first scrimmage to the second one to the third one. I feel like our guys, the longer they play together, the more connected they will be.”

The Beacons got out to the early lead as the Flames were sluggish on offense to start. It shouldn’t come as a surprise with all the new faces on this year’s roster. Once the team worked through their kinks on the offensive end in the opening minutes, Liberty was able to take the lead and would not look back. The Flames pushed the lead to double figures by the end of the first half and cruised in the second half to the comfortable lead and win.

JUCO transfer Owen Aquino was impressive in his Liberty debut. The 6’7″ forward finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks on 8 of 9 shooting. Zach Cleveland added 13 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. Kaden Metheny had 16 points while Cedarville transfer Jayvon Maughmer added 14 points. Arkansas Tech transfer Taelon Peter had 9 points on 3 of 7 shooting from three.

Liberty shot 54% from the field and were 10 of 24 from three-point range. The Flames won the rebounding battle, 36-35 and scored 42 points in the paint compared to Valpo’s 30.

The Flames return to action on Saturday, continuing a season-opening road trip. Liberty plays at Seattle at 8 p.m. ET in a game that will be streamed on ESPN+.

MUCH DIFFERENT TEAM

We knew this team would look different with an influx of so many new faces, but it has really changed how the team plays on the court. For several years, the Flames have relied on the three point shot. While that may be the case again this year at times, it seems like the team is focused on attacking the basket first and looking for a jump shot second.

Cleveland and Aquino both love to attack the basket first and the offense was running through them on night one.

This team still has several shooters including Kaden Metheny, Jayvon Maughmer, and Taelon Peter, but it appears the team might not be a live by the three die by the three team. It’s just one game, so we will see how this team adjusts and changes as the season develops.

FIRST LOOK AT ROTATION

In no surprise, McKay opted to go with the three returning starters to start the game – Colin Porter, Kaden Metheny, and Zach Cleveland. He added Owen Aquino and Isaiah Ihnen into the starting group to begin the game. While this is still a backcourt with two sub-six footers, the frontcourt features three players at 6’7″ or taller. It’s a different look than we saw last year.

Taelon Peter and Jayvon Maughmer were the first two subs off the bench, bringing length to the wing. McKay has named those two as part of a group of seven starters he has on this team. Certainly the starting lineup will rotate some early in the season as McKay mixes and matches with what he thinks is best and it will also likely fluctuate based on the opponent. At the end of the day, the Flames play in a one-bid league and much of the non-conference will be a time for the coaching staff to figure out how all their new pieces fit together to hopefully be operating at peak effectiveness when conference play begins in early January.

After those seven, we saw a few other names make their way onto the court as part of the rotation. Zander Yates, Gabriel McKay, and Brett Decker all got into the game. Yates and McKay are returners that know the system and the coaching staff has some level of trust with. It’s not a surprise Coach McKay would turn to them early on to buy a few minutes here and there. Zander even knocked down an open triple in the first half. Decker, a true freshman, is one we expected to have his redshirt burned and play as a true freshman. It was his first taste of collegiate action, excited to see how his game develops this season.

“We have scoring versatility,” said McKay. “6, 7, 8 guys can score the ball on our team. The fact that we care most about getting a great shot, as coaches, there is a spirit of gratitude that we have about our group. We have 7 or 8 guys that could easily average double figures. They won’t because we’re too unselfish and don’t have enough minutes for that. We have guys that could easily score 20 a game. I think as a coach, you are really pleased when guys are really trying to play for a great shot instead of get their numbers.”

AQUINO-CLEVELAND 1-2 PUNCH

The Owen Aquino-Zach Cleveland 1-2 punch in the Liberty frontcourt could be special this season. Those two combined for 29 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists on 13 of 17 shooting.

The two forwards can equally handle the ball and pass well for their size. They can also impact the game on the defensive end, especially Aquino with his five blocks on the night, the most for a Liberty player since John Dawson had 5 swatted shots in 2016.

This tandem will be fun to watch develop this season and see where they rank in the hierarchy of forwards in the CUSA.

“Owen doesn’t get credit,” said McKay. “He was mired in obscurity last year. He was a heck of a defender and a really good offensive player. The two of them together and even Isaiah (Ihnen) and Zander (Yates), we’ve got some depth in the front line I think that gave them a little bit of frustration.”