We’re approaching the one week mark since Dale Layer was fired as Liberty’s men’s basketball coach, and the flurry of activity has been picking up. So, where do we stand?

  • Jeff Barber has spoken publicly on a couple of different occasions and each time he has stated he is looking for someone with head coaching experience that has been successful at the mid-major level and/or a high major assistant.
  • The interest for this job is extremely high. As we mentioned on twitter over the weekend, there are Final Four level assistants who have expressed interest in the job and the pool of candidates is deep.
  • Shortly after the announced coaching change, we gave you a list of 12 names to keep an eye on throughout this process. Two names can be removed from this list and a couple others no longer seem to make sense.
  • You can also add a couple names to the list in Jeff Lebo and Dave Dickerson.
  • Popular names that have been discussed are former Liberty head coaches Ritchie McKay and Jeff Meyer. Both are interested, and both fit what Barber has publicly stated he’s looking for. Will either get a serious look? Stranger things have happened. Throw in Randy Dunton, and Liberty’s last 3 head coaches are all interested in the job. That’s very odd.
  • Two other names on our list are Mike Young and LeVelle Moton. Either one would be a fantastic hire for Liberty in my opinion, but it may be difficult to lure either away from their respective schools.
  • As for the timing of the hire, it’s hard to say for sure, but I would be surprised if an announcement is made quickly. Will it stretch to the Final Four? It could, but I also wouldn’t be shocked if an announcement is made prior to that time. It all depends on who Barber zeroes in on and when that coach’s current team is eliminated from postseason play. This hire is very important to Barber for a number of reasons, and he will take his time to make sure he makes the best possible decision.