2023–24 Liberty Flames basketball team

2023–24 Liberty Flames basketball
2023–24 Liberty Flames basketball
Myrtle Beach Invitational champions
Conference	Conference USA
Record	11–5 (0–1 C-USA)
Head coach	Ritchie McKay (9th, 11th overall season);
Associate head coach	Rob Jones
Assistant coaches	Derek Johnston; Joe Pierre III;
Home arena	Liberty Arena

2023–24 Conference USA men's basketball standings
	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Sam Houston	3	–	0	1.000	10	–	8	.556
Western Kentucky	2	–	1	.667	13	–	4	.765
Jacksonville State	2	–	1	.667	10	–	8	.556
FIU	2	–	1	.667	7	–	11	.389
Louisiana Tech	1	–	1	.500	11	–	6	.647
New Mexico State	1	–	1	.500	7	–	10	.412
Liberty	0	–	2	.000	11	–	6	.647
UTEP	0	–	2	.000	9	–	8	.529
Middle Tennessee	0	–	2	.000	6	–	11	.353

† 2024 C-USA tournament winner As of January 14, 2024

The 2023–24 Liberty Flames basketball team represents Liberty University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Flames are led by Ritchie McKay in the ninth season of his current stint as head coach (11th overall). They play their home games at Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, Virginia as first-year members of Conference USA.

Previous season

The Flames finished the 2022–23 season 24–7, 15–2 in 2022–23 ASUN Play to tie for first place in conference standings. They defeated Bellarmine and Eastern Kentucky before losing to Kennesaw State in the champion title match in the ASUN tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NIT tournament where they defeated Villanova in the first round before losing to Wisconsin in the second round.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Darius McGhee	2	G	5'9"	180	RS Senior	Roxboro, NC	Graduated/undrafted in 2023 NBA draft; signed with the Indiana Pacers
Isiah Warfield	3	G	6'5"	180	Junior	Monaca, PA	Transferred to Howard
Stephen Burggraf	4	G	6'0"	160	Senior	Lynchburg, VA	Walk-on; graduated
Jonathan Jackson	11	G	6'4"	180	Junior	Dallas, TX	Transferred to UT Tyler
Blake Preston	32	F	6'9"	230	RS Senior	Charlotte, NC	Graduated transferred to Northwestern

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous college
Kaden Metheny	3	G	5'11"	180	RS Junior	Morgantown, WV	Bowling Green
Zander Yates	10	F	6'7"	225	RS Sophomore	Germantown, TN	Creighton

2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Curtis Blair III SG	Richmond, VA	The Steward School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Mar 9, 2022
Curtis Blair III SG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Jaylen Davis SF	Richmond, KY	Madison Central High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	165 lb (75 kg)
Jaylen Davis SF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Hong Kai Yu C	Branson, MO	Link Academy	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	230 lb (100 kg)
Hong Kai Yu C	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2024 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2024 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Brett Decker PG	Elizabethtown, KY	Central Hardin High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Oct 23, 2022
Brett Decker PG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Will Gibson PF	Louisville, KY	DeSales High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	N/A	Oct 23, 2022
Will Gibson PF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2025 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2025 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Zander Carter PG	Ashland, KY	Paul G. Blazer High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	N/A	Jun 19, 2023
Zander Carter PG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Andrew Grimes PF	Clayton, NC	Clayton High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	N/A	Sep 4, 2023
Andrew Grimes PF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2023–24 Liberty Flames men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Colin Porter	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	So	Paul G. Blazer HS	Ashland, Kentucky
G	1	Brody Peebles	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jr	Hartselle HS	Hartselle, Alabama
G	3	Kaden Metheny	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	RS Jr	Bowling Green	Morgantown, West Virginia
F	5	Bryson Spell	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	RS So	Cape Henry Collegiate School	Virginia Beach, Virginia
G	10	JC Shirer Jr. (W)	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	RS Fr	Grace Preparatory Academy	Arlington, Texas
F	11	Zander Yates	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	RS So	Creighton	Germantown, Tennessee
G	12	Jaylen Davis	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	Madison Central HS	Richmond, Kentucky
G	21	Gabriel McKay (W)	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	RS Sr	Trevecca Nazarene	Lynchburg, Virginia
F	22	Kyle Rode	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	RS Sr	Lexington Christian Academy	Lexington, Kentucky
G	23	Joseph Venzant	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jr	Midland Christian School	Midland, Texas
G	24	Curtis Blair III	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Fr	The Steward School	Richmond, Virginia
F	25	Zach Cleveland	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	So	Normal Community HS	Bloomington, Illinois
F	33	Shiloh Robinson	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	RS Sr	Kearney HS	Kearney, Nebraska
F	34	Ben Southerland	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	RS Fr	Sycamore HS	Cincinnati, Ohio
F	45	Kai Yu	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Fr	Link Year Prep	Zhuhai, China

Head coach

Ritchie McKay (Seattle Pacific)

Assistant coach(es)

Rob Jones (Toccoa Falls)
Derek Johnston (Alabama–Huntsville)
Joe Pierre III (Oklahoma State)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Mid-Atlantic Christian	W 103–43	1–0	20 – Peebles	9 – Tied	5 – Porter	Liberty Arena (3,664) Lynchburg, VA
November 10, 2023* 4:30 p.m., ESPN+	vs. Charlotte He Gets Us Hall of Fame Series	W 71–59	2–0	23 – Rode	8 – Venzant	3 – Cleveland	Spectrum Center (6,783) Charlotte, NC
November 16, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	vs. Furman Myrtle Beach Invitational quarterfinals	W 88–74	3–0	19 – Rode	6 – Cleveland	8 – Porter	HTC Center (1,499) Conway, SC
November 17, 2023* 9:00 p.m., ESPNU	vs. Wichita State Myrtle Beach Invitational semifinals	W 83–66	4–0	31 – Rode	9 – Cleveland	4 – Tied	HTC Center (1,281) Conway, SC
November 19, 2023* 5:30 p.m., ESPN2	vs. Vermont Myrtle Beach Invitational final	W 71–61	5–0	21 – Cleveland	9 – Cleveland	7 – Metheny	HTC Center (1,228) Conway, SC
November 25, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+	Maryland Eastern Shore	W 99–62	6–0	20 – Metheny	11 – Venzant	8 – Rode	Liberty Arena (2,524) Lynchburg, VA
November 30, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU	at No. 13 Florida Atlantic Field of 68 Tip-Off	L 58–83	6–1	16 – Porter	6 – Cleveland	3 – Rode	Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena (3,161) Boca Raton, FL
December 1, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU	vs. Charleston Field of 68 Tip-Off	L 67–76	6–2	18 – Rode	11 – Venzant	4 – Metheny	Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena Boca Raton, FL
December 5, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Mississippi Valley State	W 74–39	7–2	11 – Peebles	8 – Venzant	4 – Tied	Liberty Arena (2,942) Lynchburg, VA
December 9, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPNU	Grand Canyon C–USA/WAC Alliance	L 64–69	7–3	13 – Cleveland	11 – Venzant	3 – Tied	Liberty Arena (4,052) Lynchburg, VA
December 13, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+	Tennessee State	W 74–52	8–3	18 – Rode	12 – Venzant	9 – Cleveland	Liberty Arena (2,311) Lynchburg, VA
December 16, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+	St. Andrews	W 99–26	9–3	23 – Tied	7 – Tied	6 – Southerland	Liberty Arena (2,230) Lynchburg, VA
December 20, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Utah Valley C–USA/WAC Alliance	W 79–63	10–3	19 – Cleveland	8 – Venzant	8 – Cleveland	UCCU Center (1,407) Orem, UT
December 30, 2023* 2:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+	vs. Alabama C.M. Newton Classic	L 56–101	10–4	14 – Metheny	6 – Cleveland	5 – Cleveland	Legacy Arena (6,912) Birmingham, AL
January 1, 2024* 11:00 a.m., ESPN+	Boyce	W 88–46	11–4	25 – Peebles	10 – Southerland	7 – Cleveland	Liberty Arena (2,655) Lynchburg, VA
Conference USA regular season
January 6, 2024 6:00 p.m., CBSSN	at Western Kentucky	L 68–70	11–5 (0–1)	23 – Cleveland	8 – Rode	5 – Metheny	E. A. Diddle Arena (5,057) Bowling Green, KY
January 10, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Jacksonville State						Liberty Arena Lynchburg, VA
January 14, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPNU	at Louisiana Tech						Thomas Assembly Center Ruston, LA
January 18, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	FIU						Liberty Arena Lynchburg, VA
January 20, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Sam Houston						Liberty Arena Lynchburg, VA
January 27, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Jacksonville State						Pete Mathews Coliseum Jacksonville, AL
February 1, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN+	at New Mexico State						Pan American Center Las Cruces, NM
February 3, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN+	at UTEP						Don Haskins Center El Paso, TX
February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Middle Tennessee						Liberty Arena Lynchburg, VA
February 10, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPNU	Louisiana Tech						Liberty Arena Lynchburg, VA
February 17, 2024 7:30 p.m., ESPN+	at Sam Houston						Bernard Johnson Coliseum Huntsville, TX
February 22, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at FIU						Ocean Bank Convocation Center Miami, FL
February 29, 2024 9:00 p.m., CBSSN	New Mexico State						Liberty Arena Lynchburg, VA
March 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	UTEP						Liberty Arena Lynchburg, VA
March 5, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Middle Tennessee						Murphy Center Murfreesboro, TN
March 9, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+	Western Kentucky						Liberty Arena Lynchburg, VA
Conference USA Tournament
March 12–16, 2024 TBA	vs. TBA						Von Braun Center Huntsville, AL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern.

Sources^[1]

References

↑ "Schedule". Liberty Flames. Retrieved July 21, 2023.

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[1] "Schedule". Liberty Flames. Retrieved July 21, 2023.

[1]

Liberty Flames basketball
Venues	Vines Center (1990–2020) Liberty Arena (2020–present)
Culture & lore	Boo Box Spirit of the Mountain
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24