And the Bruins do it again! Top seeded UCLA is the 2023 king of college hoops! They complete the championship repeat with a 72-52 victory over Maryland in Indianapolis! Thank you for watching the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball championship on CBS. We look forward to seeing you again next year.
I sat on my couch just staring into my tv as I watched blue and gold confetti shower all over the court at Lucas Oil Stadium. Familiar, household name players celebrated with each other, most of which I’m sure would be heading to the NBA sooner than later. The college basketball fan in me sat there enjoying the moment. Taking in what an accomplishment it was for UCLA to win back-to-back championships. However, the coach inside of me was burning with ambition. I reflected on the losing season I just came off of as a top assistant -- just another of many, unwanted unsuccessful seasons in my decade long career as an assistant. I want to be the one that experiences a confetti thunderstorm. I want to be the one hoisting up the championship trophy. I want to be the one cutting down the nets in April. I have to become a head coach, I thought to myself.
I had made a fairly quick rise through the ranks in the past few seasons, and honestly, I seriously questioned if I was ready or not to take over a program. I decided I had to take the leap eventually. I had been around big time programs, mid-majors, and low-majors. I had done everything from running practice, to scouting, and recruiting. I have experience, I reassured myself. My reassurance made me feel more comfortable with the fact that I had applied to several small schools with head coach openings. The only question left was whether or not the athletic directors saw me fit to run their program. I don’t need all of them to want me. I just need one.
The uncertainty of my future and thoughts of future success danced throughout my head that Monday night throughout the rest of the week. I was headed back to my apartment after running a skills camp at a local high school when my cell phone rang. My heart began to thump wildly. Could this be it? Could this be the call I’ve been waiting for? My free hand reached down to grasp my violently vibrating phone. I slid the answer icon to the right and placed the phone to my ear.
“Hello.” I answered.
“Hello. This is Mario Robertson. I’m trying to get ahold of Jeremy Knight, please.”
“This is he.” I said as my heart and all of time seemed to stop.
“Hi Jeremy. I’m calling you about our head coaching position. I just wanted to let you know that you’re one of our finalists and if we could set up a time for me to interview you.”
The Jeremy Knight Experience
25 posts
• Page 1 of 3 • 1, 2, 3
The Jeremy Knight Experience
by WarEagle22 » Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:53 pm
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WarEagle22 - Junior Member
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:23 am
by WarEagle22 » Tue Mar 25, 2014 3:03 pm
---Liberty Athletics Press Release---
Knight Tabbed to Be Flames Next Coach
Jeremy Knight has agreed in principle to become the next head coach for the Liberty Flames men’s basketball team. Knight has spent the past 10 seasons as an assistant at several where he built an impressive resume and gained a wide depth of experience. Past stops as an assistant for Knight include Auburn, Baylor, Texas, Gonzaga, and Arizona State. This will be Knight’s first time as the head coach of a program. Most recently Knight spent the past two seasons as the top assistant at Tennessee-Martin under head coach Joe Kleine. While at UT-Martin Knight helped lead the Skyhawks to the College Basketball Invitational postseason tournament. Throughout his career Knight has also been a part of teams with postseason play in the National Invitation Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. Knight takes over a Flames team that finished last season with a 13-15 overall record and a 7-11 record in Big South play.
“We are very excited about Coach Knight and his vision for the Liberty men’s basketball program.” said Liberty athletics director Mario Robertson. “We look forward to the direction Coach Knight plans on taking the program to.”
Knight will be formally introduced to the public and media Saturday afternoon during a press conference at the Vine Center.
Knight Tabbed to Be Flames Next Coach
Jeremy Knight has agreed in principle to become the next head coach for the Liberty Flames men’s basketball team. Knight has spent the past 10 seasons as an assistant at several where he built an impressive resume and gained a wide depth of experience. Past stops as an assistant for Knight include Auburn, Baylor, Texas, Gonzaga, and Arizona State. This will be Knight’s first time as the head coach of a program. Most recently Knight spent the past two seasons as the top assistant at Tennessee-Martin under head coach Joe Kleine. While at UT-Martin Knight helped lead the Skyhawks to the College Basketball Invitational postseason tournament. Throughout his career Knight has also been a part of teams with postseason play in the National Invitation Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. Knight takes over a Flames team that finished last season with a 13-15 overall record and a 7-11 record in Big South play.
“We are very excited about Coach Knight and his vision for the Liberty men’s basketball program.” said Liberty athletics director Mario Robertson. “We look forward to the direction Coach Knight plans on taking the program to.”
Knight will be formally introduced to the public and media Saturday afternoon during a press conference at the Vine Center.
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WarEagle22 - Junior Member
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:23 am
by WarEagle22 » Tue Mar 25, 2014 3:41 pm
Big South Scoop
Why Jeremy Knight?
Liberty has announced the hiring of it’s new men’s basketball coach, Jeremy Knight who will be introduced at a press conference later this week. While the news is exciting that the school is going in a new direction with a young coach (34 years of age), Knight’s lack of experience at winning programs raises some concern. Yes, Knight does have experience in the big boy conferences, but he doesn’t have winning experience. Let’s examine his career path so far:
Knight first got into coaching in 2014 when he spent two seasons on Tony Barbee’s staff at Auburn as a graduate assistant. In Knight’s two seasons with the Tigers, who can barely be considered a high major program, they never had a winning season (14-15 being the best of the two years). Auburn amassed a total overall record of 25-32 while Knight was there and a 11-21 mark in SEC play. 11-21. In a conference where the only legitimate basketball powers were Kentucky and Florida. The Tigers never finished higher than 10th in the SEC and failed to make postseason play.
After Auburn, Knight spend the next season as the third assistant on Scott Drew’s staff at Baylor. Coming off a 18-10 season that saw a berth in the NCAA Tournament, Baylor finished 2016 with a 7-21 overall record and 4-14 in Big 12 play, which was good enough for a 10th place finish in the Big 12.
Knight decided one season at Baylor was enough and jumped to Matt Painter’s program at Texas. The previous season before Knight’s arrival the Longhorns garnered over 20 wins en route to a run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. Knight’s first season in Austin ended with a 14-15 record, 8-10 in the Big 12. However, the Longhorns were able to get an invite to the CBI where they would be outed in the first round by upstart North Alabama, 65-52. The following season Frank Martin joined Painter’s staff after getting the axe at South Carolina. However, Texas continued to struggle and finished the season 13-15 (7-11) with no postseason invitation. Knight’s third season at Texas finally brought his first winning season in college athletics. The Longhorns went 17-12 (9-9) and received a bid for the NIT, where the lost to Georgia State 63-62. Knight’s three seasons in Austin compiled a total record of 44-42 and 24-30 in Big 12 play with first round exits in the CBI and NIT. But hey, he got to hang out with Matt Painter and Frank Martin for a few years.
In 2020 Knight jumped to mid-major powerhouse Gonzaga, again as a third assistant for coach Mark Few. Knight actually experienced success during his time in Spokane. The Bulldogs went 21-11 (12-6) and finished 2nd in the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga earned an invite to the NCAA Tournament and fell to Pittsburgh in the second round, 55-43. While at Gonzaga Knight worked with WCC Freshman of the Year Tyrone Correa and point guard DeMario Dickerson who was selected 23rd overall by the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Draft that spring. Knight experienced the most successful season of his career with the Bulldogs, but the season ultimately fell short of Gonzaga standards.
The next season Knight made a career jump by becoming the second assistant on Larry Krystkowiak’s staff at Arizona State. Knight’s only season with the Sun Devils ended with a 14-15 record and a 9-7 mark in Pac-12 play, good enough for a 4th place finish. Arizona State did make the NIT where they were bounced in the first round by Virginia Military Institute 65-53. The Gonzaga squad Knight was on staff for the previous season finished the season with a 68-65 victory over Kansas in the NCAA Tournament championship game.
Finally, Knight joined Joe Kleine’s staff at Tennessee-Martin in 2022 as the first assistant. The first season was mildly successful, 16-13 (9-9) with a 75-73 loss to Western Michigan in the first round of the CBI. Knight’s first season in Martin wasn’t quite as successful as fans had become acquainted to recently. 2023 was a train wreck of a season for the Skyhawks. UT-Martin went 9-18 (6-12) and finished 10th in the Ohio Valley Conference. No postseason bid snapped Knight’s streak of four years with postseason play. The entire staff was either fired or failed to have their contract renewed (the language involved with Knight’s situation).
That now brings us to here. Knight is getting ready to take over a Liberty program that can hardly be described as decent throughout recent history. Maybe it’s a perfect match since both parties are so accustomed to losing. Personally, I felt like Liberty would target and hire a top assistant from a successful low- or mid-major program who knows what it takes to be successful at a small school like Liberty. Instead, they went with an unproven guy that has no head coaching experience or success at a high level, but has certainly been around his share of "big name" coaches (Drew, Painter, Martin, Few). After his departure from Auburn and Texas, both programs were back in the NCAA Tournament within 3-5 years. While Knight’s time with the programs may not have had as big of an impact on their futility as it seems, it certainly is odd that his previous teams seem to do better after he leaves -- just look at Gonzaga from above.
It’s an interesting hire to say the least. It has been a long time since Liberty had something to brag about in men’s hoops. As for Coach Knight, he better figure out what it takes to win and fast, or else he’ll be doing something he’s pretty used to so far in his career -- looking for another job.
Remember, stay connected with the Big South Scoop for all the latest news and rumors involving the Big South Conference and its affiliated members.
Why Jeremy Knight?
Liberty has announced the hiring of it’s new men’s basketball coach, Jeremy Knight who will be introduced at a press conference later this week. While the news is exciting that the school is going in a new direction with a young coach (34 years of age), Knight’s lack of experience at winning programs raises some concern. Yes, Knight does have experience in the big boy conferences, but he doesn’t have winning experience. Let’s examine his career path so far:
Knight first got into coaching in 2014 when he spent two seasons on Tony Barbee’s staff at Auburn as a graduate assistant. In Knight’s two seasons with the Tigers, who can barely be considered a high major program, they never had a winning season (14-15 being the best of the two years). Auburn amassed a total overall record of 25-32 while Knight was there and a 11-21 mark in SEC play. 11-21. In a conference where the only legitimate basketball powers were Kentucky and Florida. The Tigers never finished higher than 10th in the SEC and failed to make postseason play.
After Auburn, Knight spend the next season as the third assistant on Scott Drew’s staff at Baylor. Coming off a 18-10 season that saw a berth in the NCAA Tournament, Baylor finished 2016 with a 7-21 overall record and 4-14 in Big 12 play, which was good enough for a 10th place finish in the Big 12.
Knight decided one season at Baylor was enough and jumped to Matt Painter’s program at Texas. The previous season before Knight’s arrival the Longhorns garnered over 20 wins en route to a run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. Knight’s first season in Austin ended with a 14-15 record, 8-10 in the Big 12. However, the Longhorns were able to get an invite to the CBI where they would be outed in the first round by upstart North Alabama, 65-52. The following season Frank Martin joined Painter’s staff after getting the axe at South Carolina. However, Texas continued to struggle and finished the season 13-15 (7-11) with no postseason invitation. Knight’s third season at Texas finally brought his first winning season in college athletics. The Longhorns went 17-12 (9-9) and received a bid for the NIT, where the lost to Georgia State 63-62. Knight’s three seasons in Austin compiled a total record of 44-42 and 24-30 in Big 12 play with first round exits in the CBI and NIT. But hey, he got to hang out with Matt Painter and Frank Martin for a few years.
In 2020 Knight jumped to mid-major powerhouse Gonzaga, again as a third assistant for coach Mark Few. Knight actually experienced success during his time in Spokane. The Bulldogs went 21-11 (12-6) and finished 2nd in the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga earned an invite to the NCAA Tournament and fell to Pittsburgh in the second round, 55-43. While at Gonzaga Knight worked with WCC Freshman of the Year Tyrone Correa and point guard DeMario Dickerson who was selected 23rd overall by the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Draft that spring. Knight experienced the most successful season of his career with the Bulldogs, but the season ultimately fell short of Gonzaga standards.
The next season Knight made a career jump by becoming the second assistant on Larry Krystkowiak’s staff at Arizona State. Knight’s only season with the Sun Devils ended with a 14-15 record and a 9-7 mark in Pac-12 play, good enough for a 4th place finish. Arizona State did make the NIT where they were bounced in the first round by Virginia Military Institute 65-53. The Gonzaga squad Knight was on staff for the previous season finished the season with a 68-65 victory over Kansas in the NCAA Tournament championship game.
Finally, Knight joined Joe Kleine’s staff at Tennessee-Martin in 2022 as the first assistant. The first season was mildly successful, 16-13 (9-9) with a 75-73 loss to Western Michigan in the first round of the CBI. Knight’s first season in Martin wasn’t quite as successful as fans had become acquainted to recently. 2023 was a train wreck of a season for the Skyhawks. UT-Martin went 9-18 (6-12) and finished 10th in the Ohio Valley Conference. No postseason bid snapped Knight’s streak of four years with postseason play. The entire staff was either fired or failed to have their contract renewed (the language involved with Knight’s situation).
That now brings us to here. Knight is getting ready to take over a Liberty program that can hardly be described as decent throughout recent history. Maybe it’s a perfect match since both parties are so accustomed to losing. Personally, I felt like Liberty would target and hire a top assistant from a successful low- or mid-major program who knows what it takes to be successful at a small school like Liberty. Instead, they went with an unproven guy that has no head coaching experience or success at a high level, but has certainly been around his share of "big name" coaches (Drew, Painter, Martin, Few). After his departure from Auburn and Texas, both programs were back in the NCAA Tournament within 3-5 years. While Knight’s time with the programs may not have had as big of an impact on their futility as it seems, it certainly is odd that his previous teams seem to do better after he leaves -- just look at Gonzaga from above.
It’s an interesting hire to say the least. It has been a long time since Liberty had something to brag about in men’s hoops. As for Coach Knight, he better figure out what it takes to win and fast, or else he’ll be doing something he’s pretty used to so far in his career -- looking for another job.
Remember, stay connected with the Big South Scoop for all the latest news and rumors involving the Big South Conference and its affiliated members.
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WarEagle22 - Junior Member
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:23 am
by WarEagle22 » Tue Mar 25, 2014 4:31 pm
This is it, I thought to myself as I stared at myself in a mirror in a bathroom. I looked pretty sharped with my solid black suit and vibrant red tie. My Liberty pin fastened to my coat really stood out and popped. I made sure that I nailed down the appearance part for my introductory press conference. Now I just had to nail down the speech and interview part of my press conference. This would be a huge first step to developing a connection with the fan base and building fan support for the program.
“I would now like to introduce you to Jeremy Knight, the new men’s basketball coach for Liberty.” said Mario Robertson from a podium, beckoning me from a behind a black curtain set up to the right of the stage. I stepped out from behind the curtain to a light applause. The lights in the arena seemed to be the brightest lights I’ve ever faced. I confidently stepped up to the stage and delivered a solid, firm handshake to Mr. Robertson as we posed for a picture together. Mr. Robertson finally retreated to his seat set up on the left side of the stage while I positioned myself behind the podium. I was finally able to examine and take in the crowd. About four or five reports were present with a photographer and a film crew from the local news station. The rest of the small crowd was made up primarily of alumni and boosters. Calling the crowd small might be a generous statement. I took a sip from my bottle of water and faced the crowd for my first press conference.
“First off, I would like to thank Mr. Robertson for believing in me and giving me my first opportunity to be a head coach.” Off to a good start, I thought in my head. “Also, I would like to thank all of my former bosses, administrators, co-workers, and players who all have played a role in helping develop me into the coach I am today. I could not be here today without the impacts each and every one of them made on me. I could not be any happier than I am today -- the head coach for the Liberty Flames men’s basketball team. It’s always been a dream of mine to one day be a head coach. That dream doesn’t come true today, rather, it begins today. I don’t want to just be a head coach. I want to be a successful head coach. I want to win championships. I want to play in the postseason. I want to develop all-conference players. I want to help the student-athletes develop as champions in the classroom and off the court. I want to build a program that the students and community can be proud of. I dare to dream that we can accomplish those things here at this fine university. I dare to dream that we can turn that into a reality. It will take a lot of hard work and patience. I’m hungry to deliver on the trust Mr. Robertson has placed on me. I know the school and the fans are hungry for success. I believe that together, we can satisfy our hunger. It starts today, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Mr. Robertson stood up from his seat and walked back to the podium to let the (few) reporters know they were now able to ask questions.
“Coach Knight, now that you’re in Lynchburg what is the first thing you plan on doing?”
“Well, personally, I would like to find a place to live. That’s going to be an ongoing process throughout the next week or so. Professionally, I plan on meeting with all of the remaining players and staff to try to get a feel on where the team is and what is needed in terms of recruiting. I would like to bring in a few players during the spring signing period and move on from there. I will also be developing a post season workout schedule for the players.”
“What can we expect to see from the Flames on the court during your tenure?”
“I believe that to be successful first you have to be very sound defensively. I want our defense to apply pressure on the opposition. I’m not planning on running a full court press defense the entire game, we will some but not regularly. Instead, I want our players constantly applying pressure on the ball -- being up in their guy’s stuff and making it hard for the opposing offense to function. I want our defense to be solid -- boxing out and limiting teams to one shot per possession. Offensively, I would like for us to get turnovers or rebounds and get out and run in transition quick. Ideally the perfect shot for us would be a layup or dunk off of a fast break or in the transition game. If we don’t get that look then we’ll go 4-out 1-in motion.”
“What are you looking for in players you bring into your program?”
“Well, starting with the point guard position, I’m looking for a guy that primarily is a facilitator. Ball handling and passing are more important in that position than a scorer, however, it’s not a bad thing to have a guy who can facilitate and score. At the 2-guard we’re looking for a big, fast player that can score from the perimeter. We’ll also look for a similar build from our small forwards. We want our power forwards to be big and have an inside presence. The ability to spread the defense and hit some outside shots is definitely a plus. As far as centers go we want the traditional big guy that posts up on the block and either finishes with a layup or dunk, or kicks out to an open shooter for a three. With every position we value defense and free throw shooting.”
About an hour later the press conference ends and Mario Robertson meets with me in one of the tunnels of the Vine Center.
“Good job, coach.” he tells me.
“Thank you Mr. Robertson. Real quick, I just wanted to ask about hiring my staff.”
“Well, you won’t be hiring any staff this season. I promised the staff from last season that they would be carried over into this season. Once the season is over, feel free to make any changes you see fit for next season. Good luck, coach.” Mario said as he patted me on the back and walked off.
Great, I thought to myself.
*****
“I would now like to introduce you to Jeremy Knight, the new men’s basketball coach for Liberty.” said Mario Robertson from a podium, beckoning me from a behind a black curtain set up to the right of the stage. I stepped out from behind the curtain to a light applause. The lights in the arena seemed to be the brightest lights I’ve ever faced. I confidently stepped up to the stage and delivered a solid, firm handshake to Mr. Robertson as we posed for a picture together. Mr. Robertson finally retreated to his seat set up on the left side of the stage while I positioned myself behind the podium. I was finally able to examine and take in the crowd. About four or five reports were present with a photographer and a film crew from the local news station. The rest of the small crowd was made up primarily of alumni and boosters. Calling the crowd small might be a generous statement. I took a sip from my bottle of water and faced the crowd for my first press conference.
“First off, I would like to thank Mr. Robertson for believing in me and giving me my first opportunity to be a head coach.” Off to a good start, I thought in my head. “Also, I would like to thank all of my former bosses, administrators, co-workers, and players who all have played a role in helping develop me into the coach I am today. I could not be here today without the impacts each and every one of them made on me. I could not be any happier than I am today -- the head coach for the Liberty Flames men’s basketball team. It’s always been a dream of mine to one day be a head coach. That dream doesn’t come true today, rather, it begins today. I don’t want to just be a head coach. I want to be a successful head coach. I want to win championships. I want to play in the postseason. I want to develop all-conference players. I want to help the student-athletes develop as champions in the classroom and off the court. I want to build a program that the students and community can be proud of. I dare to dream that we can accomplish those things here at this fine university. I dare to dream that we can turn that into a reality. It will take a lot of hard work and patience. I’m hungry to deliver on the trust Mr. Robertson has placed on me. I know the school and the fans are hungry for success. I believe that together, we can satisfy our hunger. It starts today, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Mr. Robertson stood up from his seat and walked back to the podium to let the (few) reporters know they were now able to ask questions.
“Coach Knight, now that you’re in Lynchburg what is the first thing you plan on doing?”
“Well, personally, I would like to find a place to live. That’s going to be an ongoing process throughout the next week or so. Professionally, I plan on meeting with all of the remaining players and staff to try to get a feel on where the team is and what is needed in terms of recruiting. I would like to bring in a few players during the spring signing period and move on from there. I will also be developing a post season workout schedule for the players.”
“What can we expect to see from the Flames on the court during your tenure?”
“I believe that to be successful first you have to be very sound defensively. I want our defense to apply pressure on the opposition. I’m not planning on running a full court press defense the entire game, we will some but not regularly. Instead, I want our players constantly applying pressure on the ball -- being up in their guy’s stuff and making it hard for the opposing offense to function. I want our defense to be solid -- boxing out and limiting teams to one shot per possession. Offensively, I would like for us to get turnovers or rebounds and get out and run in transition quick. Ideally the perfect shot for us would be a layup or dunk off of a fast break or in the transition game. If we don’t get that look then we’ll go 4-out 1-in motion.”
“What are you looking for in players you bring into your program?”
“Well, starting with the point guard position, I’m looking for a guy that primarily is a facilitator. Ball handling and passing are more important in that position than a scorer, however, it’s not a bad thing to have a guy who can facilitate and score. At the 2-guard we’re looking for a big, fast player that can score from the perimeter. We’ll also look for a similar build from our small forwards. We want our power forwards to be big and have an inside presence. The ability to spread the defense and hit some outside shots is definitely a plus. As far as centers go we want the traditional big guy that posts up on the block and either finishes with a layup or dunk, or kicks out to an open shooter for a three. With every position we value defense and free throw shooting.”
******
About an hour later the press conference ends and Mario Robertson meets with me in one of the tunnels of the Vine Center.
“Good job, coach.” he tells me.
“Thank you Mr. Robertson. Real quick, I just wanted to ask about hiring my staff.”
“Well, you won’t be hiring any staff this season. I promised the staff from last season that they would be carried over into this season. Once the season is over, feel free to make any changes you see fit for next season. Good luck, coach.” Mario said as he patted me on the back and walked off.
Great, I thought to myself.
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WarEagle22 - Junior Member
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by CoachC » Tue Mar 25, 2014 4:59 pm
you may need LOTS of luck starting out in the Big South! That's where I started out in my last CB2 dynasty! Hopefully the folks at Liberty will be much more kind to you than Gardner-Webb was to Gary Winston...
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CoachC - DDS:CB Support Squad
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- Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:07 pm
by WarEagle22 » Tue Mar 25, 2014 5:22 pm
The day following my introductory press conference I was headed to my new office for my first staff meeting. I was a little bummed that I wouldn’t even be able to bring in at least one of my guys. I also wasn’t thrilled about having to spend my first season, in a major rebuilding job nonetheless, with three guys I knew absolutely nothing about. On the bright side, at least they know the program and players and can probably help with my transition into the program. I just need to survive them for one year and they’re all done.
I walked into my office and saw my three assistants. Wow, I thought to myself. How old are these guys??
My first assistant, Jamaal Henderson, was a 53-year old who had spent his entire coaching career at Liberty as an assistant. Surprisingly, he actually had quite a bit of knowledge and experience in recruiting so I decided to let him be in charge of recruiting.
Next was 65-year old Derek Parks, who also just happened to have spent his entire career at Liberty too. His resumé wasn’t anywhere near as impressive as Henderson. I decided he would be tasked with scouting. I also decided he would most likely be looking for a new home next season as well.
Finally, there was 61-year old Chris Sola who actually started his career at Rhode Island before moving to Liberty for the previous six season. I chose to put him in charge of player development. The jury was still out on him as to whether or not I would keep him around after the season.
Finally, we were able to sit down as a staff and go over the personnel returning to the team
“How many scholarships do we have to work with?” I asked.
“Well,” Coach Henderson began, “we currently have two high school kids that have signed letters of intent for next season. Currently one our roster we have one player under scholarship.”
“One?” I asked. Surely he misspoke.
“One.” Henderson confirmed.
“ONE!?” I shouted half in disbelief and half in anger. “How does that happen??”
“We’ve had an extremely difficulty time recruiting here in the previous years. Being a Christian school with strict rules, difficult admission requirements, in addition to our lack of success on the court recently, very few people have been interested in coming here.” Henderson clarified.
“And you somehow got two kids to sign this season? Dang. Before we figure out what direction we need to go in as far as recruiting goes, let’s discuss our current personnel. Coach Sola.”
“Yes sir. For point guards we have Jeremy Battier. He’s a redshirt freshman and played 4 minutes in 1 game this season. He is our only player on scholarship at the moment. He’s a great shooter and a decent handler and free throw shooter. His passing is awful and his defense in nonexistent.
“Next is Brett Herbert. Good perimeter and free throw shooter. Okay handler and a poor passer and defender. Last season he played in 26 games but only averages 2.3 minutes.
“Our last point guard is Clement Angner, a junior. Good perimeter and free throw shooter. Below average handler and poor passer and defender. Averaged 13.5 minutes per game last season in 28 games with 1 start. Averaged 3.2 points per game and shot 45.7% from the field and 90.5% from the free throw line.
“Shooting guards. Collis Butler, sophomore. Great shot from beyond the arc and the line. Below average handling ability. Poor passer and defender. Started all 28 games last season averaging 5.8 points in 24.8 minutes. Shot 44.4% from the field and 83.3% from the line. Arguably our best player. Academically ineligible for the season.”
“Our best player in ineligible this season. Great.” I chimed in.
“Tyler McColpin, junior. Best outside shooter on the team. Has improved his ability to create off the dribble. His vision and ability to create makes his teammates better. Has a killer crossover. Started 27 of 28 games last season. Averaged 4.9 points in 26 minutes. Shot 44.6% percent from the field and 80.0% from the line.
“Russell Sneed, freshman. Aggressive at getting to the rim and finishing or getting two fouls shots. Played 28 games last season. Averaged 3.9 points in 11.1 minutes. Shot 40.3% from the field, 91.1% from the line, and 38.9% from 3.
“Next we have our small forwards. First up is Dwayne Carr, sophomore. Good free throw shooters and rebounder. Inconsistent on the offensive end. If he’s not making shots he loses confidence in himself. Played in 6 games last season.
“Tony Marshall, sophomore. Good shooting mechanics but a slow release really hurts him. Good at getting to the line and converting. Played in 2 games last season.
“We don’t have any power forwards left on the roster.”
Wow, I thought to myself in my head. This rebuilding job may be a lot tougher than I thought.
“As far as centers go, we have Ben Griffin, junior. Played in all 28 games last season. Averaged 5.5 points in 14 minutes. Shot 53.5% from the field. Rebounds very well. Very poor free throw shooter.
“Finally, we have Derek Beck, junior. Played in 8 games last season. Averaged 2.4 points in 3.4 minutes. Shot 56.3% from the field. He really fights hard for rebounds and gets on the floor for loose balls. Sometimes seems lost on the floor on the offensive end.”
I took a few minutes to take in everything as each player was listed on a white board with notes jotted by their names.
“We have two starters returning. One of which is ineligible for the season. We have one player currently on our roster under scholarship. We have two post players. I think this next season we need to stay close to home and really mine Virginia and get some young guys in here, as well as some JUCO guys that can play right away. We REALLY need to focus on getting some post players this upcoming season. Guys, we’ve definitely got our work cut out for us. Let’s get to work.”
****
I walked into my office and saw my three assistants. Wow, I thought to myself. How old are these guys??
My first assistant, Jamaal Henderson, was a 53-year old who had spent his entire coaching career at Liberty as an assistant. Surprisingly, he actually had quite a bit of knowledge and experience in recruiting so I decided to let him be in charge of recruiting.
Next was 65-year old Derek Parks, who also just happened to have spent his entire career at Liberty too. His resumé wasn’t anywhere near as impressive as Henderson. I decided he would be tasked with scouting. I also decided he would most likely be looking for a new home next season as well.
Finally, there was 61-year old Chris Sola who actually started his career at Rhode Island before moving to Liberty for the previous six season. I chose to put him in charge of player development. The jury was still out on him as to whether or not I would keep him around after the season.
Finally, we were able to sit down as a staff and go over the personnel returning to the team
“How many scholarships do we have to work with?” I asked.
“Well,” Coach Henderson began, “we currently have two high school kids that have signed letters of intent for next season. Currently one our roster we have one player under scholarship.”
“One?” I asked. Surely he misspoke.
“One.” Henderson confirmed.
“ONE!?” I shouted half in disbelief and half in anger. “How does that happen??”
“We’ve had an extremely difficulty time recruiting here in the previous years. Being a Christian school with strict rules, difficult admission requirements, in addition to our lack of success on the court recently, very few people have been interested in coming here.” Henderson clarified.
“And you somehow got two kids to sign this season? Dang. Before we figure out what direction we need to go in as far as recruiting goes, let’s discuss our current personnel. Coach Sola.”
“Yes sir. For point guards we have Jeremy Battier. He’s a redshirt freshman and played 4 minutes in 1 game this season. He is our only player on scholarship at the moment. He’s a great shooter and a decent handler and free throw shooter. His passing is awful and his defense in nonexistent.
“Next is Brett Herbert. Good perimeter and free throw shooter. Okay handler and a poor passer and defender. Last season he played in 26 games but only averages 2.3 minutes.
“Our last point guard is Clement Angner, a junior. Good perimeter and free throw shooter. Below average handler and poor passer and defender. Averaged 13.5 minutes per game last season in 28 games with 1 start. Averaged 3.2 points per game and shot 45.7% from the field and 90.5% from the free throw line.
“Shooting guards. Collis Butler, sophomore. Great shot from beyond the arc and the line. Below average handling ability. Poor passer and defender. Started all 28 games last season averaging 5.8 points in 24.8 minutes. Shot 44.4% from the field and 83.3% from the line. Arguably our best player. Academically ineligible for the season.”
“Our best player in ineligible this season. Great.” I chimed in.
“Tyler McColpin, junior. Best outside shooter on the team. Has improved his ability to create off the dribble. His vision and ability to create makes his teammates better. Has a killer crossover. Started 27 of 28 games last season. Averaged 4.9 points in 26 minutes. Shot 44.6% percent from the field and 80.0% from the line.
“Russell Sneed, freshman. Aggressive at getting to the rim and finishing or getting two fouls shots. Played 28 games last season. Averaged 3.9 points in 11.1 minutes. Shot 40.3% from the field, 91.1% from the line, and 38.9% from 3.
“Next we have our small forwards. First up is Dwayne Carr, sophomore. Good free throw shooters and rebounder. Inconsistent on the offensive end. If he’s not making shots he loses confidence in himself. Played in 6 games last season.
“Tony Marshall, sophomore. Good shooting mechanics but a slow release really hurts him. Good at getting to the line and converting. Played in 2 games last season.
“We don’t have any power forwards left on the roster.”
Wow, I thought to myself in my head. This rebuilding job may be a lot tougher than I thought.
“As far as centers go, we have Ben Griffin, junior. Played in all 28 games last season. Averaged 5.5 points in 14 minutes. Shot 53.5% from the field. Rebounds very well. Very poor free throw shooter.
“Finally, we have Derek Beck, junior. Played in 8 games last season. Averaged 2.4 points in 3.4 minutes. Shot 56.3% from the field. He really fights hard for rebounds and gets on the floor for loose balls. Sometimes seems lost on the floor on the offensive end.”
I took a few minutes to take in everything as each player was listed on a white board with notes jotted by their names.
“We have two starters returning. One of which is ineligible for the season. We have one player currently on our roster under scholarship. We have two post players. I think this next season we need to stay close to home and really mine Virginia and get some young guys in here, as well as some JUCO guys that can play right away. We REALLY need to focus on getting some post players this upcoming season. Guys, we’ve definitely got our work cut out for us. Let’s get to work.”
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WarEagle22 - Junior Member
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:23 am
by WarEagle22 » Tue Mar 25, 2014 5:22 pm
CoachC wrote:you may need LOTS of luck starting out in the Big South! That's where I started out in my last CB2 dynasty! Hopefully the folks at Liberty will be much more kind to you than Gardner-Webb was to Gary Winston...
After reading my last post, I think it's very obvious I'm going to need A TON of luck at Liberty. Should be a fun challenge!
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WarEagle22 - Junior Member
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:23 am
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