Departure of Curry, McKay Hurts Liberty

The Liberty University Men's' Basketball program was on the verge of moving into the respectability zone of college basketball. That is, until their best player, a Freshman, and the Head Coach left the program.

Head Coach Richie McKay led the Flames to one of their best seasons ever with an overall record of 23-12 and 12-6 in the Big South Conference. The main reason for that was Freshman Guard Seth Curry, who became the highest scoring Freshman in the nation during the 2008-09 season. Seth Curry is the younger brother of Stephan Curry, who led the Davidson Wildcats to within a three-pointer of the 2008 Final Four and has now declared for the NBA Draft.

However, the program was dealt a major setback when Curry decided to transfer to Duke and Coach McKay left to go 100 miles north to Virginia, where he will serve as Associate Head Coach under the Cavaliers new Head Coach, Tony Bennett.

Liberty has had 3 head coaches in the last decade: McKay, Randy Dunton and Mel Hankinson. Gonzaga, another Mid-Major, has had one head coach since 200, Mark Few. Need I say more?

I'm wondering how many of the ACC schools recruited Seth Curry before he made Liberty his choice. Now that he has done so well his Freshman year, apparently, Duke came calling. If Curry contacted Coach K and the Blue Devils first, that's understandable, but where's the loyalty to the school who recruited you, gave you a scholarship, and provided an environment in which you thrived. On the other hand, If Duke made the overtures first, it was quite "Devilish."

As for McKay, he was run out on a rail from Albuquerque. As quick as he was run out, Liberty snapped him up. I was so relieved for Coach McKay when he got the job to coach the Flames. He was a perfect fit. A fine Christian man who wants to both win games and add value to the lives of young people. I was also relieved for the Liberty Men's' Basketball Program. they have had very little success. Now that a coach from a better well-known conference has come in, and he's brought in one of the better high school players in the country, the Flames would do more than flicker.

This past year, they did more than flicker with Curry leading the nation's Freshman in scoring at 26 PPG. But that has all changed. The Devils were in the details and so were Navy Blue and Orange-clad entities called Wahoos. Liberty was on the verge of being the Gonzaga of the East, now that is doubtful.

Fortunately for the Flames, Assistant Head Coach Dale Layer was named the Flames new Head Coach. He has a wealth of experience at the Div. 1 level. He led Colorado St. to the big Dance in 2003 where the Rams lost to those same Devils. Hopefully he can bring in some almost-McDonald's All-Americans like Curry into the program where they Will stay past their Freshman Year and put Liberty among the top of the Mid-Majors.

I wish both players and coaches would stick it out a little more. The lure of coaching in the big time is strong and so is playing in it. Coaches want to improve their financial situation, and players want to play on television and get noticed by the NBA scouts. But where is the patience and loyalty anymore. If Curry stays, the Flames have a better chance of becoming a program similar to Gonzaga, the Gold Standard of Mid-Majors. Perhaps McKay left because Curry transferred. Perhaps McKay felt he couldn't win at LU without him. Who knows. Let's hope Coach Layer will be able to rebuild the Liberty program and give it some sustained continuity, a continuity of winning.