2023–24 Liberty Flames basketball team

2023–24 Liberty Flames basketball
Myrtle Beach Invitational champions
ConferenceConference USA
Record18–14 (7–9 C-USA)
Head coach
Associate head coachRob Jones
Assistant coaches
  • Derek Johnston
  • Joe Pierre III
Home arenaLiberty Arena
Seasons
2023–24 Conference USA men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Sam Houston 13 – 3   .813 21 – 12   .636
Louisiana Tech 12 – 4   .750 22 – 10   .688
Western Kentucky † 8 – 8   .500 22 – 12   .647
Liberty 7 – 9   .438 18 – 14   .563
UTEP 7 – 9   .438 18 – 16   .529
New Mexico State 7 – 9   .438 13 – 19   .406
Middle Tennessee 7 – 9   .438 14 – 19   .424
Jacksonville State 6 – 10   .375 14 – 18   .438
FIU 5 – 11   .313 11 – 22   .333
† 2024 CUSA tournament winner

The 2023–24 Liberty Flames basketball team represented Liberty University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Flameswere are led by Ritchie McKay in the ninth season of his current stint as head coach (11th overall). They played 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

College recruiting information
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 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars
Jaylen Davis
SF 		Richmond, KY Madison Central High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 165 lb (75 kg)  
Star ratings: 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)  
Star ratings: 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

College recruiting information (2024)
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 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars
Will Gibson
PF 		Louisville, KY DeSales High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) N/A Oct 23, 2022 
Star ratings: 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 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2025)
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 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars
Andrew Grimes
PF 		Clayton, NC Clayton High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) N/A Sep 4, 2023 
Star ratings: 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:

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
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# 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 L 51–61  11–6
(0–2) 		 15 – Metheny   8 – Venzant   5 – Porter  Liberty Arena (2,384)
Lynchburg, VA
January 14, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Louisiana Tech L 76–80 OT 11–7
(0–3) 		 20 – Rode   8 – Venzant   7 – Porter  Thomas Assembly Center (2,348)
Ruston, LA
January 18, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		FIU W 78–69  12–7
(1–3) 		 19 – Rode   9 – Cleveland   6 – Tied  Liberty Arena (3,247)
Lynchburg, VA
January 20, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Sam Houston W 82–66  13–7
(2–3) 		 19 – Rode   9 – Porter   8 – Porter  Liberty Arena (4,005)
Lynchburg, VA
January 27, 2024
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Jacksonville State L 62–73  13–8
(2–4) 		 17 – Rode   7 – Venzant   5 – Porter  Pete Mathews Coliseum (2,835)
Jacksonville, AL
February 1, 2024
9:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at New Mexico State L 73–79 OT 13–9
(2–5) 		 23 – Cleveland   8 – Cleveland   7 – Cleveland  Pan American Center 
Las Cruces, NM
February 3, 2024
9:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UTEP W 67–65  14–9
(3–5) 		 21 – Metheny   6 – Venzant   7 – Cleveland  Don Haskins Center (5,028)
El Paso, TX
February 8, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Middle Tennessee W 88–53  15–9
(4–5) 		 21 – Peebles   12 – Rode   6 – Rode  Liberty Arena (3,241)
Lynchburg, VA
February 10, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Louisiana Tech W 65–62  16–9
(5–5) 		 21 – Metheny   6 – Cleveland   5 – Cleveland  Liberty Arena (3,696)
Lynchburg, VA
February 17, 2024
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Sam Houston L 73–83  16–10
(5–6) 		 19 – Metheny   7 – Cleveland   4 – Metheny  Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,547)
Huntsville, TX
February 22, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at FIU L 71–76  16–11
(5–7) 		 21 – Metheny   6 – Rode   3 – Rode  Ocean Bank Convocation Center (1,008)
Miami, FL
February 29, 2024
9:00 p.m., CBSSN 		New Mexico State W 83–58  17–11
(6–7) 		 22 – Cleveland   9 – Venzant   7 – Cleveland  Liberty Arena (3,262)
Lynchburg, VA
March 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		UTEP L 51–67  17–12
(6–8) 		 15 – Metheny   10 – Cleveland   3 – Porter  Liberty Arena (3,643)
Lynchburg, VA
March 5, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Middle Tennessee L 61–69  17–13
(6–9) 		 17 – Cleveland   13 – Rode   3 – Tied  Murphy Center (2,806)
Murfreesboro, TN
March 9, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Western Kentucky W 82–79  18–13
(7–9) 		 31 – Rode   8 – Cleveland   7 – Cleveland  Liberty Arena (3,023)
Lynchburg, VA
Conference USA Tournament
March 14, 2024
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		(4) vs. (5) UTEP
Quarterfinals 		L 57–66  18–14
  20 – Metheny   8 – Tied   6 – Cleveland  Von Braun Center (2,265)
Huntsville, AL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources[1]

References

  1. ^ "Schedule". Liberty Flames. Retrieved July 21, 2023.