2015–16 Liberty Flames basketball team

The 2015–16 Liberty Flames men's basketball team represented the Liberty University in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Lynchburg, Virginia for the 26th consecutive season at Vines Center, with a capacity of 8,085. The team was led by Ritchie McKay, who was in his third season, but first season since his return to the program. They were members of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 13–19, 10–8 in Big South play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big South tournament to UNC Asheville.

2015–16 Liberty Flames basketball
ConferenceBig South Conference
Record13–19 (10–8 Big South)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Omar Mance (2nd season)
  • Brad Soucie (1st (3rd) season)
  • Kyle Getter (1st season)
Home arenaVines Center
2015–16 Big South men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Winthrop135 .722239  .719
High Point135 .7222111  .656
UNC Asheville126 .6672212  .647
Coastal Carolina126 .6672112  .636
Gardner–Webb108 .5561716  .515
Liberty108 .5561319  .406
Radford99 .5001615  .516
Campbell513 .2781218  .400
Presbyterian513 .2781120  .355
Longwood513 .2781023  .303
Charleston Southern513 .278921  .300
2016 Big South tournament winner

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
David Andoh0Forward6'7"220JuniorMontreal, Quebec, CanadaTransferred to St. Bonaventure
Jordan Dembley1Guard6'1"175FreshmanMinneapolis, MinnesotaTransferred to Williston State
Andrew Smith11Forward6'9"220SeniorPompano Beach, FloridaGraduated
Tomasz Gielo12Forward6'9"220SeniorSzczecin, PolandTransferred to Ole Miss
James Johnson13Forward6'10"245SeniorSan Diego, CaliforniaGraduated
Ethan Layer15Guard6'1"160JuniorForest, VirginiaGraduated
Joe Retic23Guard6'3"190JuniorIndianapolis, IndianaTransferred to Indianapolis
Peter Moller31Guard6'3"185FreshmanVaerloese, DenmarkTransferred to Metro State

2015–16 Newcomers

John Dawson, originally from Clovis, New Mexico, transferred from Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball in January and will be eligible to play in after the 2015 fall semester.

Anthony Fields, originally from Detroit, Michigan, graduated from Bradley and will be eligible immediately. Fields started his career at Wake Forest before transferring to Bradley. He averaged 1.2 points per game last season for the Braves. Fields will be a senior.

Hansel Atencia, originally from Colombia, played his high school basketball at Mountain Mission High in Grundy, Virginia. He averaged 8.5 points, 5.2 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game during his senior year.

Lovell Cabbil, originally from Arlington, Texas, played at Mansfield Summit high school where he averaged 23 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steal per game his senior year.

Myo Baxter-Bell, originally from Dayton, Ohio, played at Chaminade Julienne Catholic High school where he averaged 14 points, 6 rebounds and shot 73% from the free throw line his senior year.

Caleb Homesley, originally from Indian Trail, North Carolina was the first commit of the 2015 class, originally recruited by former head coach Dale Layer.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
John Dawson
G
Clovis, New Mexico Clovis High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Ryan Hiepler (W)
G
Westlake Village, California Oaks Christian High 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jun 24, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Anthony Fields
G
Detroit, Michigan Quality Education Academy (NC) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jun 5, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Hansel Atencia
G
Barrancabermeja, Colombia Mountain Mission School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Apr 28, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Lovell Cabbil
G
Arlington, Texas Mansfield Summit High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Apr 23, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Myo Baxter-Bell
F
Dayton, Ohio Chaminade Julienne 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Apr 28, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Caleb Homesley
G
Indian Trail, North Carolina Porter Ridge High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sep 14, 2014 
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:

  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 6, 2015.

Pre-season

Events

On March 4, 2015, hours after Liberty's loss in the first round of the Big South Conference tournament, Dale Layer was relieved as head coach of the men's basketball team. Layer spent 6 seasons as the head coach, taking over when Ritchie McKay left in 2009.

On April 1, 2015, Ritchie McKay was announced as the men's basketball coach at Liberty University. McKay spent two years as the head coach for the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons before leaving to join Tony Bennett at the University of Virginia. McKay served as the Associate head coach for the Cavaliers for 6 seasons before returning to Liberty.

Roster

2015–16 Liberty Flames men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Anthony Fields 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)160 lb (73 kg) RS SrQuality Education Academy (NC) Detroit, Michigan
G 1 Caleb Homesley 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)175 lb (79 kg) FrPorter Ridge High School Indian Trail, North Carolina
G/F 2 AC Reid 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoSmithson Valley High School Spring Branch, Texas
G 3 Calvin Hoffman (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)165 lb (75 kg) SoAnchorage Christian School Anchorage, Alaska
G 4 Hansel Atencia 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)155 lb (70 kg) FrMountain Mission School (VA) Colombia
G/F 5 Ryan Kemrite 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS SoSatch Homeschool Conroe, Texas
G 12 Sam Worman (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) FrFlint Hill School Leesburg, Virginia
G 13 Lovell Cabbil 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)155 lb (70 kg) FrMansfield Summit High School Arlington, Texas
C 15 Evan Maxwell 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)245 lb (111 kg) SoAbington Heights Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
G 22 John Dawson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS SoClovis High School Clovis, New Mexico
F 24 Ezra Talbert 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS FrOlathe East High School Olathe, Kansas
G 44 Ryan Hiepler (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrOaks Christian High Westlake Village, California
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • Roster is subject to change as/if players transfer or leave the program for other reasons.
  • John Dawson won't be eligible until January due to transfer rules.

Schedule

Date
time, TV
Opponent Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 13, 2015*
7:00 pm, LFSN
Covenant W 64–62  1–0
 15  Maxwell  10  Maxwell  4  Kemrite  Vines Center (5,039)
Lynchburg, VA
November 14, 2015*
7:00 pm, LFSN
Summit W 90–52  2–0
 22  Kemrite  7  Maxwell  5  Atencia  Vines Center (3,499)
Lynchburg, VA
November 17, 2015*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
William & Mary L 59–70  2–1
 13  Fields  8  Maxwell  3  Fields  Vines Center (2,102)
Lynchburg, VA
November 20, 2015*
2:00 pm, LFSN
Central Penn
Challenge in Music City
W 86–50  3–1
 21  Maxwell  13  Maxwell  6  Fields  Vines Center (1,362)
Lynchburg, VA
November 26, 2015*
3:00 pm
vs. Appalachian State
Challenge in Music City
L 62–73  3–2
 15  Fields, Cabbil  5  Kemrite  4  Reid  Nashville Municipal Auditorium 
Nashville, TN
November 27, 2015*
3:00 pm
vs. Western Michigan
Challenge in Music City
L 58–68  3–3
 15  Kemrite  4  Maxwell  6  Fields  Nashville Municipal Auditorium 
Nashville, TN
November 29, 2015*
2:00 pm
vs. Tulane
Challenge in Music City
L 51–72  3–4
 12  Maxwell, Talbert  6  Maxwell  5  Cabbil  Nashville Municipal Auditorium 
Nashville, TN
December 3, 2015
7:00 pm, LFSN/ESPN3
at Radford L 52–56  3–5
(0–1)
 24  Maxwell  12  Maxwell  3  Fields  Dedmon Center (2,704)
Radford, VA
December 5, 2015
2:00 pm, LFSN/ESPN3
Charleston Southern L 61–68  3–6
(0–2)
 20  Reid  8  Reid, Maxwell  4  Fields  Vines Center (2,356)
Lynchburg, VA
December 8, 2015*
7:00 pm
at Furman L 56–79  3–7
 12  Maxwell  7  Homesley  4  Fields  Timmons Arena (1,206)
Greenville, SC
December 12, 2015*
2:00 pm
Lamar L 58–73  3–8
 15  Maxwell  6  Maxwell  5  Fields  Vines Center (1,990)
Lynchburg, VA
December 17, 2015*
7:00 pm
at Princeton L 72–77  3–9
 22  Maxwell  8  Maxwell  4  Dawson  Jadwin Gymnasium (1,360)
Princeton, NJ
December 20, 2015*
4:00 pm
at St. Francis Brooklyn L 55–64  3–10
 15  Dawson  10  Dawson  3  Cabbil  Generoso Pope Athletic Complex (325)
Brooklyn Heights, NY
December 27, 2015*
5:00 pm
at VCU L 57–85  3–11
 17  Kemrite  6  Kemrite  5  Cabbil  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
December 29, 2015*
3:00 pm, ESPNU
at Notre Dame L 56–73  3–12
 18  Homesley  8  Maxwell, Kemrite  4  Dawson  Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,837)
Notre Dame, IN
January 2, 2016
2:00 pm, LFSN/MASN
UNC Asheville L 69–76  3–13
(0–3)
 16  Cabbil  10  Homesley  5  Fields  Vines Center (1,310)
Lynchburg, VA
January 6, 2016
7:00 pm
at Coastal Carolina W 62–61  4–13
(1–3)
 18  Dawson  6  Cabbil  4  Cabbil  HTC Center (1,630)
Conway, SC
January 9, 2016
2:00 pm, ESPN3
Campbell W 55–52  5–13
(2–3)
 14  Dawson  10  Dawson  3  Dawson  Vines Center (1,327)
Lynchburg, VA
January 14, 2016
7:30 pm
at Charleston Southern L 63–64  5–14
(2–4)
 17  Homesley  7  Dawson  6  Dawson  CSU Field House (877)
North Charleston, SC
January 16, 2016
4:00 pm
at Winthrop L 58–74  5–15
(2–5)
 15  Dawson  7  Cabbil, Homesley  3  Cabbil  Winthrop Coliseum (1,877)
Rock Hill, SC
January 19, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Longwood W 55–53  6–15
(3–5)
 14  Dawson  9  Dawson  5  Cabbil, Dawson  Vines Center (1,828)
Lynchburg, VA
January 23, 2016
12:00 pm, ASN
High Point W 69–67  7–15
(4–5)
 15  Reid  7  Dawson  6  Dawson  Vines Center (2,526)
Lynchburg, VA
January 27, 2016
7:00 pm
at Gardner–Webb W 69–55  8–15
(5–5)
 17  Dawson  10  Kemrite  6  Cabbil  Paul Porter Arena (893)
Boiling Springs, NC
January 30, 2016
7:30 pm
at Presbyterian W 65–61  9–15
(6–5)
 19  Dawson  6  Kemrite  2  5 Different Players  Templeton Physical Education Center (1,616)
Clinton, SC
February 2, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Winthrop W 88–77  10–15
(7–5)
 20  Maxwell, Dawson  7  Dawson  5  Fields, Dawson  Vines Center (1,953)
Lynchburg, VA
February 6, 2016
7:00 pm
at High Point W 80–76  11–15
(8–5)
 16  Reid  7  Dawson  5  Fields  Millis Athletic Convocation Center (1,750)
High Point, NC
February 13, 2016
2:00 pm
at Longwood W 69–68  12–15
(9–5)
 20  Reid  7  Dawson  8  Fields  Willett Hall (1,900)
Farmville, VA
February 18, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Radford W 69–67  12–16
(9–6)
 22  Dawson  7  Dawson  4  Dawson, Fields  Vines Center (2,802)
Lynchburg, VA
February 20, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Presbyterian W 79–73  12–17
(9–7)
 18  Reid  6  Cabbil  8  Dawson  Vines Center (4,323)
Lynchburg, VA
February 25, 2016
7:00 pm
at UNC Asheville L 56–73  12–18
(9–8)
 11  Reid  5  Maxwell  1  Cabbil, Fields, Homesley  Kimmel Arena (1,645)
Asheville, NC
February 27, 2016
12:00 pm, ASN
Gardner–Webb W 86–81  13–18
(10–8)
 22  Homesley  6  Cabbil  5  Dawson, Reid  Vines Center (2,800)
Lynchburg, VA
Big South tournament
March 4, 2016
2:00 pm, ESPN3
vs. UNC Asheville
Quarterfinals
L 49–80  13–19
 15  Dawson  4  Homesley, Kemrite  3  Fields  Gore Arena (1,505)
Buies Creek, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time..

References

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