Four Questions with Ritchie McKay

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Liberty’s move to the Conference USA this season might raise some eyebrows casual fans, unsure how an Atlantic Sun might fare making that jump. But a casual fan probably doesn’t know that the Flames ran the ASun, winning at least a share of the regular-season title each of their five seasons in the league.

This season? Liberty’s merely ranked 39 at kenpom.com, more than 50 spots higher than the next closest CUSA team. And they’re doing it without star Darius McGhee, a two-time ASun POY.

Coach Ritchie McKay discusses his program and their upcoming appearance in The Field of 68 Tip-Off, a three-team event that starts Thursday and features the Flames, College of Charleston and Florida Atlantic.

Q: What’s it been like replacing someone like Darius McGhee? Most people would probably point to his production (he led the Flames in scoring the last three seasons, and averaged 22.8 ppg last season), but it’s probably harder to replace his leadership and all the little things he did as a four-year starter. You’re three weeks in. How do you think your team’s adjusted?

Ritchie McKay: Well, I didn't have any expectations about replacing Darius because that would be an impossibility. He, literally is one of the best players that has ever played at Liberty, maybe the best you. And he's one of the best that I've ever coached, both on and off the floor. So, the magnitude of his departure, I had a sense of real realism that we're not gonna replace his time or impact in our program.

But I do think one of the things that's neat about Liberty and the kind of young man that this place tends to attract is that they really have a spirit of service and selflessness. What has happened for us is we've all kinda shared in the responsibility of trying to be the best version of ourselves. We knew there would be a major scoring departure. So it's just been a collaborative effort of kind of picking up the pieces and trying to magnify our strengths by the collective of our group.

Q: That plays into the what most programs want is the “next man up” culture, right? A lot of place talk about it, but given your success (an average of 26 wins the last five seasons), you must feel like you’re to the point where you’re bringing players who want to fit into your system, and thus able to guard against a big drop, even when impactful players leave.

McKay: I'll take that as compliment because I think that's what everyone strives for. An authentic culture that has a chance to be continual and grow over the course of time. Even before Darius, Blake Preston had a lot to do with where our program is now. Guys like Scottie James and Caleb Homesley and Myo Baxter-Bell, Lovell Cabbill, Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz. I can name a host of guys that really did an incredible job of leaving a mark all over this program and it was because of their self-sacrifice and their desire to serve one another.

We've really tried to invest in the development of our guys, not just from a basketball standpoint, just from a whole person development. I think that's why we have a cohesion.

Q: That’s certainly one of the primary reasons why Liberty’s been able to make the transition from the Big South, to the Atlantic Sun, and now to Conference USA without missing a beat. A new league will have it’s challenges, but the opportunity that comes with it — namely have a chance at an at-large bid if a few bounces don’t go your way in a conference tournament — make it worthwhile.

McKay: I think that's the plight of all mid-majors. We've played some decent basketball over the years and boy, we would love a shot at [a regular bid]. Last year Kennesaw State was the representative from the Atlantic Sun. We lost at their place during the regular season; we only played one game because of the, the number of teams. So we had to play the championship game on their home court and they prevailed, by a free throw with 0.2 seconds or 0.4 seconds to go.

It is really hard to go through a season like we had. I want to say we had our highest kenpom ranking and ended up 44 (editor’s note: it was 44 after the loss to Kennesaw; 48 after the season). So we knew we had a good team yet … it's just … Rick Pitino referenced it. He said the most pressure — and this is Rick Pitino — the most pressure he's ever felt was at Iona because winning those three games, and usually it's on a neutral floor, is really hard to do. So I, yeah, I think for us having a chance to move to a higher profile conference is a, is a good thing.

Q: Any hoops fan should be looking forward to your game against FAU on Thursday. This is must-see TV for people who value good basketball and programs that play with anyone.

McKay: For Dusty [May], Pat [Kelsey] and myself, we all realize it's almost impossible to get home games with quality opponents. When you’ve won a little bit at the mid-major level, it's really difficult. This is a three-year agreement that ensures you play at home for your fan base, but you're also tested and rewarded for playing teams that'll typically have really good seasons.

Now, it’s going to be really difficult to win that at FAU (and against a Charleston team that's not getting enough credit because they dropped a couple early). Alijah Martin and Johnell Davis, those dudes are pros. They're ranked in the top 10 for a reason. They share it, they're physical, they rebound and I think something that's not talked about enough is their spurt-ability. They get away from you in a hurry. All of a sudden a two-possession game becomes a 20-2 run and you're out of it. So I, I think our group will have to do a really good job of having a mental and physical toughness just to stay in it.