Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 5, 1992 TAG: 9203050076
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
This wasn't a turnaround. It was a resurrection.
Not only did the Flames finish the 1990-91 season with a 5-23 record, but three of the victories were over non-Division I opposition. Liberty was ranked 280th out of 296 Division I teams in the final computer rankings in USA Today.
Jeff Meyer, in his 11th season as Flames coach, had hoped Liberty would post a winning record this season. If nothing else, the schedule was more sensible, with 15 home games instead of 11.
What Meyer could not have envisioned was a 20-victory season or a second-place finish in Liberty's first season as a Big South Conference member. Liberty (21-6 overall, 10-4 conference) meets North Carolina-Asheville at 2 p.m. today in the first round of the Big South Tournament in Anderson, S.C.
At one point, Liberty was on pace for the greatest turnaround in Division I history, but the Flames enter the tournament with three losses in their past seven games, including an 82-77 setback at Asheville.
It was one of five losses by five points or fewer for Liberty, which was out of one game all season, a 93-64 defeat at Virginia Tech in mid-December. When the Hokies visited Liberty two weeks ago, they were fortunate to escape with a 73-70 decision in front of 8,650 fans.
It was Liberty's only loss at the 9,000-seat Vines Center, which opened for the 1990-91 season. The Flames' average home attendance is slightly more than 3,000, but the new building represents a commitment and it appeals to recruits.
"To compete at the Division I level, I think you need to have the facilities to recruit to and you need a conference for scheduling purposes," Meyer said. "I think when we made the decision to go Division I, we put the cart before the course."
For its first three years after assuming Division I status, the Flames were an independent, with all the scheduling nightmares that designation entails. Liberty was 10-17 and 11-17 before last year's debacle.
At many schools, the coach would have been out the door, particularly a coach who has never enjoyed more than a one-year contract. Meyer held onto his job and has lived to see the Flames become competitive.
"I think a lot of administrations might have made a change," Meyer said. "One reason I think our administration was supportive was the success we enjoyed early."
Liberty had a 97-53 record between 1982-87, when the Flames were members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and, then, NCAA Division II. Liberty finished fifth in the NAIA Tournament in 1983.
The Flames were getting nowhere in Division I until they were accepted for membership into the Big South, an eight-team league that also includes Radford. If nothing else, there was the guarantee of seven home games.
This year, there was the added bonus of an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament resulting from an improved power rating in 1990-91, when Coastal Carolina played Indiana tough before losing 79-69.
"After three years as an independent, with no chance of going to the tournament, having the prospect of playing in March is high-powered motivation," Meyer said. "It's something we've talked to our kids about regularly."
Coastal Carolina was the coaches' choice to repeat as conference champion, with Liberty the preseason pick for last. None of the Big South coaches picked the Flames higher than fifth.
Liberty welcomed back the top eight players who finished the 1990-91 season and added transfers Cordell Robinson, a 6-foot-5 guard from Southern Cal, and Keith Ferguson, a 6-5 forward from Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
Returnees included the inside duo of 6-10, 230-pound center Julius Nwosu and 6-8, 220-pound forward Mike Coleman. Nwosu, recommended by a missionary, comes from the unlikely origins of Imo, Nigeria.
"I took him sight unseen," Meyer said. "I had a scholarship and, if he couldn't play, I was going to let him be the manager. Most of our players were not heavily recruited."
Nor were they from the surrounding area. One starting guard, sophomore Matt Toomer, is from Anchorage, Ala., where he played under current Flames' assistant Randy Dunton. The other, classmate Matt Hildebrand, is from Sturgis, Mich. Only one player on the 15-man roster is from Virginia.
It is a strange team in another sense because, while the Flames rank second in the country in field-goal percentage and eighth in 3-point percentage, they are shooting only 62.2 percent from the free-throw line. Hildebrand ranks third in Division I at 91.1, but the rest of the team is shooting 56.3 from the line.
Leading rebounder Coleman is the only senior on the roster, so the Flames should be as good or better next year, when they could add Parish Hickman. Hickman, a 6-7 forward, was a part-time starter for Michigan State last season until his arrest on cocaine charges.
"He is in school, but he is not part of the program," Meyer said. "He contacted us. Because of his background, there weren't many takers. Obviously, he made some bad decisions, but he has been acquitted of criminal charges."
Liberty was able to put together a financial-aid package for Hickman that includes a Pell Grant, but he is not on athletic scholarship. Nor does he practice with the team. His progress is monitored through the dean's office.
Meyer said he believes that one of the reasons he kept his job was his determination "not to compromise" the school's Christian ideals.
"Liberty is not for everybody and everybody is not for Liberty," Meyer said. "We have a fairly strong [recruiting] network on the lookout for kids with an interest in a Christian environment. I'd say the future looks bright."
by CNB