CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content
We hope you are ready for a season unlike any other: testing, distancing, and bubbles, oh my! Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or whether anything actually will happen…but in the meantime we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches/administrators in the country. We continue our coverage with Liberty JR PG Darius McGhee. He had an upset win over Mississippi State in the 2019 NCAA tourney, won 30 games last year including the Atlantic Sun tourney title game, but will have to take a leadership role this year after the Flames graduated an amazing senior class a few months ago. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Darius about his team’s tempo and his expectations for this year.
You are 5’9”: do you see your size as an advantage or disadvantage on the court? It is definitely an advantage: it is easier to turn corners against my opponents due to my quickness.
You were born in North Carolina and went to high school in Virginia: what made you choose Liberty? I went to an all-boys boarding school in Virginia where I learned what I needed to do to play D-1 basketball. Coach McKay started recruiting me a few years ago and this place is so unique that I fell in love with it.
You play for Coach Ritchie McKay: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? His overall care for the entire person. We have a great relationship outside of basketball. He has taught me to be attentive to the small details for a reason: as the season progressed it started to click/make sense.
In the 2019 NCAA tourney you had a 4-PT upset of Mississippi State before a 9-PT loss to Virginia Tech: what is the key to winning games in March? Being able to have a defensive identity and get stops when it matters. Offense comes and goes but your entire team has to be connected on defense.
You did not start a single game as a freshman but started all 34 games as a sophomore: what is the biggest difference between starting a game vs. coming off the bench? You have a responsibility in either role and have to do your best in both positions.
In the 2020 Atlantic Sun tourney title game you scored 13 PTS in a win over Lipscomb, then a couple of days later you learned that the NCAA tourney was canceled due to the coronavirus: what was your reaction when you 1st heard the news, and do you think that it was the right decision? I was excited after winning the title because we were trending in the right direction. After hearing the news I was devastated for our seniors because until that point the sky was the limit. I think it was a great decision: public health is first and foremost.
You lost an amazing senior class from last year in Caleb Homesley/Scottie James/Myo Baxter-Bell/Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz: how on earth will you try to replace all of their offense/leadership? They were so important to us not just as teammates but as brothers. They instilled so much in this program that it seems like their legacy has never left.
In an era of up-tempo offenses your team plays at 1 of the slowest paces in the nation: it obviously works well (since you won 30 games last year) so what makes it so effective? On offense we do not settle for bad shots and work together to get the greatest shot possible, and we are all tuned in on defense.
What is it like to be an African-American man at Liberty in 2020? Liberty is a great place regardless of your race: I have not heard 1 person here endure any tragedy/trauma. The people are loving/kind and the place is full of love.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Just to do everything possible to win and leave nothing to chance. Hopefully we can win another A-Sun championship tourney and then make a run in March Madness.