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| Photo Credit: Erik Flores |
Coming off a Big South Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament, Liberty is back in action but this time in the Atlantic Sun Conference. In May 2018, after 27 years in the Big South, Liberty announced that it would be moving to the ASUN Conference. This means new teams and a tough schedule that presents a challenge for the Lady Flames this season. They were recently picked by the ASUN coaches to finish second in the conference while reigning ASUN champion FGCU was picked to finish first again.
Last year, Liberty won both the Big South regular season and tournament titles. The Lady Flames went on to play the Tennessee Lady Vols in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, dropping an 100-60 decision. The Lady Flames ended their season with a 24-10 record, making a significant improvement from the previous season’s 13-17 mark.
Carey Green enters his 20th season as head coach for Liberty women’s basketball. He is currently one of the nation’s winningest coaches with a 440-168 career record. He also had the opportunity to lead the Lady Flames to 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
This season, Liberty has big shoes to fill as it has lost six players. Nene Johnson, Molly Reagan, and Sheana Vega graduated, Iva Ilic and Ola Makurat transferred, and Lela Sellers ended her career after two seasons. The Lady Flames will also lose 2018 Big South Player of the Year and junior forward Keyen Green who is out for the season after having surgery on her ankle. Overall, the team has three returning starters, four other returning players, and seven newcomers that will play a key role. Two of them include sophomore guard Ashtyn Baker who was the 2018 Big South Freshman of the Year and senior forward KK Barbour who was MVP of the 2018 Big South Tournament and recently named to the ASUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
Returning Players
Ashtyn Baker, G, 5-6,
So., Nesbit, Miss.
Last Season: 7.9 points per game, 2.2 rebounds per game, 3
assists per game
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| Photo Credit: Erik Flores |
KK Barbour, F, 6-1,
Sr., Charlottesville, Va.
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| Photo Credit: Erik Flores |
Last Season: 9.8 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, 1.5
assists per game
Looking to finish her collegiate career on a high note,
KK Barbour is ready to take a leadership role for the Lady Flames. The 2018 Big
South Championship MVP returns after having a memorable junior season. She was
the only player on the team to start all 34 games on the season. During the Big
South Championship, Barbour led the Lady Flames in points (14.3 ppg), and
rebounds (6.3 rpg). She was also ranked No. 9 in the Big South in offensive
rebounds (2.2 rpg) and No. 19 in steals (1.3 spg). In the second half of the
regular season, Barbour scored in double figures in eight consecutive games. In
addition to earning Big South Tournament MVP honors, she was also named an
All-Big South honorable mention.
Keyen Green, F/C,
6-1, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa.
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| Photo Credit: Erik Flores |
The Lady Flames will be playing this season without
Keyen Green as she is recovering from ankle surgery. The last two years, she
was tabbed as the 2018 Big South Player of the Year and the 2017 Big South
Freshman of the Year. In the Big South rankings, Green was ranked No. 8 in
scoring and No. 3 in offensive rebounds (2.8 rpg). She also finished No. 11 in
the country in field goal percentage (.610). She scored 10 or more points in the
22 of the Lady Flames’ 34 games and notched five double-doubles. Green was
named Big South Player of the Week on the week of February 5 and All-Big South
First Team. Other additional honors in her sophomore season included being
named to the All-ECAC Second Team and All-State player by VaSID.
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| Photo Credit: Erik Flores |
Kierra
Johnson-Graham, F, 5-11, Jr., Atlanta, Ga.
Last Season: 6.5 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, 1.3
assists per game
This season is a fresh start for Kierra Johnson-Graham who is back after recovering from a season-ending injury suffered in late January. The Atlanta native played 19 out of the first 20 games shooting 51 percent from the field last season.
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| Photo Credit: Erik Flores |
Brooke Basinger, G, 5-8, R-Jr., Purcellville, Va.
Last Season: 0.6 points per game, 0.5 rebounds per game, 0.2
assists per game
Brooke Basinger returns for her second season with the Lady Flames. The senior walk-on played in 15 games and scored all of her points from the three-point line. Basinger’s shot 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. She also was named to Presidential Honor Roll by the Big South.
Tatyana Crowder, G, 5-6, Sr., Roanoke, Va.
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| Photo Credit: Erik Flores |
Last Season: 3.3 points per game, 2.3 rebounds per game, 1.1
assists per game
Eager to start the season, Roanoke native Tatyana Crowder is ready to lead the Lady Flames to new heights. Since walking on as a freshman, her energy has driven the team to succeed. Last year, Crowder played in 33 out of 34 games in the season with 17 of them being a starter. The times she started prompted the Lady Flames to increase their record to 14-3. The last 16 games of the season, Crowder scored a total of 91 points overall. The highest honor for Crowder was being named team captain of the Lady Flames the last two seasons.
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Bridgette Rettstatt, F, 6-2, So., Galena, Ohio
Last Season: 3.4 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, 0.3
assists per game
Bridgette Rettstatt is back and is ready to bring more toughness for the Lady Flames. Coming from Ohio, Rettstatt has been a huge factor for the team in rebounding. Last season, she averaged 12.6 rebounds per 40 minutes played. On the week of December 29, she had back-to-back games where she rebounded the ball eight times. During the Big South Championship, Rettstatt finished the tournament with 19 points and 19 rebounds while playing 36 total minutes.
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Melis Ucar, G, 5-10,
Sr., Ankara,Turkey
Last Season: 1.2 points per game, 1.2 rebounds per game, 0.9
assists per game
Liberty has recruited a lot of talent to their team, including players from around the world. One of them is Melis Ucar, who is a native of Turkey. Before arriving in Lynchburg, Ucar was a standout at Iowa Western Community College. She was captain in her sophomore season and led the team to the NJCAA National Tournament. Other honors included being named to the NJCAA All-Region Academic squad as a freshman, ICCAC Player of the Week in January 2017, and first team All-Region honors in the ICCAC. Last season, she played in 30 out of 34 games for the Lady Flames.
New Faces
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Ria Gulley will be one of the newest additions that can make an impact for the Lady Flames. Before transferring to Liberty last season, she played her freshman year of college ball at Indiana. She played in 32 out of 34 games. Gulley was a starter in five of those games. By the end of the season, she finished with an average off 3.1 points per game and a three-point shooting percentage of 34.5. The Hoosiers would go on to compete in the 2017 WNIT Tournament and finish in the top eight. Gulley sat out last year due to transfer rules. During that time, she was named to the Big South Presidential Honor Roll.
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Emily Lytle, G/F,
5-11, R-So., Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis native Emily Lytle is the second transfer is
slated to make her debut this season. She began her collegiate career at the
University of Arkansas-Little Rock. While playing for the Trojans, Lytle
appeared in 22 out of 34 games, earning three starts. She finished her freshman
season with an average of 2.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. While sitting
out last year, Lytle was named to the Presidential Honor Roll by the Big South.
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Mya McMillian, F/C, 6-3, Fr., Marble Falls, Texas
Liberty has added four freshmen to the squad this year. One of them is Mya McMillian who hails from the Lone Star State. A standout at Marble Falls High School, the 6`3 forward/center averaged 17.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. In each of her final two seasons, McMillian led the team to win the District 26-5A championship. She was also named to the all-state team and District 26-5A MVP both seasons. In her junior season, she was named Centex Newcomer of the Year. She also competed for Texas in the 2018 Faith 7 Basketball Bowl during her senior season.
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Lizzie Moore, F/C,
6-2, Fr., San Jose, Calif.
Lizzie Moore, who hails from the West Coast, is another freshman that will be another key for Liberty. She is a graduate of Valley Christian High School where was an All-WCAL second team honoree her junior season. Moore averaged 7.5 points per game, five rebounds per game and two blocks per game during that season. Her freshmen season, she led the league in blocked shots with an average of 2.1. Other honors from her high school career include being an All-WCAL pick as a sophomore.
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Jordan Peters, G, 5-7, Fr., Statesville, N.C.
Coming to Liberty from North Carolina, freshman Jordan Peters is ready to put her amazing guard abilities to the test. Before coming to the Lady Flames, she was a standout player at Statesville Christian School. Peters finished her high school career with 1,025 points and 499 assists. She led the team in assists all throughout high school. Peters was named a first team all-conference performer three times by the SPAA. In her senior season she averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 assists per game. Because of her outstanding effort, she was named to the all-state team by the NCISAA. During that time, Peters’ high school team was undefeated in regular season play and reached the semifinals of the NCISAA 1A state tournament.
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Melat Sissay, G, 5-6,
Fr., Stockholm, Sweden
Liberty brings another international standout in Melat Sissay. The 5-6 guard from Sweden has gained extensive experience already in her basketball career. Sissay played her high school ball at Solna Gymnasium. During her junior season, she averaged 13.0 points per game. Sissay also has experience from playing with the champion U-15 and U-16 Swedish National Team.
Amy West, F/C, 6-4,
Fr., Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Amy West came to Liberty from New Zealand in January 2018. She has unimaginable play in her game that will have an enormous impact for the Lady Flames this season. West attended Palmerston North Girls High School and graduated in December 2017. While at the school, West was named by her team as the most improved player in her junior and senior year. Because of her success on the basketball court, she was given the Manawatu Secondary School Code Award. While competing in the BBNZ Schick National Championship in 2017, West led the team to a 12th place finish which was the best finish in school history. In that tournament, she averaged 8.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game. Her biggest honor of her career was attending the trial for the New Zealand U-19 National Team when she started her playing career in 2015.
Coaches
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| Photo Credit: Erik Flores |
Carey Green, 20th
Season
Carey Green has been at the helm of the Liberty Women’s Basketball program since 1999. He has an overall coaching record of 440-168. Green is currently No. 16 in winning percentage as an NCAA Division I coach. Last season, Green and the Lady Flames punched another ticket to the NCAA Tournament after winning the 2018 Big South Championship. It was the 14th appearance for the Lady Flames since Green took over. Before Liberty, Green was an assistant at Clemson where he got to be a part of their four Sweet 16 appearances and a 1991 Elite Eight trip. In his 10 years as an assistant, the Tigers were a part of the Top 25 rankings. Green’s early years of coaching included being an assistant for the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Roane State (1979-81), head boys basketball coach at Coalfield High School (1981-82), head girls basketball coach at Rockwood High School (1982-84), and head coach of the men’s and women’s teams at Jackson State (1984-87). Green is from Louisville, Tenn., and is a graduate of Coastal Carolina (’79). He currently resides in Lynchburg with his wife Denise and has two grown children.
Alexis Sherard, 12th
Season
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| Photo Credit: Erik Flores |
Alexis Sherard was hired by Liberty as an assistant coach in 2007. Last season, he was promoted to associate head coach. Since joining the Lady Flames, Sherard has been a part of seven Big South Championships and NCAA appearances. He was also a part of the team’s two trips to the WNIT Tournament. Before joining the Lady Flames, Sherard spent two seasons on the Liberty men’s basketball coaching staff. He was both an assistant and director of recruiting and player development during his time with them. Sherard also served as director of operations for Virginia from 1999 to 2002. In 2002, Sherard was promoted to assistant coach and coached there until 2005. He was a part of the Cavaliers’ journey to the 2001 NCAA Tournament when they were ranked No. 6 in the country.
Other Division I teams Sherard worked for were Binghamton (1998-99) and Providence (1996-98). He was a standout at Saint Michael’s College in the 1990s. During his junior and senior year of college, he was named to the All-Defensive team by the Northeast 10 Conference. Sherard is from Lakewood, N.J., and resides in Lynchburg with his two children Iyana and Elijah.
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Andy Bloodworth, 12th
Season
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| Photo Credit: Erik Flores |
Andy Bloodworth has been with Liberty since 2007. She also serves as one of the recruiting coordinators where she assists in point guard development and scouting. Throughout her 11 seasons with the Lady Flames, Bloodworth has been a part of seven Big South Titles. Her record as an assistant with Liberty is 255-104. Before arriving in Lynchburg, Bloodworth served as recruiting coordinator for Valparaiso from 2005 to 2007. During her time there, the Crusaders posted a 36-24 record. The team garnered 20 wins during Bloodworth’s second season.
Other stops on her coaching journey have been at Gannon (2002-05), Armstrong Atlantic State (2000-02), Lake Michigan (1999-2000), and Ferris State (1998-99). Bloodworth played her collegiate career at Division III Calvin College. Her team made a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament. Bloodworth is an aunt to her niece Lainie and nephew Baxter. She also has a dog named Honey.
Monica Wright, 1st
Season
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| Photo Credit: Erik Flores |
Monica Wright was hired by Liberty in the summer of 2018. She replaces Erin Batth, who left to take an assistant coach position at NC State. Wright spent last season as director of player development at Incarnate Word. She was also a veteran in the WNBA where she was picked second by the Minnesota Lynx in 2010. That same year she was named to the All-Rookie Team. Wright also was a part of the Lynx’s journey to win the WNBA Championship in 2011 and 2013. She was later traded to the Seattle Storm where she spent her final seasons with the WNBA. Wright also was secretary and treasurer for the WNBA Players Association in 2015. Besides her experience in the WNBA, she also was a part of USA Basketball. While playing in the league, Wright played for the USA Women’s Select Team in 2010. Other experiences included being on the U19 team that won the gold medal in the 2007 World Championship. Wright was a standout at Virginia where she was named a three time All-American. She finished her collegiate career as the all-time leading scorer for the Cavaliers. The biggest collegiate honor for Wright was being named the 2010 WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year. She currently resides in Lynchburg and is engaged to former Valparaiso standout and fiancĂ© Michael Rogers.
Season Schedule
Preview
Home Sweet Home
This season will be an adventure for Liberty as there will be many challenges and exciting opportunities. The Lady Flames’ first three home games are against tough powerhouses in Virginia Tech, Saint Francis (Pa.) and James Madison. Liberty is also scheduled to play Division II West Chester at the Vines Center during non-conference play.
Virginia Tech finished as runners-up in the WNIT Tournament in the 2017-18 season. The last time the Lady Flames played the Hokies at home was in 2006. Virginia Tech is the fourth team from the ACC that Liberty has hosted the last six seasons. The Lady Flames and Hokies will square off at the Vines Center on Nov. 13.
Liberty and Saint Francis (Pa.) will battle it out on Nov. 17. The Red Flash appeared in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Before Saint Francis (Pa.) went to the big dance, they won the NEC Conference Championship. This year, the Red Flash were voted to finish in second place in the NEC.
Liberty will also be facing a familiar foe in James Madison on Nov. 29. The last time the Lady Flames and the Dukes met at the Vines Center was 2016. James Madison pulled out a 62-48 victory against Liberty. The Dukes competed in the 2018 WNIT Tournament and finished in the third round of.
West Chester appeared in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2018. This will be the fourth Division II team that the Lady Flames have faced in four seasons. Liberty will play their first game of the new year against the Golden Rams on Jan. 2.
Road Trip
Liberty will be traveling to a lot of new places this season. They include Pennsylvania, Tennessee, North Carolina and Florida.
The Lady Flames will begin their season at Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Fla. on Nov. 9. The Wildcats along with NC A&T were co-regular season conference champions of the MEAC last season. Bethune-Cookman was a part of the WNIT Tournament where they were eliminated in the first round. The Wildcats are expected to finish in second place in conference play this year.
Nov. 21 will be a familiar setting for Ashtyn Baker, Emily Lytle, and Head Coach Carey Green. Liberty will travel down to southeast Tennessee to take on Chattanooga. The Mocs are one out of the three teams in the SoCon conference the Lady Flames will play this year. The other two teams Liberty will play from that conference include ETSU and UNCG. Chattanooga is currently going through a new transition. Jim Foster, who coached the Mocs for five seasons, retired from coaching in May. Assistant Coach Katie Burrows was promoted to the position in June. Last season, Chattanooga finished the season in the first round of the 2018 WNIT Tournament.
After playing in Chattanooga, the Lady Flames will head up north to Lehigh to play in the Christmas City Classic. Their first game in the tournament will be against Charlotte on Nov. 24. The day after the game, Liberty will go on to play either Norfolk State or Christmas Classic host Lehigh. Norfolk State was picked by the MEAC to finish third in conference play.
The month of December will be all road trips for the Lady Flames. The first stop for Liberty will be ETSU. The Buccaneers were runners-up in the SoCon Conference Tournament last year. ETSU went on to play in the WNIT Tournament and finished the season in the first round. This year the Buccaneers are tied with conference rival Mercer as the preseason SoCon favorite. ETSU and Liberty will play in Johnson City, Tenn. on Dec. 4.
The Liberty will begin their two-game road trip in the state of North Carolina. Both will be homecoming games for freshman guard Jordan Peters. The first opponent on the trip will be East Carolina in Greenville. The Pirates recently went through a coaching change after Heather Macy resigned unexpectedly. She was replaced by assistant Chad Killinger. Liberty will then drive three hours north to play UNCG on Dec. 16. The last time these two teams met was in 2012 in Greensboro. The Lady Flames pulled away from the Spartans with a 76-56 win.
The Lady Flames will end December play with the St. Pete Shootout in St. Petersburg, Fla. Liberty will begin tournament play against UCF. The Golden Knights made it to the second round of the WNIT Tournament last season. The Lady Flames will also play another WNIT team in Duquesne. The Dukes made it all the way to the third round of the 2018 WNIT Tournament. Duquesne is expected to finish in first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference this year.
New Conference, New
Teams
This summer, Liberty transitioned from the Big South to the ASUN, which will be a new and exciting challenge for the Lady Flames. Most of the games will be against teams in Florida (FGCU, Jacksonville, Stetson, and North Florida). Other teams in the conference are in Georgia (Kennesaw State), Tennessee (Lipscomb), Alabama (North Alabama), and New Jersey (NJIT).
FGCU is the biggest out of all the ASUN rivals that Liberty will face this season. The Eagles will be much stronger this season as they added several transfers to their roster. FGCU has won four out of the last six ASUN Championships. The Eagles were picked as the favorite to win the ASUN Championship again this season.
Stetson is coming off a 17-15 finish from last season. This season, the Hatters are hoping to accomplish more as a program. One of Stetson’s goals is to win 20 games in a season. The last time the Hatters reached that milestone, was during the 2010-11 season.
Jacksonville is coming off a run in the 2018 WNIT Tournament. The Dolphins are under the new leadership of first year Head Coach Darnell Haney who was promoted from associate head coach over the summer. Jacksonville will have a strong lineup this season as they look to return to the ASUN Championship game.
Kennesaw State has been a driving force in the ASUN since head coach Agnus Berenato took over. The Owls have two players who were named ASUN Freshman of the Year during their first season. Expectations are high for Kennesaw State as the Owls are picked to finish No. 5 in the conference.
After a tremendous finish to the season last year, North Florida is working toward the goal of achieving other milestones for the program. The Ospreys finished the season 13-18 and upset Stetson in the quarterfinals of the ASUN Championship. North Florida was also in a close semifinal game with Jacksonville.
Lipscomb is coming off the best season in program history. The Bison finished last season in the semifinals of the ASUN Championship. This season, Lipscomb will have six freshmen and a few transfers in the mix.
Last season, NJIT finished with a record of 4-26. Now under new leadership of Head Coach Mike Lane, the Highlanders hope to turn things around this season. The return of veteran players will play a key role to determine NJIT’s success.
First year ASUN member North Alabama is ready to make its debut in Division I play. Before the transition, the Lions played at the Division II level. Last season, they made their seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament.
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