Liberty might not be the most intimidating team this year, but head Chad Williams is convinced his team will not be outworked.
“We won’t have any superstars this year, but we are going to be deeper than we have been since I have been here,” Williams said. “I need them to run wide open, get up in people to try and force turnovers. We are not going to win any rebounding battles this year.”
Limited defensively in the past due to depth that could play at the varsity level, the Raiders will use its depth as a weapon this season.
“We kept 23 this year and we think nine of those kids are going to see big minutes this year. I can rotate all of them in and not really miss a beat because they are all so much alike in everything that they do,” Williams said. “The days of us not being able to apply the ball pressure that I would have liked to are gone because we could only go six or seven deep. Now we are on the flip side of the that.”
The losses to graduation for Liberty are significant in A.J. Williams and Adam Drennen. Williams is now playing at WVU Tech and Drennen was Class AA second team all-state selection.
The two former standouts also took most of the team height with them.
“I only have two kids over 6-foot and they are 6-foot-1,” Williams said. “I am used to having A.J. and Adam Drennen with all that height.”
The good news for the Raiders is there is another Williams in the fold. Coach Williams is hoping his nephew, Ethan Williams, can build on a strong sophomore season last year.
“He has shown a tremendous amount of growth since last year as far as his ability to control the offense and control things,” Williams said. “Everything will run through him and he won’t get bothered by the ball pressure like he did last year.”
One place Ethan Williams never seemed bothered was the big moments when his team needed a crucial score.
“Well, we have always said, that is the Williams in him. I don’t think a Williams has met a shot that they didn’t like it,” Williams said, laughing. “That is the joke at practice, but he has taken on that role even more so this year. He is forcing the other kids to step up and he is leading by example.”
Liberty will have two additional players back that started last year and both will counted upon heavily this year.
“Zach Bowman is a senior and he will have to step up and play a big role for us,” Williams said. “We also have Resean Simms who will be one of the big guys.”
Jalen Cook is the brother of former Liberty standout big man, Levi Cook. The younger Cook does not have the same size as his brother, but is a solid player in his own right.
“Jalen is back after a knee injury last year. He is a senior and his basketball IQ is what really helps him out,” Williams said. “He is athletic for his size and has been around the game for so long. He is like a sponge and picks everything up quick. He should help us out a lot this year.”
Tyler Cantley was the sixth-man last year for the Raiders and Williams says he will step into a starting role this season.
“Tyler always had big games for us as far as bringing the intensity,” Williams said. “He will help with leadership.”
From there, Williams will turn to three sophomores who will see big minutes.
“We have some really good young players,” Williams said. “Chris Bowman, Riley Martin and Jaden Acord have really improved since last year.”
The main strengths Williams sees for his team this year will be balanced scoring and its commitment to defense.
“We will be more balanced in regards to scoring this year which will be a big plus,” Williams said. “Ethan is obviously our shooter, but we have some other kids that can shoot. I think I have seven kids that can give us 12-14 points on any given night. We have a good combinations of kids that can shoot it and kids that can get to the basket.”
“They have also bought into the fact that they will have to play really good defense this year,” Williams went on to say. “They have really worked hard in the preseason and put a big emphasis on their defense.”
While Liberty may not intimidate anyone by walking on the floor, it is no stranger to the doubters. The Raiders use that as fuel for the fire in Glen Daniel.
“I think Liberty has had that reputation as a team that you just look on past us to the next game,” Williams said. “I take that personal and we like to take that as a challenge. We want to make teams pay for doing that.”
Liberty opens the season on the road at Van, Dec. 9 before traveling to county rival Independence, Dec. 13.