ASOR Podcast

Nick Kirby, Jon Manson and Joel VanderPol recap the Liberty Flames dominating performance at the Field of 68 showcase over Charleston and FAU and look ahead to the ESPN Event Invitational in Orlando. This episode is sponsored by Jason Porter Realty.

Be sure to subscribe, give us a 5-star rating, and share with your friends no matter where you listen to Podcasts: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. We're also on YouTube this season, as well, and you can watch there. The Podcast will stream live on our YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook channels throughout the year.

The ASOR Podcast presented by Jason Porter Realty is back this week as we look back at Liberty's loss to FIU. What went wrong? What did we learn? How do we move forward? The Flames hit the road this week to play at Louisiana Tech on Saturday afternoon.

Be sure to subscribe, give us a 5-star rating, and share with your friends no matter where you listen to Podcasts: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. We're also on YouTube, as well, and you can watch there. The Podcast will stream live on our YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook channels throughout the year.

The ASOR Podcast presented by Jason Porter Realty is back this week as we look back at Liberty's loss to Missouri State. What went wrong? What did we learn? How do we move forward? The Flames hit the road this week to play at FIU on Saturday evening.

Be sure to subscribe, give us a 5-star rating, and share with your friends no matter where you listen to Podcasts: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. We're also on YouTube, as well, and you can watch there. The Podcast will stream live on our YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook channels throughout the year.

Nick Kirby and Jon Manson are joined by former Liberty player Joel Vander Pol to preview the 2025-26 season for the Liberty Flames. This episode is sponsored by Jason Porter Realty.

Be sure to subscribe, give us a 5-star rating, and share with your friends no matter where you listen to Podcasts: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. We're also on YouTube this season, as well, and you can watch there. The Podcast will stream live on our YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook channels throughout the year.

Liberty Flames: Reloaded and Ready for Another CUSA Run in 2025-26As the calendar flips to November 2025, the Liberty University men's basketball Flames are poised to defend their Conference USA crown and chase deeper into March Madness. Last season's 28-7 dream run—capped by a regular-season sweep, tournament title, and first-round NCAA berth—set a high bar under coach Ritchie McKay. Despite losing key transfers like Taelon Peter and Jayvon Maughmer, Liberty returns a battle-tested core, bolsters it with savvy portal grabs, and infuses youth with a towering freshman class. The result? A squad blending experience, length, and upside that could make Lynchburg hum all winter.

McKay, entering his seventh year, enters with quiet confidence. "We're not scrambling like so many mid-majors," he told reporters in September, emphasizing the Flames' retention of talent. His portal strategy targeted size and versatility, yielding transfers like R-Senior guard JJ Harper from D-II powerhouse West Liberty (15.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG last year) and R-Senior forward Josh Smith from Stetson, a 6-9 stretch-four who sat out 2024-25 with a knee injury but flashed 8.4 PPG prior. R-Freshman forward Ryan Jones Jr. adds ACC polish from Virginia Tech. These vets join a spine of returners: Graduate guard Kaden Metheny (13.3 PPG, CUSA Championship MVP, 102 threes), senior forward Zach Cleveland (11.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, third-team all-CUSA), and senior point guard Colin Porter (9.1 PPG, 4.3 APG, honorable mention all-CUSA). Sophomore guard Brett Decker (44.2% from deep as a frosh) and R-Senior forward Zander Yates provide bench spark, while injured duo Isaiah Ihnen (10.4 PPG pre-injury) and Smith return to fortify the frontcourt.

The freshmen haul screams potential: All 6-6 or taller, led by 6-8 forwards TJ Drain and Brady Kester, 6-9 Drew Grimes, 6-7 Torr Sorensen, and 6-6 guard Zander Carter.  Position breakdowns? Guards brim with shooters (Metheny, Porter) and creators (Cleveland at forward). Forwards hinge on health—Smith and Ihnen's knees could unlock elite spacing.

The ASOR Podcast presented by Jason Porter Realty is back this week as we look ahead to Liberty's game this Saturday at Williams Stadium against Missouri State. We also take a look back at where the Flames went right in the win over Delaware, 59-30, in an offensive explosion.

Be sure to subscribe, give us a 5-star rating, and share with your friends no matter where you listen to Podcasts: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. We're also on YouTube, as well, and you can watch there. The Podcast will stream live on our YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook channels throughout the year.

The ASOR Podcast presented by Jason Porter Realty is back this week as we look ahead to Liberty's game this Saturday at Williams Stadium against Delaware. We also discuss where the team stands at the midway point of the season and following a 17-day layoff.

Be sure to subscribe, give us a 5-star rating, and share with your friends no matter where you listen to Podcasts: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. We're also on YouTube, as well, and you can watch there. The Podcast will stream live on our YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook channels throughout the year.

The ASOR Podcast presented by Jason Porter Realty is back this week as we break down Liberty's return to the win column by defeating UTEP and also look ahead to this week's midweek game on the Mountain against New Mexico State.

Be sure to subscribe, give us a 5-star rating, and share with your friends no matter where you listen to Podcasts: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. We're also on YouTube, as well, and you can watch there. The Podcast will stream live on our YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook channels throughout the year.

The ASOR Podcast presented by Jason Porter Realty is back this week as we break down Liberty's loss to Old Dominion. What are the main takeaways? Where is improvement needed? Where is there optimism? Where to go from here? We also look ahead to the upcoming trip to UTEP.

Be sure to subscribe, give us a 5-star rating, and share with your friends no matter where you listen to Podcasts: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. We're also on YouTube, as well, and you can watch there. The Podcast will stream live on our YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook channels throughout the year.

The ASOR Podcast presented by Jason Porter Realty is back this week as we break down Liberty's loss to James Madison. What are the main takeaways? Where is improvement needed? Where is there optimism? Where to go from here? We also look ahead to this week's trip to Old Dominion and have a Jamey Chadwell discussion.

Be sure to subscribe, give us a 5-star rating, and share with your friends no matter where you listen to Podcasts: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. We're also on YouTube, as well, and you can watch there. The Podcast will stream live on our YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook channels throughout the year.

The ASOR Podcast presented by Jason Porter Realty is back this week as we break down Liberty's loss at Bowling Green. What are the main takeaways? Where is improvement needed? Where is there optimism? Where to go from here? We also look ahead to this week's home showdown against James Madison.

Be sure to subscribe, give us a 5-star rating, and share with your friends no matter where you listen to Podcasts: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. We're also on YouTube, as well, and you can watch there. The Podcast will stream live on our YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook channels throughout the year.