Liberty men’s basketball head coach Ritchie McKay announced the hiring of Kevin Anderson, joining the program as an assistant coach. In addition, McKay has promoted Brad Soucie to associate head coach for the Flames.
“I remember watching Kevin as a player and how much I appreciated his game. I admire what he was and is about,” McKay said. “I think he is a leader and a connector and his wealth of experiences as a player will really benefit our program.”
Anderson is acquainted with Liberty basketball as he spent last season at Campbell working as the assistant director of basketball operations. While working at Campbell, Anderson’s duties included breaking down film for games and practices while also building great relationships with the players. Anderson helped the Camels post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in school history while making the postseason in both of his seasons on staff.
Anderson will be a familiar face in the state of Virginia as he played his collegiate ball at Richmond where he was the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year in 2008 and went on to earn A-10 Player of the Year and conference tournament MVP honors in 2011, when he led the Spiders to the league title and to a berth in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen. He was a two-time Associated Press honorable mention All-American. Anderson joins the staff as Kyle Getter has accepted a position on Virginia’s staff.
The former All-American will bring a player’s perspective on the bench as he embarked on a professional career that included stops in France, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Poland after his career at Richmond. Anderson played with the NBA D-League’s Canton Charge in 2012, was invited to the Cleveland Cavaliers training camp in 2012 and also was a member of the Orlando Magic summer league team.
“It is an honor to join this distinguished group of players, coaches and staff at Liberty. Doing so under a great leader and mentor in Coach McKay is a dream come true for me at this stage in my career,” Anderson said. “I am excited about everything the university stands for and humbled to be a part of it. This season should be fun and I’m looking forward to it.”
Moving from assistant coach to associate head coach, Soucie has been with McKay every step of the way for the past 23 years starting at Portland State in 1995. Under Soucie’s leadership, Liberty has transformed into being of the best defenses in the country. In the last two seasons, Liberty has ranked No. 9 (2018) and No. 19 (2017) in the nation in opponents’ points per game.
“Twenty-three years is a long time to do anything, but I know the benefit of journeying with Brad (Soucie) this long,” McKay said. “He has made a positive impact on so many lives and I am excited for his commitment to enhancing our program.”
Since McKay and Soucie returned to Liberty in 2015, the Flames have recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history while also appearing in back-to-back postseason tournaments, which is another first for the program.
“I am blessed to serve Coach McKay. He is a great coach and an even better man,” Soucie said. “He gave me my first coaching job and we have had a fun journey over the years. I look forward to helping him lead Liberty Basketball to new heights.”
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