All photos provided by: Liberty Athletics
South Championship run. “We worked hard every day and never gave up. A lot of teams would have packed it up and went home. Coming into the conference tournament, we just knew we were supposed to be here.”
Antwan Burrus
Although he will not set foot on the court this season, Antwan Burrus has been the Flames’ humble cheerleader. Poised to leave his mark in the Liberty record books, Burrus entered this season as the Flames’ go-to guy inside the paint. People familiar with the program felt the senior would undoubtedly save his best year for last and his 15 first-half points in Liberty’s bluewhite scrimmage provided a strong indication. However, in the second half of the scrimmage Burrus did not see much action and it soon became apparent the forward could miss more than a few games. It was later revealed that Burrus suffered from a stress reaction in his left foot, an injury the coaching staff remained hopeful about. While at one point it was believed the Winterville, N.C., native would eventually return, the decision was made in late December to don a medical redshirt, instead. Last season, Burrus was able to give the Flames a jolt of energy when he hit a 30-foot buzzer beater that was featured at No. 2 on ESPN Sports Center’s Top 10 Plays. This year, that same energy was felt in the locker room, the team bus, on the sidelines and everywhere else Burrus went with Flames. When watching the Flames burst onto the court after claiming the Big South title, Burrus’ elation as he ran alongside the rest of his teammates was indescribable. Despite not being able to share the court with the rest of the team until next season, No. 24 will continue to provide Liberty with a competitive influence that cannot be scouted.
J.R. Coronado
Growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, an area known as a baseball hotbed, JR Coronado had aspirations of being in the big leagues. However, injuries to his right shoulder altered those plans, turning a right handed pitcher into a two-handed rebounder. “I was really good, actually, and I thought my future was baseball,” Coronado recalled when asked about his high school baseball career. “We had a lot of scouts come to our school. I had to get surgery on my shoulder and after I came back and did rehab, I just wasn’t the same.” With his chances at continuing to play on the diamond wan-
ing, Coronado began embracing a new game. “My basketball career started when my AAU coach saw me walking around town” he said. “He saw that I was really tall, but I really didn’t know how to play basketball. He brought me into the game and started teaching me.” Now several years later, Coronado is in his first season with the Flames after transferring from Palm Beach State. Coronado, a sophomore, has started 31-of-35 games for the Flames, carrying the responsibility of being Liberty’s primary rebounder with 8.2 boards per game.
John Caleb Sanders
Flames fans familiar with the program know the story of John Caleb Sanders, but it is still a remarkable one to tell. The youngest of six children, the Sugar Land, Texas, native grew up playing one-on-one basketball with his older brothers. John Caleb witnessed his brother, Thomas, earn AP All-America Honorable Mention honors at Gardner-Webb in 2008, followed by Jesse in 2011 with Liberty. In John Caleb’s first two seasons at Liberty, he and Jesse were a tandem, stepping onto the court with an innate chemistry. With Jesse’s departure at the conclusion of last season, John Caleb took a larger role as the Flames’ on-court and locker room leader. While he has not earned the same individual honors his brothers have, Liberty’s leading scorer lived the dream they all shared growing up, as he made his first NCAA Tournament appearance. During the Flames’ Big South Championship run, John Caleb suffered a sprained ankle in Liberty’s semifinal matchup against Gardner-Webb. Heading into the finals with Charleston Southern, the junior guard was unable to get a wink of sleep because of the pain. Despite the lack of rest, John Caleb received the starting nod against the Buccaneers, tying his career high with a 27-point performance en route to the 87-76 victory. The run to the NCAA Tournament was, by some standards, miraculous. A team that had only 11 victories overall and six conference victories, won four games in the conference championship to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament’s First Four. Dreams aren’t only for kids. Eric Brown works for Liberty’s Athletic Communications office and covers the men’s basketball team.
SPORTS SPECTRUM ~ DIGIMAG 2013
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