Nov/Dec LJ
9/27/07
11:21 AM
Page 50
SPORTS Les Schofer
by ERIC BROWN Special to the Liberty Journal
Man with a
MISSION New basketball coach takes reins Hebrews 11:6 states that
God rewards those who earnestly seek him.
W
alk into Liberty University Basketball Coach Ritchie McKay’s office and you will find this verse mounted on the wall. In that same office sits a man who lives by that verse every day and is seeing it come to fruition in his life. McKay knows what it takes to rebuild programs and lead a team to a conference championship. Since being hired as the seventh basketball coach in the school’s 36-year history, McKay has received blessings that cannot be represented by metal or wood. The recently acquired coach recalls the joy he felt when he arrived at Liberty. “I really, really wanted the job,” McKay said, “More so than higher paying positions at more prestigious conferences.When I was in Dr. Falwell’s office the day he and Jeff [Barber] decided to hire me, it was really a humbling experience. It was the most excited I had ever been to take a job.” Liberty University Basketball Coach Ritchie McKay is the seventh basketball coach in the school’s 36-year history. McKay knows what it takes to rebuild programs and lead a team to a conference championship.
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Nov./Dec. 2007