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Gill Adds Two to Football Staff |
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Written by media relations
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Wednesday, 16 January 2013 12:47 |
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LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty University Head Football Coach Turner Gill has added Kyle DeArmon and Charlie Skalaski, IV, to his staff to fill the two vacant quality control positions on his staff member listing.
“It is great to have a former Liberty player in Kyle coming back to be a part of our program,” commented Gill. “Charlie has been a student worker in our office the past year and he proved that he could be a great asset to our program. Both individuals are phenomenal workers and will be great additions to our staff.”
DeArmon will be taking over as Liberty’s new offensive quality control staff member and Skalaski will be filling the same role for the Flames’ defense.
Kyle DeArmon
Offensive Quality Control
Kyle DeArmon is no stranger to Liberty’s football program and is the first former Flames player to be part of Liberty’s football staff since 2011.
DeArmon was a five-year member of Liberty’s roster, coming to Liberty from Indian Rocks Christian School in Clearwater, Fla., as a quarterback in 2006. He made the transition to wide receiver later in his career, where he finished with 20 games played, 14 receptions, 239 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions.
During his playing career, DeArmon helped the Flames claim their first four Big South titles and he was a part of Liberty’s first-ever 10-win season in 2008. As a senior, DeArmon ranked fourth on Liberty’s 2010 roster in receptions and receiving yards and third in touchdown receptions.
For the past two years, DeArmon has been a coach and elementary physical education teacher at Westminster Christian Academy in Huntsville, Ala.
DeArmon served as an assistant football coach at Westminster, working with the wide receivers and linebackers, as well as, special teams coordinator.
DeArmon helped Westminster’s punter, Jordan Lake, earn first-team all-state honors, while wide receiver Jay Madison was an honorable-mention All County selection after breaking the program’s single-season receptions and receiving yards records.
DeArmon also was a junior varsity basketball coach and assistant varsity softball coach, helping Westminster win the 2012 area softball championship.
DeArmon graduated from Liberty in 2010 with a sport management Bachelor of Science degree. He is currently pursuing his Master of Arts degree in business management and leadership at Liberty.
Charlie Skalaski, IV
Defensive Quality Control
Charlie Skalaski has been working with the Flames football program for the past year and has a personal connection with Liberty football that dates to 2003.
Since February, Skalaski has worked under offensive coordinator Aaron Stamn, former offensive quality control staff member Adam Morris and former special teams coordinator Mike Minter as a student assistant.
Skalaski has also spent the last four years as an assistant varsity coach at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Va.
During the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Skalaski served as junior varsity offensive coordinator and assistant wide receivers coach. In 2010 and 2011, was promoted to assistant offensive coordinator while retaining his wide receiver coaching position.
Skalaski helped Liberty Christian win the 2011 VISAA Division I state title and he coached Demetri Knowles, who played in all 12 games this past season for Virginia Tech as a wide receiver and special teams member.
Skalaski also served as junior varsity interim head coach for two months during the 2011 season (October and November).
Skalaski is the son of former Flames wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Charlie Skalaski, who was on Liberty’s staff from 2003 to 2011 before he left the program to take a coaching staff position with the Jacksonville Jaguars last January.
Skalaski is scheduled to complete his Bachelor of Science in sport management in May 2013.
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Liberty Escapes with Win at Western Carolina |
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Written by media relations
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Monday, 31 December 2012 20:05 |
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CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Liberty men’s basketball closed 2012 with its third straight win, defeating Western Carolina, 63-62.
With the Flames trailing by one with five seconds on the clock, the Catamounts called a timeout with none left, leading to a technical foul on the home team. The infraction sent Tavares Speaks to the foul line, where he connected on both free throws. Liberty stopped Western Carolina on the next possession to earn their first victory over a Division I opponent, this season.
Liberty moves to 4-10 on the year despite committing a season-high 24 turnovers. The Flames’ miscues are the most in exactly two years. Liberty committed 25 turnovers in a 64-62 overtime win at Gardner-Webb, on Dec. 31, 2010.
The Catamounts fall to 4-9 overall. The Flames now lead the all-time series between the two squads, 2-1.
Speaks led Liberty with 13 points. Tomasz Gielo and Flames’ leading scorer Davon Marshall chipped in 10 tallies. Gielo also garnered Liberty’s fourth double-double of the season, grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds.
John Caleb Sanders and Joel Vander Pol each recorded nine points. Vander Pol also swatted a career-high four blocks, the most by a Flame, this season.
Entering the contest averaging over 16 points, Trey Sumler lived up to the billing, pacing the Catamounts with 23 points.
In the early going, Speaks found Marshall open on a 2-on-1 fast break layup to put the Flames up by three. The Catamounts countered with four answered points to take the lead. Joel Vander Pol then put Liberty back on top with a traditional three-point play. Once again, Western Carolina responded, this time connecting on a pair free throws and a Sumler three-pointer. The trey put the Catamounts ahead, 15-12, at 9:03.
With Western Carolina still holding a three-point lead at the 3:24 mark, the Flames closed out the period with a 10-0 run to carry a seven-point lead into the locker room. Speaks highlighted the surge with four points, including a thunderous fast break jam, ultimately putting Liberty up, 29-22, at halftime.
Turnovers were kind to the Catamounts in the first half, as Western Carolina converted 12 Liberty turnovers into 15 points. On the other end, the Flames benefited from the foul line, hitting 10-of-13 shots from the charity stripe.
Sumler and James Sinclair each had seven points in the first half. Speaks paced Liberty with six tallies in the opening period, followed by JR Coronado and Casey Roberts, who each had five points.
In the second half, Marshall put the Flames ahead by nine with a three-pointer at 13:32. The Catamounts answered with a 9-2 to cut their deficit to two. Preston Ross capped the burst with an authoritative tomahawk jam off the fast break.
Liberty then posted four answered points to boost its lead to six. On the next Western Carolina possession, Sumler capitalized on a four-point play, draining the three-pointer and hitting the foul shot, cutting it to two again. The Flames denied the Catamounts the chance to tie, scoring six straight markers, including a huge Gielo three-pointer, giving Liberty a 51-45 advantage at 7:11.
Liberty led by as much as seven with 3:27 remaining, but an 8-0 run put the Catamounts up by one with 58 ticks left. With Western Carolina holding a four-point lead with 10 seconds left, John Caleb Sanders drove to the basket, connecting on a layup and following up with a free throw after a foul. Speaks then cemented the win, sinking both free throws for the 63-62 final.
The Flames shot 44.4 percent (20-of-45) from the field, while holding Western Carolina to 37.1 percent (23-of-62). The Catamounts outscored the Flames 32-13 off turnovers. Liberty finished the night with its best free throw percentage of the season, hitting 18-of-22 (81.8) shots from the foul line.
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Liberty’s Big Men Post Big Performances in Flames’ Victory |
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Written by media relations
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Sunday, 30 December 2012 13:31 |
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LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty men’s basketball team’s post players shined inside the Vines Center, Friday night, guiding the Flames to a 104-67 victory over Union College.
Liberty’s point total is its highest of the season, marking the first time the Flames have reached the century mark since defeating VMI, 100-82, on Jan. 20, 2011.
Four players led Liberty’s offense with 14 points – JR Coronado, Davon Marshall, Andrew Smith and Tavares Speaks. Along with his career-high scoring performance, Coronado posted a career-high 16 rebounds. Smith’s 14 tallies were also a career-high for the sophomore forward. Marshall added a career-high nine assists to accompany his point total.
Playing in his fifth contest since returning to the Flames’ lineup, Joel Vander Pol closed out the night with a season-high 12 points and a career-high 11 boards. Chad Donley rounded out Liberty’s double-digit scorers, posting a career-high 10 points.
Deante Johnson paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 17 points, followed by Tyler Wagner, who chipped in 15.
With the victory, Liberty moves to 3-10 on the year, while Union College falls to 7-7. Liberty is now 2-0 all-time against the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs led by as much as three in the opening minutes, but the Flames gained the lead thanks to a Marshall three-pointer at 17:25. Tyrell Hall tied the contest at seven 30 ticks later. Liberty then responded with five unanswered points from Marshall and Vander Pol to take a 12-7 advantage at 15:38.
With the Flames holding a three-point edge under the 13-minute mark, Smith wowed the Vines Center with a one-handed jam. Donley fed the ball to the 6-9 sophomore, who proceeded to cut toward the basket and flush the high percentage shot, giving Liberty a 19-14 lead at 12:25.
The Bulldogs made it a four-point game courtesy of Johnson jumper at 9:30. The Flames proceeded to outscore Union College, 10-1, over the next 3:27 to expand their advantage to 13, 35-22, at 6:03.
The visitors began to find their range in the closing minutes of the half, knocking down a pair of three-pointers to climb within nine of the Flames. However, Liberty managed to pull away again before halftime to carry a 47-32 lead into the locker room.
The Flames concluded the first half shooting 50.0 percent from the field (14-of-28). Liberty also capitalized at the free throw line in the opening stanza, knocking down 16-of-22 shots (72.7 percent) from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs closed out the half shooting 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from the field.
Marshall paced the Flames during the first half with 14 points and four assists, while Vander Pol and Speaks chipped in eight apiece off the bench. Johnson led the Bulldogs with eight points.
During the opening minutes of the second half, the Bulldogs pulled within eight points of the Flames thanks to a Tarik Smith three-pointer at 16:29. With Liberty still owning a nine-point lead at the 15:20 mark, the Flames went on an 8-2 run over the next 1:40, holding the Bulldogs scoreless from the field during the span.
Smith kick started the burst with an authoritative two-handed jam, followed by two fast break layups by Speaks off a pair of steals. Vander Pol capped the surge off with a layup, making it 64-48 at 13:40.
With Liberty up by 17 with 8:31 left, the Flames began their march toward the 100-point mark, outscoring the Bulldogs, 29-9 during the remaining minutes.
Coronado paced the Flames offense during the closing minutes, scoring nine of the Flames final 20 points. Smith put Liberty over the triple-digit hump with 1:21 remaining, finishing a thunderous alley-oop off a Casey Roberts pass. Smith closed out Liberty’s scoring with another dunk with 38 ticks left, setting up the 104-67 final.
The Flames finished the night shooting 53.8 percent from the floor, its second-highest percentage of the season. Liberty had its best night of the season from the charity stripe, hitting 25-of-32 foul shots (78.1 percent). The Flames also posted season highs in steals (12), bench points (54) and points in the paint (48). Union College ended the evening shooting 39.7 percent (23-of-58).
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Burrus to Apply for Medical Redshirt |
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Written by media relations
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Friday, 28 December 2012 21:43 |
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LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty Head Men’s Basketball Coach Dale Layer has announced that senior forward Antwan Burrus will apply for a medical redshirt for the 2012-13 season. Burrus has missed all 12 games this season due to a stress reaction in his left foot.
“After consulting the team doctors and medical experts at Liberty, Antwan and I discussed his present and future,” Layer stated. “He is improving, but still not 100 percent healthy. Based on the best medical advice, we felt it prudent that Antwan not play this season.”
Layer added, “Since he has not played against outside competition and is still injured, he will likely retain his year of eligibility and be back at Liberty for next season. We have missed him in many ways this year, but will look forward to a healthy Antwan Burrus next season.”
Last season, Burrus concluded the year fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 11.2 points per game. Along with his point total, Burrus also led the team in blocked shots with 36 and was second in rebounding, grabbing 6.3 boards per game.
Upon his return to the Flames lineup next season, Burrus needs 234 points to become a member of Liberty’s 1,000-point club. The Winterville, N.C., native is also fourth all-time in program history with 104 career blocked shots, needing nine more to grab the No. 2 spot.
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