Liberty Flames basketball Coach McKay to stay on until 2028

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - According to Liberty University, the Flames’ head basketball coach, Ritchie McKay, signed a contract extension to through 2028.

The news was posted to the Liberty Basketball Facebook page Wednesday with the caption, “The best news you’ll hear today.”

“I am very honored and extremely excited by the commitment that our President Prevo, Ian McCaw and our administration has made to our program,” McKay said in an emailed statement from Liberty University Athletics. “Many are responsible for the upward trajectory that we’ve experienced, but especially our student-athletes that continue to pursue excellence in their pursuits. That being said, our hope is to continue to improve and compete at the highest level.”

According to McKay’s bio on the university’s website, he became the Flames’s head basketball coach in April of 2015, after spending six seasons working as Tony Bennett’s associate head coach at the University of Virginia. Prior to UVA, McKay served two seasons as Liberty’s men’s basketball coach, posting a 39-28 overall record and a 19-13 mark in Big South play.

In the five seasons since returning to Liberty, McKay has led the Flames to four straight 20-plus win season. According Liberty’s Athletics Communications team, Liberty’s historical run includes six ASUN titles (three regular season and three tournament championships) in the last three seasons, which is an ASUN Conference record. The team also made note of the Flames winning 82 games in the last three seasons, which is the second most wins in Division I during that span.

McKay has won ASUN Coach of the Year and NABC District 3 Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons.