By Rob Potter
April 9, 2004 – LIBERTY
INDIANS

Overall Record: 1-19

League Record: 0-6 OCIAA Division IV

Team Leaders: Senior Andrew Reigler led the Indians’ offense. He averaged 9.8 points per game while playing a number of positions, including point guard and shooting guard.
Junior forward Jason Garritt averaged 7.5 points per game. He was also the team’s leading rebounder, grabbing an average of six boards each contest.
“Those guys did a great job,” said Coach Dave Slater, who took over as Liberty’s varsity coach for the 2003-2004 season following the retirement of longtime coach Ed Riente.
Slater also noted that Garritt played in 79 of the team’s 80 quarters this past season.
The coach also praised freshman LaKarri Byrd for his performance. Byrd saw action in 19 of the Indians’ games, playing in 71 of 76 quarters.

Season Highlight: Despite the fact the Indians recorded only one victory this season – a 48-42 triumph over Fallsburg in the consolation game of the 2003 Billy Moran Tip-Off Tournament at Sullivan West High School – Slater lauded his players for always giving it their best out on the court.
“They played hard each game,” said Slater, who spent the previous three seasons as the school’s junior varsity boys’ basketball coach. “They never quit on me the whole season. That means a lot, especially as a first year coach.”

Other: The Indians will only be losing two seniors to graduation, Reigler and Shayne Fuller.
“Those two guys will be missed,” Slater said. “But we have an excellent group of kids coming back.”
That group includes four juniors, four sophomores and Byrd.
In addition, Slater noted that Liberty has a “good, athletic group of JV players,” so the future of the program is looking bright.