I spoke yesterday to Bob Fredericks, the head coach at Scottsdale Christian Academy outside of Phoenix. Bo Barnes, a 6-foot-4 guard, had given Liberty a verbal commitment last month. But Fredericks said Ritchie McKay’s departure took Barnes by surprise, and Barnes told Fredericks that he and his family would have to “think it through” in terms of signing a letter of intent come April 15.

As far as the three other commitments go, let’s start with Joel Vander Pol, a 6-foot-11 center from Fort Myers, Fla., who signed a national letter of intent in the early signing period in November.

When a coaching change occurs, players are generally let out of NLIs on a good faith basis if the athlete decides he wants to play elsewhere. I e-mailed Vander Pol’s high school coach, Nate Travis, to ask about Vander Pol’s take on the situation.

“Joel is still in shock,“ Travis wrote. “We talked a couple of times yesterday. He really wants to be at Liberty. He has really enjoyed the relationship he’s formed with some of the guys on the team and the coaching staff (especially [assistant coach Brad] Soucie). ... I feel comfortable saying he doesn’t desire to even look elsewhere.“

Of course, if Vander Pol doesn’t mesh with the new coaching staff, all bets are off.

Ovie Soko, the forward from Hampton who gave Liberty a verbal last month, is still committed to LU, Bethel assistant Ed Huckaby told the Newport News Daily Press’ Dave Johnson Thursday. That commitment is tenous, though, as you might expect.

“Like any other prospect, he’s going to want to see who the new coach is going to be. He’s got to be comfortable with his decision,“ Huckaby told the Daily Press.

The last commit, 6-foot-4 guard Chris Perez from Oldsmar, Fla., is waiting to see who ends up in the coaching chair. Perez’s high school coach, Ryan Pannone, said Perez has an excellent relationship with Soucie and that if Soucie gets the head coaching job, Perez’s commitment is rock solid. If it’s not Soucie, Perez may re-evaluate things. Liberty has a few things going for it in that regard, though. Perez played at the same high school as current Flame David Minaya, a Tennessee Tech transfer who will be eligible next season. And Pannone is literally about to become part of the Liberty family. He’s marrying Kyle Ohman’s sister in August.