Zach Cleveland’s Foundation Helped Him Lead the Liberty Flames

Zach (middle), his older sister (left), and his younger brother (right)

Zach began playing outside with his little brother, running one-on-one or playing a game of horse. 

The Clevelands grew accustomed to the sound of the leather sphere clanking against the rim and bouncing on the rugged concrete. 

It was the perfect scenario for Zach to practice his new obsession. His mother noticed the spark in his eyes when he talked about the game, so she decided to light a fire under him, changing the trajectory of her son’s life forever.  

Humble Beginnings On the Hardwood

Containing their excitement was impossible, so the Clevelands built a court in their backyard, and just like that, it was on. The new fixation was old to Zach’s parents, so his mother would take him under her wing.

“My mom coached basketball so I was always around it, and I think the more and more basketball that I watched, whether it was NBA, college, high school, that really helped me kind of navigate those issues,” Cleveland said. “I was around it all the time, so I think that really helped me navigate the process in the game.”

If Cleveland wasn’t practicing with his mother, he was watching his favorite players. The budding fanatic was enamored by former lottery pick Brandon Knight and a litany of others.

“I was a huge Kentucky guy growing up, Brandon Knight, all those guys. Aaron Kraft at Ohio State. I loved watching them.”

Zach hit the hardwood running. As soon as he was of age, his parents signed him up for organized basketball, and it was time to put his newly acquired skills to use.`

By the fifth grade, he was playing with kids twice his size. The rise in competition lit a massive fire under the 10-year-old, and over the next two years, he tapped into a discipline rarely seen at 12 years of age.

A Game of Inches

Although little Zach was undersized, his effort made up for his literal shortcomings. He was finally improving after putting in hours in the gym with his mother. Night in and night out, he was practicing guard drills.

It was a fun time in the Cleveland household, filled with daily car rides to games and practices. Zach became a standout on every team he played on, and by the eighth grade, he was also standing out in the classroom.

He grew to 6-foot-2 by the age of 13, changing his trajectory on the court forever. Growing five inches confirmed his future in basketball, but as his physical gifts began to emerge, the blessing of a new body felt like a temporary curse. 

A Rite Of Passage

“You gotta focus on specific things, like sleep, your diet,” said Cleveland. “I didn’t have literal growing pains, but you start to notice when you don’t sleep well. You start noticing when you don’t eat well. It’s not like middle school and elementary school, where you can eat fruit roll-ups all day and sleep whenever and you feel great, you know?”

Having the blessing of a new body came with a great responsibility. Taking care of himself required a completely different lifestyle than before, but Zach’s parents were all too familiar with the process.  

They noticed his body changing, but rather than teaching him post moves, they pressed on, teaching him ball-handling skills like a guard. Although he was playing center for his ball clubs, his parents wanted him to retain the intangibles that made him valuable on the court.

Zach developed the ability to impact the game in multiple ways, whether scoring, defending, or passing. It was vital for his development, especially with high school on the horizon. 

Before making that jump, Zach was honing his craft on the AAU circuit just like any other NBA hopeful. While navigating the terrain of the competitive landscape, he discovered physical specimens on numerous occasions, opening his eyes to the true nature of Basketball. 

An Eye-opening Revelation

Zach Cleveland was competing in the right age group, but there were kids with bodies beyond their years on the other end of the floor. 

“ In AAU, there are some animals out there where they’re just different physiques,” he said. “There’s another level of this, and that competition made me get in the weight room.”

The stakes were rising, and so was Zach’s confidence for the game. After completing his AAU season and graduating from middle school, he had his sights set on the Normal Community High School varsity basketball team. 

It was 2018, and the start of a new chapter for Cleveland. His private training sessions over the summer had him brimming with confidence, and he tried out for the team as a freshman. 

“There’s a sense of urgency I remember I had going into that day, I needed to not only make the team, but I needed to be ‘that guy’ on the team.”

Rising Up the Ranks

Like most first-year students in high school athletics, Cleveland was subjected to Junior Varsity, but he couldn’t help but be angry about it. From his perspective, there weren’t 15 better basketball players in the tryouts that day.

Zach paid his dues on JV, and a year later, he tried out for the varsity team once again. This time, his hard work was rewarded with a roster spot and an IHSA regional title.

Little did Cleveland and the rest of the world know that a global shutdown was about to hit.

Zach with the ISHA regional trophy post-game. 03-06-2020.

“I still remember walking out of math class, and I got a text on my phone. They were sending updates. It might have been Twitter, saying the schools next to us closed.”

“We’re like, ‘oh, shoot, is this gonna happen to us?’” Cleveland said. “Next thing you know, the next week, we’re online, and not in school, and so it was just a big difference.”

The hallways became filled with the chatter of suspense and fear of the unknown. Zach went from drawing fouls to being quarantined from his teammates and loved ones. 

As time progressed, he adjusted to the times and spent his time watching game film to improve while off the hardwood. 

Fortunately for Cleveland and his cadre of Ironmen (his high school mascot), the team would return to the court for the 2020-21 season, finishing with a 12-4 record. It was a shortened season, but it was a sign that a new normal was on the horizon for the Illinois community. 

Getting Back On Track

The Ironmen returned to the court in full force after COVID-19, and it was Zach’s senior year, so he was determined to make a statement. He averaged 14.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while leading the Ironmen to a 33-2 record.

MaxPreps ranked them the fourth-best basketball club in Illinois, and the statewide attention helped Cleveland attract interest from multiple schools.

From the Illinois State Redbirds to the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks, multiple schools wanted the 6-foot-7 forward with a well-rounded game. There were a plethora of other names, but after visiting Liberty University, he fell in love with the Flames.

The Logo for the Liberty Flames

He committed after one visit, and it was on from there. 

“I flew to Liberty, and from when I stepped on the campus, it just kind of felt like home,” said Zach. “The people there are really what did it for me. I remember someone telling me to treat the recruiting process like you’re having a girlfriend. ‘Whichever school wants you the most is the one that you’re gonna be the happiest with.’ ”

But why did Liberty want Zach Cleveland?

“ I would say it’s as simple as me and all the coaches were people-people, so we love relationships, and we love basketball, so it was as simple as that.”

High school passed faster than the Ironmen on the fastbreak, and in the fall of 2022, Cleveland joined his new basketball team, the Liberty Flames, and a familiar face from the past. 

The Rebirth of Ritchie McKay

The Flames were experiencing a resurgence in the fall of 2016 after suffering three losing seasons. It all changed when former coach Dale Layer was relieved of his duties on March 4, 2015, and former Head Coach Ritchie McKay was rehired. 

Liberty Flames Head Coach Ritchie McKay

Ritchie originally led the Flames from 2007-09, before departing for an Associate Head Coach role with the Virginia Cavaliers. Former Cavs Head Coach Dave Leitao resigned on March 16, 2009, after accumulating a 27-34 record over two seasons. 

The Virginia administration hired NBA veteran Tony Bennett on the morning of March 31. McKay joined Bennett on the sidelines and assisted the potential Hall of Fame coach from 2009-15.

It was a career-altering experience for McKay. Coaching alongside the 2007 Associated Press National Coach of the Year showed him how to truly lead a winning team. 

The pair rebuilt the Virginia men’s basketball program from the ground up, finishing with a 136-64 record after six seasons together. Meanwhile, back in Lynchburg, the Flames were ready for a fresh start after losing for years.

Stoking The Flames

By the Spring of 2015, Liberty was at the bottom of the Conference USA with an 8-24 record. At the same time, the Cavaliers were crowned regular-season champions of the ACC for the second consecutive year, finishing the 2014-15 season with a 30-4 record.

Unfortunately, Virginia suffered defeat at the hands of Michigan State University. The Elite Eight served as a battlefield for the Cavaliers and the Spartans, culminating in a 60-52 victory for Michigan.

Although McKay enjoyed his time alongside Bennett, he had unfinished business to attend to in Lynchburg. On April 1, 2015, he was officially reintroduced as the Flames’ head coach, and it would only take him two seasons to end six years of mediocrity.

Fast forward to 2021, and a 17-year-old Zach Cleveland would shake McKay’s hand at an AAU game, cementing their future together.

“ We met at an AAU tournament, and we got to shake hands,” said Cleveland. “Just from the start, he’s a great guy, and he’s a funny guy, so he’ll have some jokes for you, and he’ll lighten the mood, you know? It can be a little intimidating as a high schooler, meeting such a historically great college coach who’s been at Virginia.” –

Zach had a strong first impression of McKay during their initial meeting.

“He’s very humble, and I think that’s what helped me connect with him,” Cleveland said. “He didn’t think that he was better than you, even though he might have more success than you.”

The New Big-Man On Campus

Meeting coach McKay eliminated any doubt he had about attending Liberty University, and in 2022, it was time to get to work. The 2022-23 NCAA season began in November, but Cleveland would sit on the bench with the other freshmen for the majority of the year.

Zach’s media pictures (2023)

Nonetheless, he trusted the process, leading to a massive leap during the 2023-24 season where he averaged 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 32 games as a starter. His progress was undeniable, and he was one of the few bright spots for the Flames, who finished 18-14 that season.

The team would re-group and run it back the next year, this time with a litany of new talent. Point guard Taelon Peters and forward Jayvon Maughmer transferred to the Flames, serving as the catalyst for a culture shift. 

Both made an immediate impact, and the new roster dominated the season, finishing 28-7 atop the CUSA.

The Jack of All Trades

Although everyone played a role in their rise up the rankings, Cleveland was the glue that kept the team together. He led the team in assists (5.1), and rebounds (6.3), while also ranking third in scoring (11.0). It was his second year averaging these numbers. 

By Zach’s junior year, he had mastered the art of impacting the game in multiple ways, a rare skill that he attributes to his family upbringing.

“I think it was just a combination of my whole life. Being a guard as a kid, and then I think my parents just instilled very hard work and that competitive nature in me,” Cleveland said. “ Some guys don’t want to rebound, some guys don’t want to guard the best players, some guys don’t want to dive on the floor. And that was instilled in me as a kid, to the point where it wasn’t a choice, that was automatic. That’s just how my brain processes the game.”

The Mighty Ducks

After balling out during the regular season, the Flames secured a spot in the annual March Madness tournament. For their hard work, they were rewarded with a matchup against 7-footer Nate Bittle and his flock of Oregon Ducks.

Up and down the court they went, battling possession after possession. Eventually, the game settled in, and the Ducks had an apparent advantage when cleaning the glass. Their success allowed them to get out in transition, and before they knew it, Oregon was cruising to the finish line, winning 81-52.

Bittle, an Oregon native, brutalized the paint, finishing the game with 14 points and 10 rebounds, resulting in a heartbreaking loss for the Flames.

Only time could heal such a deep wound.

“It was hard on us, because no one wants to lose that way, everyone kind of feels like it’s their fault. knowing that’s the last time you step on the floor with those guys was a very sad moment,” Cleveland said. “ It was definitely an emotional time, but it gave us a burning passion and motivation for the next year. We wanna do this again and get back here. So it definitely started a fire in us returners who were coming back.”

And they would do just that, but alas, they would be on the other side of history yet again after another successful regular season during the 2025-26 school year. Their 26-8 record helped secure a spot in the 2026 NIT Tournament, but they would lose in the second round to the Nevada Wolf Pack on March 21, 2026.

A Future In Basketball

This past season was Cleveland’s senior year, and with graduation on the horizon, Zach reflects on the life lessons he learned from a lifetime on the hardwood.

“I’d say I learned not to care so much. It’s dangerous to be concerned with what other people think about you. I tell people basketball is not who I am, it’s just what I do. In my freshman and sophomore years, it was my identity. I identified myself as a basketball player; now I identify myself as a child of God.”

Cleveland during the 2025 media day

His future is brighter than the lights of any national championship, and now at 22 years old, he hopes to carve out a future in the global phenomenon.

“ I really want to be a recruiter like people who go to things like the PIT or the NBA Draft Combine. I think it’d be fun to try,” Cleveland said. “I think if I had to choose, I would want to be a player personnel and seek out talent that would be successful.”

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