Update: Maide, Rode, and Robinson all signed their NLIs on the first day of the early signing period to make it official.
The early signing period for men’s basketball begins today and runs through November 21, 2018. Coach McKay and the Flames have 3 early verbals in the class of 2018, Marten Maide, Kyle Rode, and Shiloh Robinson.
Maide is a 6’5″ guard from Charlotte, North Carolina where he attends Carmel Christian School. He was a high school teammate of current Liberty freshman Josh Price. Maide also had offers from Mercer, Houston Baptist, Charlotte, and Appalachian State. He was the first commitment in the class. Maide averaged 14 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds during his junior season. This year, Carmel Christian has been ranked as high as #43 in the nation and had 5 seniors sign with Division I programs today.
McKay on Maide: “Marten comes from a tremendous high school program and is used to winning. He is really athletic and has a tremendous work ethic and a strong pursuit of excellence. He will be another great addition to our family.”
Rode is a 6’7”, 210 pound prospect who had over 20 offers including Winthrop, William & Mary, Akron, Bradley, JMU, Rice, Belmont, Samford and Northern Kentucky. The 3-star prospect committed to Liberty in June. He is from Lexington, Kentucky where he attends Lexington Christian Academy. He helped guide LCA to its first All A Classic state championship this past season. He averaged 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game during his junior season.
McKay on Rode: “Kyle is a young man that embodies what every coach wants from one of his players. He will fit right into the fabric of our team and our university. He has exceptional character, is very complete and had a plethora of options yet felt like Liberty was the best fit for him. I think he will have an immediate and lasting impact on our program.”
The most recent commitment came from forward Shiloh Robinson in September. He chose the Flames over numerous offers including Lehigh, San Francisco, Fairfield, Rice, South Dakota, and Radford. He picked all of those offers during AAU ball this summer. Robinson is a 6’7″, 212 pound forward from Kearney High School in Kearney, Nebraska. He committed after taking an official visit to Lynchburg. Robinson returned to the basketball court at full strength this past spring after missing his entire junior season of high school with a broken wrist, which required two surgeries, he suffered in June 2017. He played AAU ball for Powerhouse Nebraska. He averaged 13.1 points and 8.4 rebounds as a sophomore while helping lead his team to the 2017 state semifinals. Robinson is ranked as the number 2 prospect in the state of Nebraska.
McKay on Robinson: “Shiloh is one of those consummate team guys: whatever it takes to win the game, he will do. He is a young man who will have a big impact on our program, not just because of his ability as a basketball player but the type of person he is. Like all of our guys, he plays for a terrific high school program and is used to winning.”
