This week’s ASOR Player Of The Week is sophomore forward Kyle Rode.
As Liberty swept the two-game series against North Florida, Rode was a major contributor. In game 1 against the Ospreys, Rode accounted for 11 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. Rode also reached double-digit scoring in game 2, as the sophomore scored 10 points along with 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
Rode is the first player not named Darius McGhee, Chris Parker, or Blake Preston to win the ASOR POTW this season. In just his second year on The Mountain, Rode has stepped up as a major leader on the team and does a little bit of everything. On the year, Rode is averaging 6.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, and just under 1 steal per game at 0.6. While his stats may not necessarily be flashy, Rode serves the vital role of Liberty’s “glue guy.” The epitome of a team player, Rode’s knack for doing the little things, caught the eye of former Liberty guard Ryan Kemrite, who expressed Rode as “the guy you want on your team.”
I tell coach souc allllll the time that @KyleRode is me if I was taller, more muscular, better player, ect. That dude does so much that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet when you watch the games… He’s the guy you want on your team
— Ryan Kemrite (@Rkemrite05) January 30, 2021
As the Flames enter the home stretch of conference play, Liberty currently sits in second place in the ASUN standings with a conference record of 8-2. This sets the stage for an important series coming up with North Alabama this weekend, as Liberty fights for the conference regular-season crown. This series will be the last two games played at Liberty Arena this season, as currently scheduled. Game 1 against UNA will be Friday, February 19th, at 5:00 pm est. You can watch the game on ESPN+.
Previous ASOR POTW winners this season:
12/6/20 – Darius McGhee
12/13/20 – Blake Preston
12/20 – Chris Parker
1/5/21 – Darius McGhee
1/11/21 – Blake Preston
1/17/21 – Chris Parker
2/1/21 – Darius McGhee
