It’s no secret that Liberty’s men’s basketball team will miss Lovell Cabbil in 2020 as the Flames attempt to fight their way back to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season.
Cabbil, the first recruit signed by Head coach Ritchie McKay upon his return to Liberty in 2015, cannot be truly replaced. Cabbil was arguably the best three-point shooter on last year’s team and widely-considered the team’s best on-ball defender. He shot 43.7% from three in his senior year and averaged around 12 points per game.
Cabbil was also one of the most beloved players to don a Flames uniform. When Cabbil collapsed with what appeared to be a serious injury in the ASUN tournament semifinal against North Florida, time seemed to stand still. The first question posed to McKay in the post-North Florida game press conference wasn’t about the win, the looming matchup with top-seeded Lipscomb, or the team’s chances at securing an NCAA tournament berth. It was, “Ritchie, how is Lovell?”
Cabbil, of course, returned to play a crucial role in Liberty’s remaining games: chipping in 14 at Lipscomb, 18 against Mississippi State, and nine against Virginia Tech. It’s difficult to speculate how Liberty would have fared in the three games without Cabbil, and one of the most pressing questions surrounding Flames basketball over the summer of 2019 was how Liberty planned to replace Cabbil’s production and veteran leadership.
Three games into the season, that question is beginning to be answered. Exit Cabbil, enter Kyle Rode and Shiloh Robinson.
Rode is the highest-rated recruit on Liberty’s 2020 roster. A freshman, Rode has already begun to demonstrate why he earned all-state honors his senior year why he was a nominee for Kentucky Mr. Basketball.
Cabbil and Rode are two different players. Unlike Cabbil, Rode won’t wow fans with flashy crossovers. We likely won’t see Rode at the center of isolation plays in 2020, and he certainly won’t attempt as many threes as Cabbil did. What Rode brings to the table is consistency, dependability, and the willingness to make gritty hustle plays that create points and extra possessions for Liberty. Rode’s 8 points per game average through three games is mainly the byproduct of kickout three-pointers, elbow jumpers, and tough inside shots. Rode’s selfless, gritty play will pay dividends for the Flames in this year and beyond.
Shiloh Robinson is another true freshman who has seen his fair share of playing time three games into the season. He’s another high-ceiling, versatile player with the ability to knock down threes and play lockdown defense.
The biggest thing that stands out to me about Robinson is his defensive potential. Robinson’s wingspan and agility allow him to matchup on guards and forwards alike, and Liberty fans should be excited to see how Robinson progresses this year and for the rest of his career.
The expectations for Liberty this year are high, and rightfully so. A talented senior-laden roster pushed the Flames to the top of the ASUN preseason polls, but the combination of two up-and-coming freshman will be an interesting storyline to follow in 2020. While Rode and Robinson are both different players than Cabbil, they’re two bona-fide players who will play a crucial role in Liberty’s pursuit of another NCAA tournament berth.
Without Cabbil, the continued emergence of Rode and Robinson will play a key role in achieving Liberty’s goal of hanging another NCAA tournament banner in 2020. While seniors Scottie James, Caleb Homesley, Elijah Cuffee and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz will likely get well-deserved headlines in 2020, the contributions of Rode and Robinson should not go unnoticed.
