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On Sunday Liberty beat North Alabama by 4 PTS in the Atlantic Sun tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Flames were 11-5 in mid-January but have won 12 games in a row to claim the school’s 3rd straight NCAA tourney bid. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Kyle Rode about growing up in Lexington and what it feels like to make the NCAA tourney yet again.
You were born/raised in Kentucky: how big is basketball in the Bluegrass State, and what made you choose Liberty? When you grow up 10 minutes away from Rupp Arena and are able to experience that atmosphere with your family, it is special. My love for the game started when I was young, and ended up attending a private Christian school that seemed very similar to Liberty.
You graduated as the all-time leading scorer in Lexington Christian history: what is the secret to being a great scorer? I had really good teammates/coaches around me who put me in positions to be successful both on/off the court. Sometimes they needed me to score a lot of points for us to win.
You play for Coach Ritchie McKay: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him? He has been an amazing role model for me. You find out really quickly after you get here that he cares about you as a person, which always comes 1st. His reputation speaks for itself: he knows how to develop basketball players/young men.
What is it like to be a college basketball player during a pandemic? You are told a lot where you are supposed to be and what you need to stay away from! They keep us in a bubble and they put a little more on our plate but it has been great.
Last week Darius McGhee was named conference POY: how is he able to play so well despite standing only 5’9”? I think he is 1 of the most special players I have ever been around. He has a “wow” moment every game and I love him as a player/person. He puts in the work/preparation ever day.
In the Atlantic Sun tourney title game last Sunday you scored 15 PTS/3-4 3PM in a 4-PT win over North Alabama: what did it mean to you to win a championship, and how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? Our whole team played a really good game. We are unselfish and trust each other, which are the 2 biggest factors to winning a big game. The points just came for me because my teammates got me some good looks. It is always fun to win a championship while representing your university.
You actually clinched the title the previous day because the Lions are ineligible for the NCAA tourney this year: I know you wanted to cut down the nets, but did it take a lot of pressure off because it was a no-lose situation? We had the right mindset going into the game. We wanted to win a title and when you step onto the court against a good opponent you have to compete. They are a good program so it was good to get a win against them.
Your team has now won 3 straight conference tourneys: is it fair to use the label “dynasty”, and how were you able to keep it going this year after losing an amazing senior class from last year? Coach has instilled a culture that I am blessed to be a part of. Those 4 seniors last year were super-special and taught me how to be a college basketball player. We do not look at it as a dynasty: we take each game individually and are grateful that we won a title again this year.
You played a couple of NCAA tourney-caliber teams this year in Missouri/Purdue: which of them impressed you the most? They are equally impressive. Purdue does things offensively that a lot of other teams try to duplicate, and Missouri’s coach (Cuonzo Martin) does a really good job of preparing his experienced group. Those games helped prepare us for March Madness.
What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? We will take whatever the Committee gives us. I have heard that we will be in the 12-14 range but we will be prepared for whoever we play.