Rode Invited to Compete at Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
4/16/2024 3:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty's Kyle Rode has been invited to compete at the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, held Wednesday through Saturday.
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (P.I.T.), in its 70th edition, will feature 64 college basketball seniors and be held at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Va. The four-day event will give players the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of hundreds of NBA personnel ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. There will be eight teams consisting of eight players each playing a 12-game tournament over four days.
This is the second straight year the Flames have been represented at this event. Last year, Darius McGhee was invited to play at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. McGhee is currently a member of the NBA G League's Indiana Mad Ants.
Rode will team up with Michigan State's Tyson Walker, Baylor's RayJ Dennis, Louisiana Tech's Isaiah Crawford, Villanova's Eric Dixon, LSU's Will Baker, Xavier's Quincy Olivari and Washington State's Isaac Jones. Rode and his team, named Norfolk Sports Club, will be coached by Mike Head, Jim Corrigan and AJ Guyton. Rode and Norfolk Sports Club will play their first game on Thursday evening at 9 p.m.
There are currently over 400 alumni of this event playing professional basketball around the world, with more than 65 who played in at least one NBA game last season. The P.I.T. has been held annually (outside of the cancellation in 2020 due to COVID-19) since 1953.
Over the years, the P.I.T. has welcomed players that are now household names, like Rick Barry, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Dave Cowens, Scottie Pippen, Tim Hardaway, Dennis Rodman, Jimmy Butler and more.
Rode, a forward, played his fifth and final season for the Flames during the 2023-24 campaign. The Lexington, Ky. native collected numerous awards during his last season at Liberty, including: All-CUSA second team, Conference USA All-Academic team, College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team, Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List (Jan. 10), Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week (Nov. 21), Lou Henson National Player of the Week (Nov. 20), two-time CUSA Player of the Week (Nov. 13, Nov. 20), 2023 Myrtle Beach Invitational MVP and the MVP of the Hall of Fame Series game against Charlotte (Nov. 10).
Rode averaged a team-leading 14.2 points per game this past season and made 100 three-pointers, tied for the fifth most in a season in school history. Rode made 3.13 three-pointers per game, which ranked 17th best in the country and first among CUSA players. His 100 total threes were most of anyone in CUSA and 29th most in the nation. He also averaged 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Rode concluded his Liberty career with 1,498 points (No. 14 in school history), 627 rebounds (No. 12 in school history), 467 assists (No. 6 in school history) and 269 three-pointers (No. 2 in school history) in 163 games (137 starts). Rode is one of two players in school history to be ranked in the top 15 in program history in career points, rebounds and assists.
Rode will graduate in May with a master's degree in executive leadership. He is currently maintaining a 3.87 GPA in his graduate studies. Rode earned a bachelor's degree in information systems in May 2022 while carrying a 3.57 GPA. He leaves Lynchburg as a three-time all-conference honoree (one CUSA, two ASUN) and two-time NABC All-District team selection (first team 2023-24, second team 2022-23). Some of his other accomplishments include: 2022-23 ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year, four-time ASUN Academic Honor Roll recipient, two-time CSC Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team, ASUN All-Tournament team (2021), Bahamas Showcase MVP (2019) and ASUN Newcomer of the Week (2019).
For all information pertaining from the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, visit portsmouthinvitational.com. To stream games from the P.I.T., visit https://go.prepspin.com/.
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (P.I.T.), in its 70th edition, will feature 64 college basketball seniors and be held at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Va. The four-day event will give players the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of hundreds of NBA personnel ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. There will be eight teams consisting of eight players each playing a 12-game tournament over four days.
This is the second straight year the Flames have been represented at this event. Last year, Darius McGhee was invited to play at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. McGhee is currently a member of the NBA G League's Indiana Mad Ants.
Rode will team up with Michigan State's Tyson Walker, Baylor's RayJ Dennis, Louisiana Tech's Isaiah Crawford, Villanova's Eric Dixon, LSU's Will Baker, Xavier's Quincy Olivari and Washington State's Isaac Jones. Rode and his team, named Norfolk Sports Club, will be coached by Mike Head, Jim Corrigan and AJ Guyton. Rode and Norfolk Sports Club will play their first game on Thursday evening at 9 p.m.
There are currently over 400 alumni of this event playing professional basketball around the world, with more than 65 who played in at least one NBA game last season. The P.I.T. has been held annually (outside of the cancellation in 2020 due to COVID-19) since 1953.
Over the years, the P.I.T. has welcomed players that are now household names, like Rick Barry, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Dave Cowens, Scottie Pippen, Tim Hardaway, Dennis Rodman, Jimmy Butler and more.
Rode, a forward, played his fifth and final season for the Flames during the 2023-24 campaign. The Lexington, Ky. native collected numerous awards during his last season at Liberty, including: All-CUSA second team, Conference USA All-Academic team, College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team, Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List (Jan. 10), Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week (Nov. 21), Lou Henson National Player of the Week (Nov. 20), two-time CUSA Player of the Week (Nov. 13, Nov. 20), 2023 Myrtle Beach Invitational MVP and the MVP of the Hall of Fame Series game against Charlotte (Nov. 10).
Rode averaged a team-leading 14.2 points per game this past season and made 100 three-pointers, tied for the fifth most in a season in school history. Rode made 3.13 three-pointers per game, which ranked 17th best in the country and first among CUSA players. His 100 total threes were most of anyone in CUSA and 29th most in the nation. He also averaged 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Rode concluded his Liberty career with 1,498 points (No. 14 in school history), 627 rebounds (No. 12 in school history), 467 assists (No. 6 in school history) and 269 three-pointers (No. 2 in school history) in 163 games (137 starts). Rode is one of two players in school history to be ranked in the top 15 in program history in career points, rebounds and assists.
Rode will graduate in May with a master's degree in executive leadership. He is currently maintaining a 3.87 GPA in his graduate studies. Rode earned a bachelor's degree in information systems in May 2022 while carrying a 3.57 GPA. He leaves Lynchburg as a three-time all-conference honoree (one CUSA, two ASUN) and two-time NABC All-District team selection (first team 2023-24, second team 2022-23). Some of his other accomplishments include: 2022-23 ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year, four-time ASUN Academic Honor Roll recipient, two-time CSC Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team, ASUN All-Tournament team (2021), Bahamas Showcase MVP (2019) and ASUN Newcomer of the Week (2019).
For all information pertaining from the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, visit portsmouthinvitational.com. To stream games from the P.I.T., visit https://go.prepspin.com/.
Players Mentioned
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