DALLAS – Liberty’s Kyle Rode and UTEP’s Elijah Jones earned the first Conference USA Men’s Basketball weekly honors of the 2023-24 season. The 2023-24 CUSA Players of the Week awards are presented by Blenders Eyewear and are voted on by the league’s sports information directors.
 
Rode averaged 16.0 points per game while shooting over 60 percent from 3-point land (8-13) and over 50 percent from the field (12-23) in helping the Flames to a 2-0 start to the season. He also averaged 2.5 rebounds, two assists and a steal per game across the two contests.
 
Jones paced the team in scoring in each of the first two games of the year, dropping 19 points in each of the Miners’ victories. He finished a sensational 16-17 from the floor, including 4-5 from three-point range, and averaged 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in only 15.8 minutes per contest.
 
Player of the Week – Kyle Rode, Liberty – Redshirt Senior – Forward – Lexington, Ky.
On Friday night versus defending CBI champion Charlotte, the fifth-year senior tallied a game-high 23 points on 9-15 shooting and 5-9 from long distance, and his efforts lifted the Flames to a 71-59 triumph over the 49ers. Rode was a game-best +27 on the night in 30:56 of action (next best Flame was +15). He added three rebounds, two assists and a block and was named the HOF Series Player of the Game. In Monday's season opener vs. Mid-Atlantic Christian, a 103-43-win, Rode scored nine points and knocked down three triples while only needing to play 10:27. He added two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
 
Freshman of the Week – Elijah Jones, UTEP – Redshirt Freshman – Forward – Pleasantville, N.J.
Jones knocked down all eight attempts from the field, including three from beyond the arc, for a team-high 19 points in a season-opening 120-71 win over McMurry. He also pulled down five boards and blocked three shots. In a 123-72 victory over USAO on Thursday, Jones connected on his first six shots before he missed his first attempt but hit two more shots to finish with 19 points on 8-9 shooting. Through the opening week, he ranks third nationally in field-goal percentage (94.1). Jones grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds and tallied three steals, which directly led to seven of his own points and helped UTEP break the program’s single-game scoring record with 123 points.
 
2023-24 CUSA Players of the Week
N13      Kyle Rode, Liberty
 
2023-24 CUSA Freshmen of the Week
N13      Elijah Jones, UTEP