There isn?t a town that appreciates a consecutive games streak quite like Baltimore.
The home of Hall of Fame Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore appreciates an athlete that comes to work day in and day out just like Ripken did for 2,632 straight games.
While no one is going to confuse Shari Rohde with Ripken, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County forward does take a similar approach to her craft. Rohde played in a school-record 107th straight game Wednesday as UMBC lost at America East Conference foe Stony Brook, 68-53.
“Her playing every game wasn?t by design,” UMBC coach Phil Stern said. “But I think it?s a statement to her work ethic since she was recruited to play in the Northeast Conference before we jumped up to the much more competitive America East. She?s just a player that goes out there every day and does what she can to improve her game.”
Rohde, a 5-foot-11 Indianapolis native, has never missed a game in her four-year career. With her performance at Stony Brook (8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist), Rohde became just the third UMBC player to tally 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career. She is currently averaging a team-high 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds this season.
UMBC (10-13, 3-7 America East) looks to snap its four-game losing streak tonight against visiting Albany. The Great Danes (7-16, 3-7) won the last meeting between the two schools, 70-51, on Jan. 10 in New York.
“If we start hitting some shots, we?ll get back on track,” Stern said. “We haven?t played our best basketball lately. But if we just get a big shot here or there, I think we?ll be OK.”
