Mizzou Maniac: D'Moi Hodge Decimates SIUE in Multifaceted Performance
It seemed that the Missouri Tigers would lean on forward Kobe Brown and guard Isiaih Mosley as the leaders of the team for the first season under coach Dennis Gates.
But its guard D'Moi Hodge, a player that Gates is all too familiar with, that's beginning to take the crown early in the season, especially after his dominant performance in Tuesday's 105-80 win over the SIUE Cougars.
Hodge did it all for the Tigers (4-0) and even that might be an understatement. He posted a season-high 30 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, four steals and no turnovers.
Hodge helped ignite fastbreak scores with electric dunks and timely steals while being a tenacious offensive rebounder and catch-and-shoot threat.
"He plays both sides of the basketball," Gates said of Hodge, per KTGR.com. "I do think there's a level of talent -- and I'm not afraid to say this out loud to him -- he's a guy that can play in the NBA because he's a piece of a puzzle."
Still, Gates was reluctant to praise Hodge's performance in the blowout.
"This was just an okay game," Gates said of Hodge. "I thought he missed open shots ... I'm not happy that he's missing open shots."
His passing off of steals on defense was notable as well, as Hodge found Tre Gomillion for a dunk midway through the first half before cutting off a press-break to throw down a vicious one-handed dunk of his own. Remained aggressive, as he nearly had a poster on a fast-break, but was fouled and settled for a pair of free throws instead.
He had 13 of Mizzou's 31 points through the first 10 minutes and change didn't slow down from there, as he finished with 17 in the first half.
Even if was too late to matter for a coach of Gates' standards, Hodge really started to get the jumper going some more in the second half once Mizzou had a comfortable lead. He added three more makes from deep in less than two minutes and another one-handed slam on the fastbreak for good measure.
But if Hodge can replicate these kind of performances, Gates will have a hard time findings things to nitpick moving forward. The Tigers will host Mississippi Valley State at home on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
Hey Tiger fans! Want to catch Mizzou live? Get your Tigers game tickets from SI Tickets here!
Follow MizzouSportsTalk.com on Facebook and Twitter!
Want More Tigers News? Check Out The Latest In Mizzou Tigers News Here