Wisconsin 2021 Commit Breakdown: Chris Hodges
In April, AllBadgers.com looked at six 2020 signees and what they could bring to Wisconsin's men's basketball program. Now, we break down the next recruiting cycle of the three 2021 commits through the eyes of their respective head coaches.
On August 15 of last year, Chris Hodges publicly announced that he committed to Wisconsin, the first player of the 2021 class to declare his intention to play for head coach Greg Gard and the program. Two months and a week prior, he received the initial offer from UW.
According to Wade Heisler, Hodges' head coach at Schaumburg High School, the 247Sports composite four-star forward went up to UW "and fell in love immediately."
"He was texting me saying, 'Coach, this feels like home. Coach, I love this staff. Coach, I love what this team has in their environment,' and it was immediate," Heisler told AllBadgers.com on Monday evening.
"I told him, 'Hey, if it feels that good, it's right. Your gut will tell you when it's right, and it's right. It was one of those things that I just truly believe it was meant to be, and that's where he wants to be more than anything else. I couldn't be happier about the fit for him."
Here is more of the discussion between Heisler and AllBadgers.com about Hodges, who was named a second-team Class 4A all-state honoree by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association after averaging 15.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and shooting 69.8% overall as a junior. He also helped Schaumburg win the Mid-Suburban League championship this season.
Questions and answers have been edited lightly for clarity.
How long have you coached him, and how have you seen him develop from the first time you started watching or coaching him until now?
"So I watched Chris play when he was in our feeder system young, and then I've coached him such as freshman year. He started (on) varsity since freshman year, and the biggest difference between Chris and any other athlete I've coached is the jump he makes year-to-year. As for as good as he is, and as good a teammate as he is, I don't even think he's close to his ceiling, and his work ethic will make sure he gets there. I think you guys got a special thing coming."
Chris just finished his junior year in high school, but what are his current strengths that you think will help your team next year, but also Wisconsin down the road?
'I think he's gonna take a step next year, too. This year, he was so keyed on by people, and he's such a good teammate that I think he passed up shots that he'll be taking, but he is the most efficient scorer. He was above 70% from the field for us, and that's with triple and quadruple teams, and his skill set along with his size makes him a different animal. As he continues to mature and expand his game, he just keeps getting better and better and better, and he fits into Wisconsin's style play. I cannot think of a better fit in the country for him than there."
In terms of areas of growth, what steps do you think he'll take during his senior year, but also when he gets to Madison and the Wisconsin coaching staff gets their hands on him then?
"Well I think the biggest thing you see is physicality. Every year, he gets more physical and the more physical he gets, the more athletic he gets and the more dominant he becomes. Obviously, when he gets to college -- and you have a strength coach around 24-7 making sure those things happen -- as he adds that size and mass to his frame, it makes the game a lot easier. I just think he will continue to get better because he has the talent on top of the work ethic, and then he approaches everything correctly. He's probably one of the highest-character kids I've ever coached, and so when you add all those intangibles together, it just keeps on continuing to get better and better."
When it comes to a play or plays that you remember that stand out about Chris from this past season, what would they be and what made them stand out?
"Switching him in the fourth quarter to guard some of the best guards in the country like (2021 five-star guard Max Christie), (2022 prospect) Kam Craft and him doing a heck of a job on it -- to when we need a game winner, he went and got a rebound in the conference title game that was that was a huge play that I wouldn't have been able to grab for sure. It was one of those things where it just showed a different level of him compared to competition.
"Then his ability to just find open teammates against quadruple teams. There are games where it's just unbelievable how many guys are guarding him, and his willingness to be a great teammate, give it up to make sure we win. Just those three things just kind of always stick out in my mind with the type of player, person he is."
