Hodge Impressive At Les Schwab Invite
One of the advantages for the teams from Oregon in last month's Les Schwab
Invitational was the opportunity to play against some top-notch competition
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from outside the state. The same goes for individuals too, and it's something
that Brad Hodge, an athletic 6-foot-8, 190-pound wing/post from Hillsboro High
School took full advantage of. And in the process, several schools on the West
Coast have paid close attention to his abilities.
The junior, who averaged 20.8 points in four games at the LSI, got a chance to match
up against Indiana signee DJ White in the final game of the tournament for both
teams. While White went off for 32 points and 11 rebounds, Hodge more than
held his own, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 boards as Hillsboro downed
Hillcrest (AL), 59-57. It's a game he'll never forget.
"It was awesome to play against DJ White," said Hodge. "He's a great player.
He's got a really good touch, and he's really strong so it's tough to stop him.
It was a good experience, and it will help me a lot."
Hodge has been the story so far this year for the Spartans, and until a recent
41-point outburst by star guard and Eastern Washington signee James Loe, the
big man was leading the team in scoring. But for most of the young season,
Hodge was the man the team could count on night in and night out as Loe was
struggling with his shooting.
"I didn't really feel anything pressure," said Hodge. "(Loe) wasn't scoring,
so I figured someone needs to score for us to win, so I was going to step up.
As one of the taller players in the state, it's no surprise that Hodge spends a
lot of time in the post. But it's not just about height with Hodge, down low
he is able to utilize his long arms and his athleticism to finish plays at the
basket. And Hodge can also step away from the basket, shooting from the
outside and driving to the hole. Since he's likely going to be playing a lot
of small forward at the college level, he's working on improving his perimeter
game.
"I still need to work on my outside shooting a little bit," said Hodge. "Other
than that, I've been doing alright."
With his combination of athleticism, size, and versatility, it's no surprise
that Hodge has the full attention of all the four in-state Division I
universities: Oregon, Oregon State, Portland, and Portland State. But he's
also started hearing from schools outside the Pacific Northwest. Pepperdine
and Utah have been in contact, and Clemson has even inquired. It's still a
little early in the process in his opinion, so he's taking things slowly for
now.
"I'm wide open," said Hodge. "But I want to go to the best school I can play
at." Hodge also wants to have the opportunity to play immediately. "I don't
really want to redshirt as a freshman, I want to play."
Hodge didn't get a chance to play much AAU ball this past summer as he was
wrapped up in summer school. But expect him to play with the Portland ICA
Panthers in all likelihood the Summer of 2004.
In the meantime, Hodge is doing his best to help Hillsboro reach the state
championship game like they did last season. And after a slow 1-4 start, the
Spartans have won five games in a row and appear to be hitting their stride.
"We're finally getting back to it like we were last year," said Hodge. "People
are stepping up if other people don't."
Jed Tai is a senior writer with Hoopville.com
-- Denny Conroy contributed to this story