By Pat Clines
Brookyln, NY - The journey for former SCF basketball standout D'Moi Hodge (2018-20) will continue on for him professionally as he signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after not being selected in the 2023 NBA draft in Brooklyn, New York, despite being chosen as a likely second round pick. He is one of three undrafted players that signed with the Lakers. Collin Castleton and Alex Fudge, both from the University of Florida, are the other two signees. Hodge, a native of Tortola, British Virgin Islands will split time with LA Lakers and the South Bay Lakers (NBA G-League) in El Segundo, California. He will be the first player from SCF basketball to play in the NBA and have an opportunity to be the first player from the British Virgin Islands to play in the NBA.
In his first year with the Manatees, Hodge would average 19.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 3.1 steals and 2.1 blocks per game while helping the Manatees win the Suncoast Conference Tournament against Polk State and qualify for the FCSAA State Tournament for the first time since 2013. He would end up on the All-Suncoast Conference First Team, the FCSAA All-State Team and the FCSAA All-Tournament Team as well as earning FCSAA Player of the Week three times and NJCAA National Player of the Week once.
In his second year with the Manatees, Hodge's stats and accolades would increase as he averaged 25.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 2.1 blocks per game. During the season, he would earn his 1,000th point against Florida State College at Jacksonville (December 15, 2019) before setting program records for points in a single season (805) and most career points (1,403) that were held by James Life (2004-06) while leading the Manatees to the Suncoast Conference Tournament and defeated Polk State for the second straight year. He would end up on the All-Suncoast Conference First Team and the FCSAA All-State Team before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
After his tenure with SCF, Hodge would end up continuing his collegiate basketball career at Cleveland State under head coach Dennis Gates. There, he helped the Vikings to a 19-8 overall record with a 16-4 record in the Horizon League where they would win the Horizon League Regular Season Championship and the Horizon League Championship Tournament to secure an automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Men's Tournament, their first bid in 12 years before they fell in the first round to final four participant University of Houston. He would average 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
In his senior year, Hodge would return to the Vikings where he averaged 15.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. He would help the Vikings win a second straight Horizon League Regular Season Championship before making a trip to the 2022 NIT where they would fall in the first round to eventual tournament winner Xavier University. He was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and was named on the All-Horizon League First Team.
Hodge, with one year of eligibility remaining, transferred to Missouri after Gates landed the job as the Tigers head coach with three of his teammates from Cleveland State: guard Tre Gomillion, guard Ben Sternberg and center Mabor Majak. He averaging 14.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game with the Tigers while setting the school record with 91 steals and being named a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year award (NCAA National Defensive Player of the Year) and would help the Tigers to second round of the 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball National Tournament after defeating Arizona State in the first round before they fell to Princeton.
The Lakers finished the previous season 43-39 overall. They would finish as the #7 seed in the Western Conference in the NBA where they would defeat the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden Stata Warriors before falling in the finals of the Western Conference to the then NBA Champion Denver Nuggets.
We wish D'Moi Hodge all the best on his incredible journey with the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA