Chris Hodges was the prospect who got the ball rolling for Greg Gard and the Wisconsin staff in the 2021 recruiting class.

The 6-foot-8, 215-pound senior announced his commitment to the Badgers in August of 2019. Shortly after Hodges' pledge, point guard Chucky Hepburn and power forward Matthew Mors followed suit.

And though Hodges admitted he committed early in the recruiting process, he told BadgerBlitz.com that Wisconsin was simply the best option for him.

"Wisconsin felt like home, that was a big thing," Hodges said. "And on top of that, the coaching staff, the offense and the play type. They are really going to give me the opportunity to excel in my game."

Hodges, from Schaumburg High School in Illinois, also cited his relationship with Wisconsin’s coaching staff as one of the main reasons he chose to play basketball in Madison.

“My relationship with the coaching staff is pretty strong," he said. "We talk pretty frequently. They definitely showed a lot of interest - that is one of the reasons why I committed so early. I knew I was a top priority with them.”

Hodges, who averaged 15.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as a junior, will obviously be teammates with Hepburn and Mors in the future. And while the three still have a long way to go before they join the Badgers, they have already started to build some chemistry.

“We had a Zoom call, and then with social media, we talk over Snapchat, Instagram," Hodges said. "I actually got to play with Chucky at a camp, so that was pretty cool. I have not got to play with Matt, but they both seem like good people, good teammates. It should be a fun next couple of years.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges to the world of prep basketball. The lack of a typical AAU season meant that college programs were unable to watch prospects play. But because Hodges, who competes with the Illinois Wolves during the off-season, was already committed to UW, he was able to focus on improving his game while many of his peers were caught up in their recruitment.

"This summer went well for me, you have to make the best of it," Hodges, a second-team Class 4A all-state selection, said. "I have been getting stronger, been working on my game, been doing workouts. I have mostly been focusing on the mental part - not a whole lot of playing - so I am just trying to get better in as many ways that I can."

Following a Big Ten regular-season title and two solid recruiting classes, the future is bright in Madison.

“The future is looking pretty good," he said. "I am really excited for all of that talent, we are just going to try and come together. Just trying to turn some heads and do some things like that at a national level.”

Since last August, nothing has changed with Hodges' commitment. When asked if he was still 100 percent locked in, Hodges left no doubt, responding with a simple "'yes."