Most of Wisconsin's 2021 class -- both for the football and men's basketball programs -- will be heading to Madison shortly, though Paul Chryst's team already welcomed seven players as mid-year enrollees in January.
BadgerBlitz.com has kicked off its annual "Better Know a Badger" series, where we check in with the incoming freshmen as they begin the transition from being prep standouts to college athletes. In 2021, we include some transfers as well.
Miss some? Check out the links below: Basketball: C Chris Vogt | G Isaac Lindsey |
Football: QB Deacon Hill | CB Ricardo Hallman | WR Skyler Bell | S Hunter Wohler | ILB Bryan Sanborn | OL Nolan Rucci | RB Antwan Roberts | OLB Ayo Adebogun | OLB Darryl Peterson | WR Markus Allen | DE Isaac Townsend |
Chris Hodges became Wisconsin's first commitment of the 2021 class when he announced his decision to play for the Badgers in August 2019. The three-star prospect out of Schaumburg, Ill. received a handful of offers, according to Rivals.com. That included opportunities to play college basketball at DePaul, Loyola (IL), Miami (OH) and Rutgers. He officially signed with Greg Gard's program in November during the early signing period.
Hodges spoke with BadgerBlitz.com on May 25 about a variety of topics as he now makes Madison home. Questions and his answers have been edited for clarity.
I thought I read up about this, but did you play your senior season at all?
CH: I didn't due to COVID. There's like different regions, different places and different conditions, and just for my family, we didn't think it was the smartest thing to do for us. But we supported anybody that played in the season. That was pretty much the gist of it.
How hard were those conversations for you and your family and figuring out the best path forward during a pandemic?
CH: Well, it was one in a lifetime because we haven't had anything like this before, but definitely hard conversations, really thought out process. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the greater good in life, and that was one of them.
How do you stay in condition? How have you been preparing to get up to Wisconsin from a physical standpoint entering college basketball?
CH: Well in the fall, we had Illinois Wolves, my [AAU] travel team that I play on, we had a couple workouts there. We had five-on-fives and stuff like that, and also at the high school, we had a little something. Then during the winter time, that's when I withdrew from the season.
But I've been really focusing on my body and hitting the weights in the weight room. That's a big change for me, seeing my body come a long way. And then conditioning doing speed and agility like that. Also having a couple workouts at the gym during this time, and just been really locking in, stuff like that.
Where are you at right now sitting for height and weight?
CH: I'm about 6-foot-8, 6-foot-9, 245 [pounds], so put out a lot of weight, put on a lot of muscle. I think I grew a little more, but I haven't measured myself in a while.
Throughout your AAU and your high school career, who was the best player you went up against?
CH: The best player I went up against was in high school. Ryan Davis. He was an all-around player. He was a good person. Actually got to work out with him this year and a little bit last year, so it was a good experience for me. Just growing up and seeing him play at actually the rival school, and then seeing how he carried himself, [I] took a lot from that. He's just a great player, a great person, too.
You signed in November, you committed back in August 2019. Were there any schools or any programs between the time you committed and the time you sign that we're still trying to recruit you or still trying to contact you before you signed that National Letter of Intent?
CH: Nah, pretty respectfully, they didn't contact me during that time. It was just out of respect.
With Wisconsin, just how often have you been in contact with the coaching staff with your arrival on campus coming in about a month, and who are you talking with the most?
CH: They were really consistent. That's one of the reasons why I committed so early, just the interest level in me. And, yeah, I would talk to him pretty much all the time. During the season when they were a little busy, maybe not so much, but every now and then, which is reasonable because the Big Ten's a big, busy schedule and things like that.
But yeah, they're really good with communication. I talk to Coach [Greg] Gard, of course, and then Coach [Dean] Oliver the most. Really good coaching staff, one of a kind coaching staff. Again, that's one of the reasons why I committed there.
Have you had a chance to talk to the new assistant coach, Sharif Chambliss at all? Has he reached out at all yet?
CH: I haven't yet, but look forward to talking to him. I know, if not before getting on campus, I'll meet him on campus.
Have they discussed further how they would like to use you within just the system that they have?
CH: All around. So inside, outside, whatever they need from me, I'm going to do with my best effort and go all out. And, you know, I'm a hard worker so whatever needs to be done, I'm going to work hard to do it. That's one of the reasons why they had interest in me. They knew I could impact the game on both sides of the court in all different ways so again, that's another reason why I committed there. They saw that in me, even maybe before I did really.
What do you feel you can bring to Wisconsin on both ends of the floor when you're in the game?
CH: A little bit of everything. All-around player, perimeter, in the post. I'm a hard defender. I'm going to show a lot of effort, hustle on the boards, clean up a lot of things. Just do what's asked of me and do it with 100% effort.
How have you bonded with your other class of 2021 signees with Matthew Mors, Chucky Hepburn, Markus Ilver. Have you had a chance to talk with them a lot, and how's that bond formed with you four?
CH: Yeah, definitely a strong bond with Chucky and Matt, and then Markus, I haven't really talked to that much. Because Chucky and Matt committed sort of when I committed a little bit, and then Markus just committed recently. Definitely gonna build that bond with Markus, too, but it's just a brotherhood already. You could feel the connection there. We all have the same goal, all want the same things, and we're going to be supportive of each other.
For that matter, have you had a chance to talk with any of the other players currently on the team about what to expect, or just how summer summer conditioning could be with your arrival coming in about a month or so?
CH: Definitely talked to Aleem [Ford] and Brad [Davison] a little bit about [being] on campus on the official visit, and the unofficial visits I've taken there, [D'Mitrik] Trice was really helpful, too. Just keep pushing hard work every day, and it pays off and trust the process. That's what I learned from them.
When is the official move-in date for you, and are you rooming with any of your current classmates for the 2021 class?
CH: June 12, and I believe I'm rooming with Markus. I'm not really sure what the setup is, but I'm pretty sure it's Markus.
What are some of the areas that you see yourself improving once you get to Wisconsin?
CH: I've put in a lot of work on my body, so I feel like when you get to college is going to be the next level, so I think my body's going to get stronger. I'm going to get faster, I'm gonna get quicker, even though I'm already putting in the work for that. And just my all-around game and just every aspect of my game is gonna grow because I'm in that right environment. I knew I wouldn't just plateau there. I would incline in all my skills on the court.
It's going to be a young team coming up with with the upperclassmen, many of them leaving except for Brad. I know there are three transfer players coming through, but what what are your goals for your freshman year then?
CH: Just to impact the team in all sorts of ways. Anything they need for me just to be there and do my part and just be who I am and bring that passion and energy to our team every day.
And also get a couple wins, too. Always wanted to win, always pushed to win, and definitely through my hard work, I would love to see it pay off. If we all come together and all have the same goal, I mean we will succeed.
