D'Moi Hodge explained

D'Moi Hodge
Position:Shooting guard
Height Ft:6
Height In:3
Weight Lb:185
League:Greek Basket League
EuroCup
Team:Aris Thessaloniki
Birth Date:20 December 1998
Birth Place:Tortola, British Virgin Islands
High School:Faith Baptist Christian Academy
(Ludowici, Georgia)
College:
Draft Year:2023
Career Start:2023
Team1:Los Angeles Lakers
Years2:2023–2024
Team2:South Bay Lakers
Years3:2024
Team3:Rip City Remix
Years4:2024–present
Team4:Aris Thessaloniki
Highlights:
  • First-team All-Horizon League (2022)
  • Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year (2022)
  • Horizon League All-Defensive Team (2022)

D'Moi Hodge (;[1] born December 20, 1998) is a British Virgin Islands professional basketball player for Aris of the Greek Basket League and the EuroCup. He played college basketball for the State College of Florida, Cleveland State, and Missouri.

Early life and high school career

Hodge was born on December 20, 1998, in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, to Courtney Hodge and Cleopatria King Defreitas.[2] He started to play basketball at a community court behind his house where he played with his cousins and friends.[3]

Hodge moved to the United States as a teenager but returned one year later due to homesickness. He decided to go back to the United States at the age of 17 to pursue his goals that were not possible in the Islands. Hodge played his senior year of high school basketball at Faith Baptist Christian Academy in Ludowici, Georgia. While at Faith Baptist Christian Academy, Hodge earned league MVP and championship MVP honors.

College career

Coming out of high school, Hodge was not ranked as a college basketball recruit by major recruiting services. Hodge began his college basketball career with New Mexico Junior College (2017–18), but chose to redshirt and never played a game for the college, transferring to State College of Florida for the 2018–19 season.[4]

At the State College of Florida, Hodge began to emerge as one of the best junior college players in the country. Over his two seasons in the junior college ranks, Hodge averaged 22.3 points per game. He received numerous honors, including being named to the FCSAA All-State and NJCAA All-Region VIII team. In the Junior College Recruiting Rankings, Hodge was ranked as the 11th-best JUCO player in the country.

Hodge would spend two seasons at the State College of Florida, before transferring to Cleveland State University, joining the Cleveland State Vikings who compete at the NCAA Division I level of college basketball. In a game against Purdue Fort Wayne on Dec. 20, 2020, Hodge recorded his Division I career-high in scoring, recording 46 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four steals and one block. Hodge set numerous records for the Cleveland State basketball program, including: three-pointers in a game (10), most made three-pointers in a half (8), most points scored by a junior (46) and most points scored in a first half (31).

After two seasons at Cleveland State, Hodge transferred to the University of Missouri for his graduate season. Hodge would average 14.7 points per game in his lone season at Missouri. He was the second leading scorer on the Tigers behind Kobe Brown. He would help the Tigers to an appearance in the 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and a first round victory over Utah State University, 76–65.

Professional career

Los Angeles / South Bay Lakers (2023–2024)

After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Hodge signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 3, 2023.[5] On November 4, he became the first British Virgin Islander to ever play in the NBA.[6] [7] Hodge was later honored as a part of the Lakers team that won the inaugural 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament game. On January 6, 2024, he was waived by the Lakers along with Alex Fudge[8] and ten days later, he joined the South Bay Lakers.[9]

Rip City Remix (2024)

On January 17, 2024, Hodge was traded by the South Bay Lakers to the Rip City Remix for a 2025 first round pick, subsequently joining the team.[10]

Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2024–present)

On August 5, 2024, Hodge signed with Greek club Aris Midea Thessaloniki.[11]

Career statistics

NBA

|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers| 7 || 0 || 5.9 || .333 || .250 || .500 || .0 || .7 || .1 || .1 || 2.0|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 7 || 0 || 5.9 || .333 || .250 || .500 || .0 || .7 || .1 || .1 || 2.0

External links

Notes and References

  1. 2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide. NBA.com. October 24, 2023. May 18, 2024.
  2. Web site: D'MOI HODGE.
  3. Web site: Lewis . Jaden . D'Moi Hodge and Mabor Majak: Inside the life and journey of an international player . Columbia Missourian . July 12, 2023 . March 7, 2023.
  4. Web site: Hodge Signed to Lakers.
  5. Web site: lalnkioski. Lakers Sign D'Moi Hodge to Two-Way Contract. NBA.com. July 3, 2023. July 3, 2023.
  6. Web site: D'Moi Hodge Statistics. Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. November 4, 2023.
  7. Web site: D’Moi M. Hodge scores first NBA points in regular season play with LA Lakers. VirginIslandsNewsOnline.com. November 9, 2023. November 9, 2023.
  8. Web site: Lakers Waive Alex Fudge and D'Moi Hodge. NBA.com. January 6, 2024. January 7, 2024.
  9. Web site: 2023-2024 South Bay Lakers Transaction History. RealGM.com. January 10, 2024.
  10. Rip City Remix. The Rip City Remix have acquired D’Moi Hodge from the South Bay Lakers in exchange for a 2025 First Round Draft Pick.. 1747778569718411307. ripcityremix. January 17, 2024. January 18, 2024.
  11. Web site: Ο D'Moi Hodge στον ΑΡΗ Midea. ArisBC.gr. August 5, 2024. August 5, 2024. Greek.