2021 big man Chris Hodges verbally commits to Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team got some good news on Thursday evening as class of 2021 prospect Chris Hodges (Schaumburg, Ill.) of Schaumburg High School verbally committed to Greg Gard’s squad.

Hodges is a 6’8” and 215 lbs. center who is rated as a 3-star prospect by both Rivals and 247Sports. The junior big man was receiving interest from Purdue, Michigan State and Illinois, according to Rivals, and had scholarship offers from DePaul, Rutgers, Loyola (IL) and Miami (OH).

Howard Moore was the primary recruiter for Hodges with an assist from head coach Greg Gard. Hodges grassroots team, the Illinois Wolves, should sound familiar to followers of Badgers basketball recruiting as it is the same team that produced Frank Kaminsky.

Hodges is the first member of the Wisconsin 2021 recruiting class that has the potential to take upwards of four more members. The Badgers have offers out to a number of high profile players in the 2021 class including top-3 talent Patrick Baldwin, Jr., Washington state big man Jackson Grant, Illinois wing Max Christie, Nebraska point guard Chucky Hepburn and South Dakota big Matthew Mors.

In Hodges’ highlight video he showed a willingness to bang on the boards as well as operate download and get himself good looks at the rim. There were a couple of good defensive plays as well where he showed the ability to protect the rim and play good help defense.

If Hodges grows an inch or two over his last two years in high school and works on an outside shot (something that was not shown in the, admittedly short, highlight video linked above) he could be a real steal for the Badgers.

Lorne Bowman, for one, is excited for the addition.