Brian Hodges didn?t need to come back this season.
The UMBC senior guard earned his undergraduate degree in economics last spring after three years and could have begun a career in finance. But that thought never entered his mind, as he believed the Retrievers were on the verge of something special despite last year?s 12-19 record and this season?s fifth-place prediction in the America East.
So far, he appears to be right.
UMBC enters tonight?s home game against two-time defending conference champion Albany at 13-7 overall and 5-2 in the conference, a half-game behind Binghamton. The Retrievers are coming off a 62-40 win at Boston University last Tuesday, andAlbany (9-10, 4-3) is tied for fourth after its 81-70 loss to Maine last Wednesday.
“I always knew I was going to come back,” said Hodges, who is taking graduate classes this year. “I thought we could have a big year this year, and we could only get better throughout the season.”
A big difference for UMBC this season has been the addition of transfers Ray Barbosa, Cavell Johnson and Darryl Proctor, a childhood friend of Hodges. Still, Hodges continues to be the team?s offensive catalyst, averaging a team-high 16.9 points per game despite scoring just six in the win at Boston. He has 1,417 career points and is sixth on UMBC?s all-time scoring list.
Hodges said he is enjoying the more up-tempo style of play this season, as the Retrievers are averaging more than 76 points a game, up 16 from a year ago. He added it doesn?t matter to him whether he starts, like he does this year, or is the first player off the bench, like he was as a junior.
“We have a much different team this season,” Hodges said. “It?s a more exciting game now, and we have four different players who can step up and score if I have an off-night.”
UMBC coach Randy Monroe said he has a lot more flexibility on offense now, but knows when the game is on the line UMBC is going to get the ball to Hodges, In an 86-85 win over Hartford two weeks ago, Hodges hit a game-clinching three-pointer at the buzzer. Monroe called the decision to feed Hodges the ball a “no-brainer.”
“We have such great balance this year,” Monroe said. “We like to go to Brian, but it?s also special to know that if he?s off then we can go to Barbosa or to Johnson or to Proctor or to [Jay] Greene.”
