Chris Hodges taking small steps on a path he hopes will lead to him being a consistent contributor for Wisconsin

MADISON – No one would describe Wisconsin’s Chris Hodges, who stands 6-foot-9 and weighs 245 pounds, as small.

His progress on the basketball court?

The redshirt freshman forward is taking small steps this season, most of which have come at practice.

“He is coming along,” UW associate head coach Joe Krabbenhoft said. “He has completely brought into the process and that process works at different speeds for different guys. Everybody is different.

“I wouldn’t say it is slow in a bad way. It is just that every big guy goes about that process differently.”

“It’s not like Frank Kaminsky was in warp speed. And I’m not even putting that name in the same breath as Chris Hodges. But that is an example of how that process just takes time.

“Where is Chris at? He has made significant progress, but it is all relative to where he was at."

Krabbenhoft noted it has been well documented that Hodges did not play as a senior at Schaumburg High School in Illinois because of COVID-19 concerns. He redshirted last season at UW and spent his time on the scout team mimicking the opponents’ big men.

This season?

With UW (12-5, 4-3 Big Ten) set to face Northwestern (12-5, 3-3) at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Evanston, Hodges has played sparingly this season.

Hodges has played in nine games, an average of 2.5 minutes per game. He didn’t play in UW’s 63-60 victory over Penn State, largely because the Nittany Lions play a smaller lineup. But his play in limited minutes against Michigan State was promising and Krabbenoft insists Hodges is getting plenty of work in practice, often on the scout team but sometimes on the top unit.

“The two hours a day in here, he is helping immensely,” he said. “He is getting more reps. He walks out of the gym with more possessions than anyone.”

Hodges played just 3 minutes 53 seconds against Michigan State but kept his man on his back on the defensive glass and drew a foul during one possession and scored on an impressive up-and-under move on another possession.

“He can do that,” Krabbenhoft said. “He can get down there and root around a little bit. He knows what works. Jump hooks. Up-and-under.”

As Krabbenhoft was sharing that information, Hodges was nearby working on jump hooks long after practice was over.

“Look,” Krabbenhoft said. “He’s not shooting fadeaways. Those don’t work.

“He is not going to blow by you. But his feet have gotten better and his touch has gotten better.”

Hodges has gained about 15 to 20 pounds since he arrived at UW.

“The biggest thing I had to focus on coming in my freshman year was my physicality, putting more muscle on,” he said. “I had to get a stronger base.

“The Big Ten, it is a really physical league. So I’ve been getting ready for that.”

Carter Gilmore has filled in for starter Steven Crowl for most of this season, particularly against teams that don’t use a physically imposing center.

Teams left on UW’s schedule – Purdue, Michigan and perhaps Ohio State – might call for Hodges to get playing time and bang down low.

“You’ve got to have bodies ready to go,” Krabbenhoft said. “We’re not going to ask Chris Hodges to replicate what Steven Crowl is doing for us. What we ask is how hard he’s going to play. Be physical on the block.”

The Northwestern game will be a homecoming game for Hodges, whose home in Schaumburg is about 30 miles from Evanston.

What does Hodges hope he can contribute the rest of this season?

“What I showed against Michigan State,” he said. “Bringing physicality. Bringing hustle. Just being a glue guy.”

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Redshirt freshman Chris Hodges working to improve his game