UMBC Has Good Holdovers, Too
DURHAM, N.H. – To many who don’t follow UMBC or the America East Conference, there’s a limited amount of knowledge out there about the Retrievers. Chances are, most know that they have three transfers that have given them a major infusion of talent, two of them with just one year of eligibility remaining. And casual fans probably know that the Retrievers have emerged as the favorites in the conference, as they are the only team with a winning non-conference record, one that includes three wins over Atlantic 10 teams.
The three transfers – former James Madison players Cavell Johnson and Ray Barbosa, and former Coppin State forward Darryl Proctor – have come in and made quite an impact. It’s clear that there hasn’t been a real chemistry hit, which is always a concern when you add three transfers to a team even before you start talking about their roles and those of holdovers. The results thus far bear that out.
So it might be easy for a casual fan to not immediately notice senior guard Brian Hodges, a player who has been with the program and head coach Randy Monroe all along. Many probably wouldn’t figure he would be their leading scorer, but that’s the case as he averages 16.9 points per game on the season, good for fourth in the conference. It’s not a breakout season at all, as he was a second team All-America East selection last season and has steadily increased his scoring output each season in Catonsville.
And in case anyone had forgotten about Hodges, he had a huge second half in the Retrievers’ 86-73 victory at New Hampshire on Sunday.
Hodges, a terrific student who earned his economics degree in three years and also completed a minor and earned a certificate, scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half. He was 7-12 from the field, including 4-7 on three-pointers, and they weren’t all of the wide-open variety, either.
“Tyrece (Gibbs) was all over him, I looked up and I was like, there’s no way this is going to go in,” said New Hampshire forward Mike Christensen.
Hodges scored 10 of his points in a three-minute stretch to help the Retrievers build up a 61-53 lead that they later relinquished, then in the final minute and a half made two key plays to help hold off the Wildcats. He streaked up the floor and made a tough layup as he got fouled, completing the three-point play, then went in and appeared to get a stickback the next time down that was credited to Johnson.
“That burst doesn’t surprise me, he’s very capable of doing that,” New Hampshire head coach Bill Herrion said of Hodges’ second half performance.
“It seems like he steps up when he needs to step up,” said Gibbs. “Every time we’ve played them, he’s been the guy that kind of waits around until he has to go, then he goes. He’s a good player.”
With his efforts on Sunday, Hodges moved up two spots to sixth on the school’s all-time career scoring list. At his current clip, he should reach the top five and has an outside chance to go a little higher.
Monroe has had Hodges since his first season at the helm, so his value to the program certainly isn’t lost on the head coach. Hodges was also with the team when they struggled, so he’s made it through the tough times on the court. The transfers that have received much of the attention know how important he is as well.
“He is the leader on the team, and whenever he gets it in his mind he wants to score, we’ve got to give it to him,” said Proctor, who topped the 1,000-point mark for his career on Sunday. “He’s been in this program, he’s made his mark already, we just feed off of him.”
One of Hodges’ mates on the perimeter, Jay Greene, has perhaps benefited the most from the presence of the transfers. Already known for his ability to shoot the ball and having a high basketball I.Q., Greene leads the conference in assists by a wide margin and has a 3.2 assist/turnover ratio. He does a lot to make the team go despite being one of the shortest players in the country.
Hodges and Greene are the two players shown on the cover of the team’s media guide. Often, a team will show returning players on the cover (usually seniors) even when they have a heralded newcomer or two that might quickly become the face of the program. While one can debate the merits of it in many cases, UMBC featuring them on the cover clearly isn’t a bow to simply featuring holdovers instead of newcomers.
As important as their transfers are, the Retrievers wouldn’t be where they are without Greene running the show and Hodges leading the team. Indeed, it’s easy to figure that Hodges has been as important as anyone in making the addition of the transfers a seemingly painless one. Monroe once described Hodges as being almost too humble, as if he had to be pressed to shoot the ball when he had a good look despite having the gift of shooting. In talking about how the transfers have contributed without any team issues, Monroe highlighted the chemistry and unselfishness of the team. You can bet that Hodges and Greene each have had something to do with that.
And it’s their continued solid play, alongside the talented newcomers, that is a prime reason the Retrievers have emerged as clear favorites in America East. If anyone forgot about their importance, Hodges made sure it was back in the consciousness of those who saw Sunday’s game.
