Kansas won the NCAA tourney in April and Golden State won the NBA Finals in June but there is still 1 more basketball champion to be crowned this summer. The Basketball Tournament (aka the TBT) kicks off on July 16th with 8 regions of 8 teams playing in Dayton/New Mexico/Omaha/Rucker Park/Syracuse/West Virginia/Wichita/Xavier. Each region will send 1 team to the quarterfinals, with the championship game taking place during the 1st weekend of August, and the winning team walking away with a $1 million prize. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the weeks ahead interviewing as many TBT participants as possible. We continue our coverage with Bo Hodges, who will be playing for Bucketneers after being named 1st-team All-SoCon at East Tennessee State and then leading Butler in RPG last year.
Your father Bo Sr. was your AAU coach: what is the best part of playing for your dad, and what was the not-so-best part (if any)? The best part was that he showed me the game of basketball and taught me everything that I know. There was no worst part: it was amazing to play for him.
In 2017 you led Maplewood High School to a state championship and were named state tourney MVP: what did it mean to you to win a title, and how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? It meant a lot. As a junior we lost a home game to end our season so to come back as a senior and win it all was great. My teammates helped out a lot when I got into foul trouble during the 1st half of the title game, including my little brother.
You were born/raised in Tennessee: what made you choose East Tennessee State? I had a lot of offers but ETSU had a family atmosphere where I thought that I could go and just be myself. The coaching staff showed that they wanted me.
In 2018 you were named SoCon ROY: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? The coaching staff believed in me and pushed me every day. Coach Steve Forbes gave me the opportunity to play big minutes as a freshman and even start toward the end of the season so I could showcase my talents.
As a junior you scored 12.7 PPG and were named 1st-team All-SoCon: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot. Our season did not end well in 2019 (losing to Wofford in the SoCon tourney and then losing to Green Bay at home in the CIT) but it went much better during my junior year.
That year you led the team to a school-record 30 wins and SoCon regular season/tournament titles: what was your reaction when you learned that the NCAA tourney was canceled due to COVID? Coach Forbes sat us down in the locker room and told us about the cancellation. Everyone was hurt because we thought that we could win a couple of games in the NCAA tourney: the community was hurting for us as well.
In 2020 you transferred from ETSU to Butler: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose Butler? I transferred after Coach Forbes went to Wake Forest. I could not take any campus visits during COVID so I just tried to find the best situation for myself.
You decided to return to campus last year with the additional season of eligibility provided by the NCAA due to the pandemic and led the team with 6.9 RPG despite standing only 6’5”: what is the secret to being a good rebounder? Want the ball! My dad would tell me all the time to be a ball-hog.
You missed the 1st half of last season due to a tibial plateau fracture in your left knee: how is your health doing at the moment? My health has been fine ever since I got back out there in January.
This month you will be playing for Bucketneers in the TBT: how is the team looking so far, and what will you do with your share of the $1 million prize money if you win it all? We have not gotten together yet but on paper I love our team. I know most of the guys and have even played with a few of them. I have a little daughter so I would use the money to take care of her, as well as my parents.