On Saturday, Missouri basketball’s newly-introduced head coach Dennis Gates landed another commitment, this time from his former star guard while at Cleveland State, D’Moi Hodge.
Since arriving at Missouri, Gates has not wasted one second on the recruiting trail.
The newest commit, Hodge, is a 6-foot-4 guard/wing who averaged 15.4 points per game last season on 48% shooting from the field. The Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, Hodge has shown that he can dominate on both sides of the ball in Gates’ system and will look to continue his decorated college career in the SEC under Gates.
In addition to re-affirming electrifying high-school prospect Aidan Shaw’s commitment to the program, Gates has already landed perhaps the top two junior college players in the country in Sean East and Mohamed Diarra. He also brought in another former Cleveland State player with the addition of Tre Gomillion, who is a 40% three-point shooter and averaged more than ten points per game. DeAndre Gholston — the former Milwaukee guard who has averaged over 15 points per game in his last two years — is another terrific addition. Lastly, there is Noah Carter, the highly-sought-after forward from Northern Iowa who was recruited by programs such as Florida, Arkansas, and Virginia Tech. Carter was a second-team All-MVC selection after he averaged 15 points and four rebounds this past year.
Gates also added Charlton Young and Dickey Nutt to his staff, building a solid foundation amongst all of the new additions.
With just two NCAA tournament appearances in the last nine seasons, Missouri fans are on the edge of their seats waiting to see if Gates will be the guy to bring them back consistently. But one month in, things appear to be going as smooth as possible and Gates appears to be up for the challenge.
