LEARNING FROM HIS NEW MENTOR
Many people are comparing Cliff Hodge to NBA legend Dennis Rodman for his wild ways and his rebounding rate.
And for the third-year forward, it’s such an honor for him to be mentioned in the same breath as the eccentric big man.
“He’s a Hall of Famer. You can’t complain about that,” Hodge said.
But there’s one more legend who has been a bigger influence on Hodge this season – his new coach Norman Black.
“Coach Norman gave me a lot of pointers here and there because I have the athletic ability and he’s telling me how he used to get 18 rebounds. So I asked him what he used to do, so I did what he told me and I got the rebounds,” Hodge explained.
There’s no doubt that he’s making strides, as he corralled a career-high 18 rebounds, 10 of which coming on the offensive end, on top of another career-high of 26 points to help Meralco nip Blackwater in overtime, 83-75, Tuesday.
“Right now, the team needs from me the rebounds, so that’s what I’m going to do. The points will come. I’ll just try to be aggressive and try to get every rebound that goes up there. That’s the plan,” he said.
“I just go out there and try to have fun. Basketball is what I love to do so I don’t really worry about stats or anything. I just go out there and play because I love the game.” (RL)
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