Bryan Hodgson provides offseason updates for Arkansas State men’s basketball

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Arkansas State men’s basketball has generated plenty of spring headlines under new head coach Bryan Hodgson.

Freddy Hicks, Dyondre Dominguez, and LaQuill Hardnett all signed with the Red Wolves in April via the transfer portal. Hodgson likes what trio brings to the pack: “Freddy, in my option is one of the better two-way players in the entire transfer portal. Everybody looks at his numbers, Freddy competes on both sides of the ball, has been well coached. Has got the size and strength that we were looking for at that shooting guard, small forward position. And Freddy can play the 3, the 4, multiple positions for us. Dyondre is special. Dyondre is a kid that I think can play any level of college basketball, and can play beyond college. At 6′9″, Dyondre can play the 3, the 4, shoots the three well, can handle the ball. Dyondre is able to stretch the floor for us, and kinda looks like that prototypical pro small forward. LaQuill has played in 110 basketball games at the collegiate level already. And in that timeframe, he’s proven to be blue collar. He’s a guy that’s going to take charges, going to dive on the floor for loose balls, rebounds the ball at a high level on both ends of the floor. So for us to be able to add a guy that does those things at his size, 6′8″, 6′9″, is a huge addition.”

Hodgson says expect a tougher non-conference slate for Arkansas State than in years past.

“I think going on the road and playing in tough environments while challenging yourself with really good mid-majors prepares you to win road games in the Sun Belt,” he said. “So that’s what we’re going to do. Everything we do from a scheduling standpoint is to prepare to compete in this league at a high level. We’re working right now to put together a tough schedule that’s going to help our team grow through those non-conference months.

The Red Wolves have had several offseason workouts since Hodgson took over.

“I believe last year Arkansas State was 344th in the country in tempo. We’re going to look to be more top 20 in the country. So just showing those guys how to play at that pace, and they embraced it. It’s a fun way to play. And just spent a lot of time getting to know the guys, looking at their strengths and weaknesses, coming up with summer plans for them so they can continue on their game while they’re home this summer.”

We asked Hodgson about the status of the coaching staff, other needs in recruiting, camp season, and much more. You can watch the entire interview above.

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