Hodge Named Finalist for National Defensive Player of the Year

One of the nation’s leaders in steals, graduate guard D’Moi Hodge of the Missouri men’s basketball team was named a finalist for the Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday.

Hodge enters the SEC Tournament ranked third nationally with 2.68 steals per game. The graduate student has already set the program’s single-season steals record, totaling 83 in 31 games this season. He surpassed the previous record of 76, set by Lynn Hardy in 1986-87, and is just 20 swipes shy of the SEC record.

Ranked seventh in the country among active players with 2.23 steals per game, Hodge was named the 2022 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year at Cleveland State one season ago. Overall, he has totaled 196 steals in 88 career games.

The Lefty Driesell Award, given annually to the top defensive player in Division I basketball, is named in honor of the legendary former coach.

Driesell won 786 games in 41 years at Davidson, Maryland, James Madison and Georgia State. He ranks eighth on the NCAA career Division I coaches victories list and his teams at each stop were known for playing tenacious defense. From 1969-1986 at Maryland, his teams posted a 348-159 record, won two Atlantic Coast Conference regular season titles and one tournament title.

Of the 25 finalists for the award, the recipient of the 2023 award will be announced in March, in Houston, site of the men’s NCAA Basketball Championship.

Hodge and the No. 25 Tigers open their quest for an SEC Championship on Friday at approximately 2:30 p.m., squaring off against either No. 17 Tennessee or Ole Miss.