By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
Hodgdon’s Chris Hudson said that his hard work paid off, as the junior scored his 1,000th high school basketball point on Monday against East Grand in Hodgdon.
“It feels very good to reach this accomplishment,” Hudson added. “Chris as a player is an all around blessing to have on and off the court,” said Hodgdon coach Rob Smith. “He is willing to work with his teammates on the court in practice and in games and is the same in the classroom helping his classmates and teammates. He is a teacher and coach on the floor in a game and when standing in line during a drill. He will see things that I may miss in practices and games and help his teammates to better their game.”
In Hodgdon the Vikings kept the score close in the first half trailing by only eight points at halftime. But, the Hawks used a 18-10 third-quarter scoring run to expand their lead to 16 points. In the fourth quarter, Hudson poured in his 40th point on the night to reach the 1,000th point in his high school career.
“I did know how many points I needed coming into the game only because people kept telling me,!” laughed Hudson. “During the game, I had no idea because I wasn’t keeping track. I was just focused on the game.”
Hudson took a pass from Tyler Sherman to hit the milestone. The Hawks would go on to win the game 71-48.
“I drove and scored on a layup the play before,” explained Hudson. “East Grand took the ball out and dribbled to half court. My teammate Tyler Sherman got the steal and passed me the ball on a cut to the hoop. I exploded to the basket and laid it off the glass for the 1,000th point of my career.”
Hudson’s teammates fed him the ball, as Sherman and Deyrell Vargas each only scored eight points apiece in the game.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, you can’t score all of your points by yourself,” Hudson said. “My teammates have helped me along for the past three years and I couldn’t thank them enough for their support!”
Smith agreed.
“With a 1,000-point scorer on the team each player that steps on the court has a hand in assisting the player that scores the points,” explained Smith. “In this game, Chris was assisted by his three-year teammate Tyler Sherman. The 1,000-point accomplishment may be an individual award, but the rest of the team helps that player achieve it. Monday night, each player, whether they were on the floor or on the bench, will have a story to share about the game. Creating and sharing those moments is what turns a team into a family.”
Though most people and the media had no idea that Hudson was this close to his 1,000th point, it was no surprise to him, as he wanted to reach the milestone in his own gym.
“I feel like it was a lot more special to score it at home because there is no place like home,” Hudson said. “Also because they had a surprise for me. The surprise was that my name was already up on the 1,000 point scorers board on the wall so that was pretty amazing to see my name up there
beside my brother’s name.”
Hudson’s older brother, Josh, scored his 1,000th high school point last year as a senior.
“I think it is cool to have two brothers both reach 1,000,” said Hudson. “You don’t see that every day.”
As much as Hudson is enjoying the celebration, he said, “I would far rather win a championship over it any day.”
Hudson and his teammates are refocused and are working toward a run for a state title, or as Hudson said, “My next goal may be to score 2,000 points,” with a smile. “Ultimately, I want to be the best that I can be.”
“Chris is a fundamental player and is always putting in the extra time after practice to work on his game. He enjoys the game and the extra work is more time to be around a game he enjoys playing,” said Smith. “On the court, I have seen him take over games when he gets hot, but I have also seen him feed his teammates when they are having a great game.
“His work ethic is the same in practice as it is in a game. He comes to practice and is ready to give his all and I think that challenges his teammates. He will take some of the younger players and coach them when he can during practice and in games he will help make adjustments on the floor. When
a teammate makes a mistake, he will use the time
as a
coachable moment on the floor. Sometimes he gets to them before I do and in a loud game they will be able to hear him better then they can hear me.
“Chris will also take ownership of his mistakes. He will look over to his teammates and put his hand on his chest and tell them “my mistake.” He is a selfless player that is willing to put in the work and effort in games and practices, that works with his teammates to better them and last night it led to a great accomplishment in this young man’s life,” Smith said.
Hudson still has another year of high school, but you can bet he will have some college offers.
“When I go to college, I plan to focus on my education, but if the opportunity arises to play ball, I will take it and continue to try to be the best I can be,” he said.
