PHILADELPHIA – When Old Dominion men’s basketball takes the court at Finneran Pavilion on Tuesday night, the game will have a deeper meaning for ODU Special Assistant Odell Hodge.
The Monarchs and Wildcats will square off for the first time in over 30 years, their last meeting coming in the 1995 NCAA Tournament that saw Old Dominion knocking out Villanova in triple overtime, 89-81.
But more importantly for Hodge, it will be an opportunity to coach against his eldest son Matt, a redshirt freshman for Villanova who is coming off a 17-point performance in the team’s 70-55 win over La Salle last week.
Hodge, the CAA Player of the Year and Conference Tournament MVP in both 1994 and 1997, played and coached overseas in Turkey, Taiwan and Belgium following his time at Old Dominion. Once his playing career was over, he shifted to coaching in the Belgium Professional League.
The ODU Sports Hall of Famer met his wife Sofie Ceyssens in 1999, Matt was born in 2004, and younger brother Jayden was born in 2007. Settling in Houthalen in the Belgian province of Limburg, Matt grew up learning to speak French, Dutch, and English.
“From the time that Matt was born, and Jayden too, they had a basketball in their hands. And step by step, two and a half when you can start playing basketball, you saw something then when other kids were trying to make a basket.”
Odell had the opportunity to coach both of his sons when they were growing up, but drew a clear separation between basketball and everything else.
“I think for both of my boys, but especially for Matt, I would never coach a senior level game because I didn’t want to bring it home. We all have a good relationship, so we want to keep it that way.”
“What happens on the court stays on the court, so when we get in the car, it’s something else. We don’t speak about it. We never did. When he was 10 years old and had a shot to be very good, we allowed him to go to a boarding school which only focused on academics and basketball. He had 25-30 hours a week in school where he spent it on his academics and on his basketball craft.”
As Matt continued to develop as a student-athlete, he got the opportunity to play for both the first division team as well as the senior team while he was still a junior player.
“And then growing up in the youth system in Belgium, you saw this guy has a chance to be pretty good. We’ve just got to get him under the right tutelage. Then three years ago, they made the jump to leave Belgium to go to the States to come here and play in New Jersey for a good friend of mine. He played here at Villanova too, so it all comes full circle.”
That friend was former Wildcat Brian Lynch, who was coaching at St. Rose School in Belmar, New Jersey. As a junior in 2022-23, Matt helped lead St. Rose to its first NJSIAA sectional title in 19 years while averaging 14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.
The following season saw the senior average 17.0 points and 6.7 rebounds as the Purple Roses captured another title.
Asked about what he will be thinking about when he steps on the court Tuesday night, Odell said, “I’ll be nervous both ways. For us because I think we’ll have a good opportunity as a team, but as a family, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
“I never thought when we did this that I’d be back here [at ODU], he would be here, and now three years later we’re playing against each other. It’s pretty remarkable.”
“I will support him every step of the way. But tomorrow night, it’s about Old Dominion getting a basketball win and whatever it takes. I think we have a good chance.”
“We’ve played these guys twice, and Coach Jones had great success when we played them in ’95. I was out that game, so the second time that I’m involved in a Villanova game, I’m not playing but I am coaching, and I’m coaching against my boy. I root for him all the time, but tomorrow night, I’m rooting for the Monarchs.”
Tuesday will mark the third-ever meeting between the two programs, with the series knotted at 1-1. Scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff, the game will be streamed on ESPN+ and can also be heard on ESPN Sports Radio 94.1.
