After spending much of his high school career at basketball powerhouse programs such as St. Mary’s of Long Island and Putnam Science (CT), Scotland Campus was the right place for 2021 Dillon Hod to culminate his prep career.
Scotland Campus, which has been No.1 nationally in two of the last three seasons and churned out nine Division 1 players on last year’s national team, has become a veritable NCAA factory.
For Hod, playing against top shelf players and learning the game at an advanced level has helped accelerate his growth.
At 6-foot-3 and possessing natural ability in knifing his way to the rim, Hod brings a level of deceptive toughness and explosiveness that you may not anticipate at first glance of the Long Island native.
Hod’s IQ, workmanlike game and instinctive style were aspects that enabled Hod to open eyes last season.
He scored 15 points, with two traditional 3-point plays, during a game against Central Pointe Christian Academy in Orlando, Fla.
He had an 18-point game, to go with seven rebounds and three steals, against Olympus Academy (NJ).
He posted multiple games of six or more assists. Playing team basketball and being that consummate glue guy, Hod has developed a niche for himself as an unselfish and blue collar worker who prioritizes team aspirations.
Entering his prep year, Hod has a tremendous understanding of his role while shouldering a high order commitment to it.
“My role this year at Scotland Campus is purely straightforward and that is to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Hod said.
“It is very critical for me to be an unselfish player both on the court and off it. We all have our goals, but to be transparent and have both ears wide open is what you will be expecting out of me.”
Hod has improved drastically as an outside shooter, heating up during in-house workouts throughout this pre-season.
Pushing Hod’s development during his youth basketball days has been a name that has special resonance with New Yorkers: Former Knicks sharpshooter Allan Houston.
Hod’s father, Ayal Hod, the all time leading scorer at Yeshiva University, and his friendship with Houston dates back to the former All-Star guard’s early days with the Knicks.
“Mr. Houston has been a great mentor to myself since the day I was born,” said Hod, who considers Houston family.
“He always looked out for my best interests in life, helping my development through maturity and correcting techniques on the basketball court. I am very fortunate to have him on my side.”
The work ethic Houston ingrained in Hod is evident with both how hard Hod plays and his commitment to the unrequired work.
He cites playing alongside Hassan Diarra, Alpha Diallo, and Queens native Nicholas Cham during his stays at Putnam Science and St. Mary’s as experiences that made him tougher and more mentally prepared.
He worked alongside Brooklyn native Abou Ousmane (now at North Texas), a physical and traditional back to the rim five man, this past year at Scotland. He’s also worked thoroughly with Scotland Campus off guard and teammate Jake Hyman, a 6-foot-2 sharpshooter via Australia.
They were a backcourt that played against national power Montverde Academy (FL) with Scottie Barnes (Florida State) and Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State).
Hod’s close friend Devin Rivera, also a Brooklyn native, has been a revelation as a shot-maker at Scotland Campus. A diminutive but tough 5-foot-10 guard, Rivera scored 26 points during a win over Olympus (NJ) during the 2020 Scotland Invite. The Class of 2021 Rivera put together multiple performances of five 3-pointers or more.
“He was a bit under the radar in Brooklyn,” Hod said. “He’s now coming in as one of the hottest shooters from New York in prep basketball.”
