Cliff Hodge wants first PBA All-Star stint to matter

Meralco Bolts forward Cliff Hodge is participating in the PBA All-Star for the first time. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

BACOLOD CITY—Cliff Hodge has made the PBA’s Defensive Team twice, and yet, making the All-Star Team—a far easier milestone to notch—has been much more slippery for the Meralco forward.

That will finally change on Sunday night when he suits up for Mark Barroca’s crew in the midseason extravaganza’s main event at University of St. La Salle here.

“It’s really crazy. I really thought after a certain point, I would never make an All-Star team. As you get older, you [no longer] expect it,” he told reporters on Friday morning at Roy’s Hotel and Convention Center, just before the PBA’s busy day filled with meet-and-greets and outreach programs.

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“I was just so used to not making it that, finally, making it in my 12th year is crazy. [It’s] a testament to the hard work that I put in,” he went on.

More than the chance to join the revelries, Hodge said he is grateful for finally being recognized.

“When I was younger, I wanted to be part of it. But then as I got older, I didn’t mind. I was really focused on getting a championship and not individual accolades. If they come, they come; if they don’t, they don’t. My main focus was just to try to win a championship, which I haven’t done yet,” he said.

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“I’ve never been an individual, like, [awards]-type guy. But it is always good to get recognized by the PBA, the fans, by the coaches. I’m proud of myself for finally making it. It’s one thing I can mark off my resume.

“I don’t know how it’s going to go. But I’m just going to do what I usually do, play hard, try to get some stops.”

Looking to soak up the experience, Hodge said he might even pull something unconventional out of his bag of tricks.

“I might shoot a little bit,” he teased.