Jayden Hodge leaves St. Rose for national program, Romano commits to Buffalo
Jayden Hodge is going national.
The rising senior St. Rose basketball star announced on May 2 that he is transferring to national powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida, which recently produced potentially four first-round picks in the upcoming NBA draft.
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“New path, same purpose,” Hodge wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to my family, my coaches, and the St. Rose community for everything they have done for me.”
The 6-foot-6 small forward was the Shore Sports Insider Player of the Year this past season, when he led the Purple Roses to a second consecutive Shore Conference Tournament title and a second straight South Jersey Non-Public B title. He averaged 19.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.75 steals per game in blossoming into one of New Jersey’s top all-around players.
Hodge and his older brother, Matt, came over from their native Belgium in 2022 and transformed the St. Rose program into a powerhouse. They won their first SCT titles in history during the Hodges’ tenure and finished No. 1 in the state in the 2023-24 season. Matt Hodge is now a guard at Villanova.
Jayden Hodge was one of New Jersey’s top returning recruits with offers from Maryland, Penn State, Temple, Villanova, Virginia Tech and others.
St. Rose rising senior Jayden Hodge has transferred to national power Montverde Academy in Florida. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspimages.com)
He joins a Montverde program that is pumping out NBA players. It may end up producing four first-round picks in the upcoming NBA draft, headlined by No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg of Duke. Flagg’s former Montverde teammates Liam McNeeley (UConn), Derik Queen (Maryland) and Asa Newell (Georgia) are also projected as first-round picks.
The program has also previously produced Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham, Toronto Raptors star Scottie Barnes and Los Angeles Clippers forward Ben Simmons.
Montverde was previously coached by Kevin Boyle, the former coach at what is now Patrick School, who developed a host of NBA players. Boyle left to take the job at Ohio’s Spire Academy, another national program. Montverde is now coached by Steve Turner, who previously coached Washington, D.C., power Gonzaga College High School.
Hodge is the latest Shore Conference basketball superstar to leave for a program with a national footprint. Former Manasquan guard Darius Adams left the Warriors to play for Indiana-based power La Lumiere. He was initially committed to UConn, but decommitted and announced on April 30 that he is committing to Maryland.
Hodge’s departure completely changes the outlook for St. Rose’s boys basketball team heading into the 2025-26 season. He and his brother came to New Jersey from Belgium thanks to the connection between their father, Odell Hodge, and St. Rose head coach Brian Lynch, who were teammates when they played professionally in Belgium.
The move by Hodge also comes as Christian Brothers Academy is looking for a new head coach following the departure of Geoff Billet after 18 seasons. Lynch is a former CBA star and a prime candidate for the position.
St. Rose’s Evan Romano commits to Buffalo
Another talented member of this season’s St. Rose team is headed to the Division 1 ranks.
Senior guard Evan Romano announced he has committed to the University of Buffalo.
Great News!!! pic.twitter.com/nnG1h9HiJk
— St. Rose High School Athletics (@StRoseAD) May 2, 2025
The 6-foot-3 guard was an SSI first-team All-Shore selection this winter after averaging 13.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 steals and hitting 49 3-pointers for the SCT champs. He was a 1,000-point scorer in his career for the Purple Roses after transferring from Holmdel as a sophomore.
Romano is the only player from this season’s Shore Conference senior class to commit to a Division 1 program.
Scott Stump is a freelance reporter, newsletter writer and editor who first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, wrestling, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point.
You can contact him at [email protected]
