Northwest Missouri phenom Trevor Hudgins continues incredible basketball rise to NBA

The improbable rise of Northwest Missouri basketball star Trevor Hudgins is far from over.

Not long after helping the Bearcats win their third straight NCAA Division II championship in men’s hoops, Hudgins learned he was heading to the NBA when the Houston Rockets signed him to a two-way contract on Thursday night following the conclusion of the NBA Draft.

Hudgins, from Manhattan, Kansas, will likely spend the majority of his rookie season playing for Houston’s developmental team in the G League, but he will get opportunities to also play for the Rockets if he impresses right away in the pro ranks.

“Houston, let’s get to work!” Hudgins wrote on social media following the news. “All glory to God!”

It is impressive for any basketball player to sign a contract with a NBA team, but it seems like an especially stellar accomplishment for Hudgins given the path he followed to this point.

Hudgins, a 6-foot and 180-pound guard, was once an overlooked recruit coming out of Manhattan. Kansas State didn’t make a push for him. Neither did any big school in the region.

But Northwest Missouri coach Ben McCollum took a chance on him after watching Hudgins play a few summer games.

Hudgins had never heard of the Bearcats when they began recruiting him but they turned out to be a perfect match.

The Bearcats brought out the best in Hudgins, as he went on to twice win Division II Player of the Year honors. Hudgins won three national championships and proved he could play with the best as he developed. Hudgins averaged at least 18.7 points in all four of his college seasons and ended his career by scoring 2,829 points.

He also averaged five assists per game and made a whopping 46.5% of his shots from three-point range.