Hempstead, NY – Hofstra Head Women's Basketball Coach Danielle Santos Atkinson announced today the addition of Maddie Pounds and Michaela Hodge to  National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.
 
A 5-8 guard from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Pounds will arrive at Hofstra from N.C. Good Better Best Academy in Durham, North Carolina. She helped lead the Eagles to a conference championship this past season while averaging 12.2 points, 4.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game. During the 2021-22 season, Maddie played for Wilson Preparatory Academy in Wilson, North Carolina, where she was named Team MVP after averaging 18.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 steals, and 2.9 assists per game.  At Wilson, she also helped lead her team to a conference title and a runner-up finish in the regional tournament.
 
"Maddie is a dynamic, play-making guard that plays with such intensity and passion," says Santos Atkinson, who is in her fifth season as head coach. "Her size, athleticism, and knowledge of the game give her the ability to be impactful on both ends of the floor, and her energy, leadership, and commitment to excellence on the court and in the classroom excites us as we welcome her to our pride family."
 
A straight-A and honor roll student every year, Pounds plans to major in Public Health while attending Hofstra with the plan of becoming a traveling nurse or nurse practitioner following her graduation.
 
Hodge, a 6-3 center from Jackson, North Carolina, is a three-year member of the girls' basketball team at Northampton Early College in Gaston, North Carolina. Hodge picked up All-State Honorable Mention as a junior in 2022-23, topping the state and ranking 13th nationally in blocks with an average of 6.4 blocks per game.  A double-double machine, Hodge averaged 16.1 pts and 13.0 rebounds last season while leading the Jaguars to the NCHSAA 1A Conference 9 Tournament championship and earning Tournament MVP honors.
 
"Michaela brings size, athleticism, and depth to our post position," Santos Atkinson says. "She has a great presence in the paint with the tools to score around the basket, and a knack for rebounding the ball.  She's a high level student in the classroom, and a high character person.  She has an incredibly high ceiling and so much potential to explore."
 
At Hofstra, Hodge intends to major in Computer Science, with the goal of becoming a coder upon graduation. In the classroom, Hodge was a member of the National Beta Club, and she was a multi-time honor roll student.