MATT Hodgson’s toughest opponent and harshest critic always has been the guy staring back at him when he shaves.

Last year he was a 212cm basketballer without a future until his mentor Chris Anstey rang Adelaide 36ers coach Joey Wright and implored him to take a look at him.

A dual-Olympian with three years in the NBA at Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls, a star in Europe, a three-time NBL champion and twice the league’s MVP, Anstey was a believer.

Coaching Melbourne, Anstey brought Hodgson into the fold. But when Anstey quit United and Hodgson’s knee issues flared, the Ipswich-born big man’s days as a development player were numbered.

“I thought my NBL career was over before it started,” the Sixers’ starting centre said.

Wright, who spent many years coaching in Queensland’s junior system, remembered Hodgson and invited him to take a physical and survive a workout.

“I drove from Melbourne with my dad and after I passed my physical, Joey said come to the Arena for a 45-minute workout,” Hodgson said.

“I got a pep talk from my dad along the way.”

Just 20 minutes into his session with Wright, the 36ers coach stopped it and said: “Congratulations. You’re a 36er.”

Hodgson felt a mixture of elation and relief.

“I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face,” he admitted.

“I had my shoe in the door.”

It’s a size 18 shoe so the opening was all he needed, defending Daniel Johnson every day in practice through season 2015-16 a sharp but appreciated learning curve.

“DJ is a hell of a player and I just was working at trying to stop him scoring all the time,” Hodgson said.

“I came in out of shape and couldn’t really run, and Joey’s system is up-and-down (the court).”

Hodgson, 25, didn’t intentionally arrive in poor condition but still was overcoming a long-term knee injury which started as a meniscus-tear while he was playing college ball in the US.

Even college basketball had been a foreign concept while he was growing up contemplating university and a biology-related career.

A family friend dropped the concept to the tall 14-year-old Hodgson basketball might be a good option.

“He told me: ‘If you get good enough at basketball, you can use it go to college and get a degree’,” Hodgson said, his mother signing him up to start playing locally in Ipswich.

Others saw the potential Hodgson did not and he soon was representing Ipswich and then Queensland by under-18s.

“Back then, I was horrible,” he confessed.

“I was competing with Mitch Young, Brock Motum, Cam Bairstow, Brendan Teys.”

Again, his potential took him to the AIS alongside Rio Olympians such as Matthew Dellavedova and Ryan Broekhoff and he was recruited by Southern Utah even before visiting the school.

“They said I’d play a lot and I’d learn a lot and that was what I needed,” he said.

Selected to play in Auckland for Australia at the FIBA World Under-19 Championship, it gave him the chance to meet family of his New Zealand-born father who moved to Australia as a 21-year-old.

Southern Utah didn’t let Hodgy down.

“In my first year, they did everything they said and I was one of only two players who started in every game,” he said.

“I was fortunate to play a lot because I was still really raw and learning to play.”

In his second season, Hodgson consistently was in foul trouble and with his back-up playing well, he asked his coaches if he could come off the bench.

“I wanted to get my rhythm back but it hurt me and maybe I should have backed myself,” he said.

“I may have taken starting for granted — it’s only now with the 36ers I’m a starter again.”

Transferring to St Mary’s, Hodgson had to red-shirt for a year — train but not play — but used the time to work on himself.

“I had so much to work on,” he said. “I was lifting (weights) a lot more because I was really, really skinny.

“I was 6-11 and 90-something kilo.”

Hodgson he does not blame St Mary’s coaching staff for his inability to transfer the confidence they had in him onto the court.

“I didn’t have great faith in myself. I’d get on and freeze,” he said.

“If I was mentally tougher or more mature, it might have been different.”

What did happen though was his knee injury and, as often is the case, he was made to train and play through the pain.

“They ripped his knee to shreds in his senior year,” Anstey said.

“He’s such a good kid, he just would’ve done whatever they said and they cared about the school, not the player.”

Anstey saw something in Hodgson when he limped back into Australia.

“I saw a player who had been pigeonholed and misdiagnosed, who never really had the chance to prove himself,” he said.

“And I saw a really good human being.”

Hodgson said after such a lacklustre college career, he was grateful for any opportunity.

The fact he grew up idolising Anstey didn’t hurt either,.

“He was my favourite player to watch, he was a killer and he never got fazed by much,” Hodgson said.

“When I got to United (though), my knee was cooked.”

He experienced consistent swelling post-surgery as United decided he no longer was worth the risk. It was Adelaide’s gain.

He opened his career against tonight’s opponent New Zealand with an 18-point, nine-rebound debut.

It raised expectations Hodgson wasn’t physically or mentally ready to meet but this past off-season in Melbourne working with Anstey and renowned strength and conditioning guru Bruce Gray, has helped his evolution.

“He’s a big key to our success,” Sixers guard Jerome Randle said.

“If you get beat off the dribble, you know Hodgy is there protecting the rim and he’s improving tremendously.

“He can get a double-double day-in, day-out.”

Even the guy in the mirror would have to agree.

MATT HODGSON — JUST THE FACTS

BORN: Ipswich, Aug. 2, 1991

HEIGHT: 212cm

WEIGHT: 116kg

POSITION: Centre

CAREER

US COLLEGE

Southern Utah (2009-11), started 39 of 58 games over two years; Red-shirt 2011-12 (Transfer rules meant one-year out); St Mary’s College (2012-14), started twice in 66 games over two years

AUSTRALIA

Australian Institute of Sport 2009; Frankston Blues (SEABL 2014, 2015); Waverley Falcons (Big V 2016).

NATIONAL TEAMS

Australian team at FIBA Under-19 World Championship 2009, averaging 4.6ppg and 4.1rpg; Australia at World University Games 2011.

NBL

2014-15: Melbourne United development player. Did not appear in a game.

2015-17: Adelaide 36ers.