Bryan Hodgson has been recognized in recent years as one of college basketball’s finest recruiters.

The 2005 Jamestown High School graduate apparently knows a thing or two about being a general manager as well.

Led by 19 points from Nick Perkins, 18 from C.J. Massinburg and 17 from Wes Clark, Blue Collar U defeated Americana for Autism 89-67 on Tuesday night in Dayton to claim The Basketball Tournament championship and the winner-take-all $1 million prize.

For GM Hodgson, who recruited many of the BCU players to the University at Buffalo when he was an assistant there, it continues a remarkable rise to the top of his profession. Although only 35, Hodgson is in his third year as an assistant at Alabama, after beginning his career as an assistant at SUNY Fredonia and then Jamestown Community College. He later spent two years at Midland (Texas) College and four at UB where he helped the Bulls to three Mid-American Conference titles and three NCAA Tournaments.

Hodgson’s connection to the Amherst campus and the players he recruited there remains strong. Perkins, Massinburg, Clark and company played that way from the start last night, especially at the defensive end.

With former UB head coach and current Alabama head coach Nate Oats watching from the stands at UD Arena, Blue Collar U jumped out to a 17-5 lead in the first quarter and led 45-31 at halftime. The margin grew to as many as 22 after the break and UB’s alumni team cruised to the win.

Blue Collar U’s players will split the winning pot, and have pledged to donate of those winnings to Coaching Love, a nonprofit foundation Hodgson has established to assist at-risk youth and foster children to attend sports camps and clinics.

According to Jeff Borzello, a staff writer on ESPN.com, Massingburg, Perkins and Clark will earn $100,000 apiece, fellow starters Blake Hamilton and Dontay Caruthers will earn $85,000 and the rest of the players and coaches will earn between $15,000 and $60,000.

No matter the financial gain, Hodgson continues to leave his mark, on and off the court.

“My childhood and my situation — being a foster child, being raised by an orphan mother and a son of a World War II prisoner of war — developed me to be a relationship person,” Bryan told The Post-Journal in 2018. “I think that’s the biggest thing in recruiting. It’s nothing else. It’s about being able to tell people you genuinely care about them.”

The Basketball Tournament, which has been played each summer since 2014, features 64 teams and is broadcast by ESPN. Blue Collar U’s road to the championship included wins over NG Saints; Friday Beers; The Nerd Team; Heartfire; Red Scare; and, finally, Americana for Autism.