Julius Hodge

Last updated

Julius Hodge
Julius Hodge with Paris-Levallois.jpg
Hodge with Paris-Levallois in 2012
Lincoln Lions
PositionHead coach
League Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Personal information
Born (1983-11-18) November 18, 1983 (age 40)
Harlem, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican / Antiguan
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school St. Raymond (Bronx, New York)
College NC State (2001–2005)
NBA draft 2005: 1st round, 20th overall pick
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career2005–2015
Position Small forward / shooting guard
Number32, 24
Coaching career2015–present
Career history
As player:
2005–2007 Denver Nuggets
2006→Austin Toros
2006–2007→Colorado 14ers
2007 Milwaukee Bucks
2007 Albuquerque Thunderbirds
2007 Cimberio Varese
2007 Legea Scafati
2007–2009 Adelaide 36ers
2009–2010 Melbourne Tigers
2010 Trotamundos de Carabobo
2010Guangzhou Free Man
2010–2011 Petrochimi Bandar Imam
2011 BK Minsk-2006
2011 Jiangsu Tongxi
2011–2012 Saigon Heat
2012 Caciques de Humacao
2012 Marinos de Anzoátegui
2012 Vaqueros de Bayamón
2012–2013 Paris-Levallois
2013 Saint John Mill Rats
2014 Champville SC
2014 Cheshire Phoenix
As coach:
2015–2016 Buffalo (dir. player personnel)
2016–2018 Santa Clara (assistant)
2018–2021 San Jose State (assistant)
2021–2024 Little Rock (assistant)
2024–present Lincoln (PA)
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Julius Melvin Hodge (born November 18, 1983) is an American-Antiguan [1] basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Lincoln Lions men's basketball team. Originally from Harlem, New York, Hodge played college basketball at NC State and was selected 20th overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. The ACC Player of the Year during the 2003–04 season, Hodge finished his college career by leading State to the Sweet 16.

Contents

Early life

Julius Hodge was born in the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem and raised across the Harlem River from Yankee Stadium. [2] His mother, Mary Hodge, worked two jobs, including as a teacher's aide, to support Julius and his two siblings. [2] [3]

Hodge became smitten with basketball when he was five years old after his father took him to a New York Knicks game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden where Magic Johnson smiled at him in the crowd. [2] Hodge's father was deported to Antigua and Barbuda when Hodge was nine years old and Hodge has not seen him since. [3] Hodge's older brother, Steven, was his strongest male role model and played basketball in the NJCAA at Sullivan County Community College and later in NCAA Division II at Long Island University – Southampton. Steven made the decision to name his younger brother after all-time basketball great Julius Erving. [4]

High school career

As a senior at St. Raymond High School for Boys, operated by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, in the Bronx, New York, Hodge was part of the 2001 McDonald's All-American Team and the First-team Parade All-American, New York State Mr. Basketball, New York Daily News Player of the Year, New York All-Metro Squad, and Sports Illustrated's Old Spice Athlete of the Month. He scored a total of 684 points his senior season, setting the school record at St. Raymond High School, and left rated as the best shooting guard by ESPN and fifth-best nationally. He averaged 24.5 points, 5 assists and 4 steals per game. [5] Hodge surprised basketball fans by choosing to attend NC State over Syracuse University. [6]

College career

As a freshman with the NC State Wolfpack, he was the leading freshman scorer in the ACC, averaging 10.7 points per game. He was named to second-team All-ACC Tournament team, after averaging 12.3 points. He earned the Lorenzo Charles Offensive Rebounding Award for 2002, Dick Vitale's "Diaper Dandy" and ranked 20th in the ACC in rebounding. He scored a double-double in his first collegiate game and his first ACC game. He was the only Pack player with multiple double-doubles for the 2001–2002 season.

For the 2002–03 campaign, Hodge was selected as a First Team All-ACC player. He recorded four career-highs during the three-day run to the finals of the ACC tournament. He recorded his seventh double-double during the final game of the tournament and ranked seventh in free throw percentage for the season. During this season he recorded the first-ever triple-double in Wolfpack history, and was named ACC Player of the Week after leading the Pack to back-to-back victories against Duke and North Carolina. He was one of 17 finalists to make the U.S. squad for the 2003 Pan American Games and Dick Vitale named Hodge to his "All-Rolls Royce Team." He was one of the 50 preseason candidates for the Wooden Award.

During the 2005 NCAA tournament, Hodge hit a game winning shot against UConn after Charlie Villanueva had tied the score.

After concluding his senior season and entering the NBA draft, Hodge remained at NC State to finish his degree in communications. [7]

Professional career

NBA

Hodge was chosen in the first round (20th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. He appeared in 14 games for the Nuggets in the 2005–06 season while averaging only 0.9 points in 2.4 minutes. [8]

On January 5, 2007, Hodge started in his first career NBA game, against the Los Angeles Lakers. Six days later he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks along with Earl Boykins for Steve Blake. [9] On February 7 of that year, Hodge was waived by the Bucks. [10] Later that year, he played for the 2007 Seattle SuperSonics summer league team. [11]

Italy

On August 10, 2007, Hodge signed with Italian Serie A team Cimberio Varese. Midway through the season, he transferred to fellow Serie A team Legea Scafati. [12] In Italy, Hodge had trouble getting his clubs to fulfill his salary obligations. [13]

Adelaide 36ers

2007–08 season

On December 21, 2007, Hodge signed with the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian NBL as their second import to replace the outgoing Mike Chappell. He finished his contract with Italian Serie A team Legea Scafati and arrived in Adelaide on December 23 after making trips to his hometown New York. He made his debut for the 36ers against the South Dragons helping them to a victory. [14] On January 29, Hodge was rewarded with the league's player of the week for round 19 after averaging 27 points, 4 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the two games the 36ers played, which included a dominant performance of 39 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists against the Cairns Taipans. [15] On February 2, Hodge became the first 36er since Robert Rose in 1994 to record a triple double (24 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists). A few days after, on February 5, Hodge won his second and back-to-back player of the week for Round 20 after averaging 31 points, 10.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists, which also included a performance of 37 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in the 36ers lost to the Gold Coast Blaze. [16] On February 12, Hodge won his third consecutive player of the week for round 21 by having another dominant performance of 31 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists in the 36ers win against the Cairns Taipans. Hodge became just the second player to win the award three times (Chris Anstey is the other player to do so), and the first player to win it three times consecutively during the season. [17] Despite only playing half of the season in the league, Hodge was rewarded with the All NBL Third Team for his efforts with the 36ers. Hodge then bid for his return to the NBA by trying out with the New Jersey Nets, but could not make the regular season roster despite signing a 2-year non-guaranteed contract.

2008–09 season

On November 15, 2008, Hodge re-signed with the Adelaide 36ers replacing outgoing import Mark Tyndale. [18] In the first week of his return to the NBL, Hodge won another NBL Player of the Week award for round 10, averaging 26.5 points per game, 10.5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal, despite the 36ers losing the two games he played in. [19] This included a dominant performance of 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists against the South Dragons, and the praise of opposition coach Brian Goorjian, who coached the Australian Boomers in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, saying that he was "possibly the best player in the league." [20] On December 30, 2008, Hodge won his second NBL Player of the Week award of the season for round 15, after having scored 31 points (while shooting 13 of 19 from the field at a 68% clip) and pulling 8 rebounds to lead the 36ers in a crucial road victory over the Melbourne Tigers. [21]

In 2011, it was revealed Hodge's recruitment had been paid for out of the $27 million Christopher Wayne Fuss had embezzled from Flinders University. [22] On July 8, 2011, Fuss received nine years jail for the theft. [23]

Melbourne Tigers

In the summer of 2009, Hodge attended a Chicago Bulls mini-camp but did not make the team's roster. [13] In November 2009, Hodge signed with the Melbourne Tigers to help bolster an injury-plagued roster missing Chris Anstey. [24] In his November 14, 2009 debut, Hodge scored 22 points and tallied 9 rebounds and 7 assists, but it wasn't enough as the Townsville Crocodiles won 98–91. [25]

Hodge returned to Adelaide as a member of the Melbourne Tigers in December 2009. He was booed every time he touched the ball and after the win Hodge stamped on Brett Maher's signature on center court. [26] He had to receive a police escort off the court and out of the building.

Trotamundos de Carabobo

Hodge returned to the Americas in 2010 after signing a contract with Trotamundos de Carabobo of Venezuela's Liga Profesional de Baloncesto. [27]

Guangzhou Free Man

After a brief stint in Venezuela, Hodge was signed in the summer of 2010 by Guangzhou Free Man of China's National Basketball League. He scored 16 points in his debut against Shenyang. [28]

Petrochimi Bandar Imam

Later in 2010, Hodge received a substantial offer from Petrochimi Bandar Imam BC of the Iranian Basketball Super League. Although impressed by the quality of basketball in Iran, Hodge was not comfortable with the environment. On March 3, 2011, Hodge and the club agreed to terminate his contract because they were unable to pay him the full amount.

Tsmoki-Minsk

Hodge's first new team of 2011 was BC Tsmoki-Minsk, a Belarusian Premier League team in Minsk. Due to a struggling economy, the club was slow to make payments and Hodge ultimately exercised an option to exit his contract early. [7]

Jiangsu Tongxi

Hodge returned to China in 2011, this time playing for the Jiangsu Tongxi. In seven games with Jiangsu, he averaged 25.6 points per game and was named the All-Chinese NBL Import Player of the Year. [29]

Saigon Heat

In December 2011, Hodge signed with Vietnam's Saigon Heat of the ASEAN Basketball League. [30] On February 20, 2012, the Heat released him. [31] Hodge described playing in Vietnam as an "adventure" where he had the unique experience of playing alongside teammates who worked 9–5 jobs. [7]

Paris-Levallois

In November 2012, Hodge was added to the roster of Paris-Levallois Basket in France's LNB Pro A. [32] In Paris, he was teammates with Sean May and Jawad Williams, both of whom were Hodge's conference rivals in college and his teenage friends from the youth basketball circuit. [7]

Saint John Mill Rats

The Saint John Mill Rats of the National Basketball League of Canada announced the signing of Hodge on February 4, 2013. Hodge became just the ninth former NBA player to ever play in the league. [33] The club bought out his contract with Paris-Levallois Basket later that month on February 25. [34]

National team

In 2011, Hodge played for the Antigua and Barbuda national basketball team in the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championship. [35]

Post-playing career

On May 18, 2015, Buffalo Bulls head coach Nate Oats announced that Hodge would serve as the Director of Player Development for the State University of New York at Buffalo. [36]

On March 29, 2016, Hodge joined his former college coach Herb Sendek as an assistant coach at Santa Clara University. [37]

On April 26, 2018, Hodge joined the staff of Jean Prioleau at San Jose State as an assistant coach. [38]

In July 2021, Hodge became an assistant coach at Little Rock.

Personal life

After visiting a nightclub on April 8, 2006, Hodge was on Interstate 76 in North Denver around 2:00 a.m. when another vehicle pulled alongside his and fired several shots. Hodge was told he came within 5 minutes of bleeding to death. The case has yet to be solved. [39]

During each offseason of his overseas playing career, Hodge returned to live in Raleigh, North Carolina where he played during his college career. As of 2013, Hodge is married with two children. He describes himself as a "movie buff." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Childress</span> American basketball player (born 1983)

Joshua Malik Childress is an American former professional basketball player. An All-EuroLeague Second Team member in 2010, he played with the Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and Olympiacos Piraeus of the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide 36ers</span> Australian professional basketball team

The Adelaide 36ers are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in the state's capital of Adelaide. The club was originally called the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the NBL in 1982, but changed their name to the 36ers the following year. The 36ers nickname comes from the fact that the Colony of South Australia was officially proclaimed on 28 December 1836. Since 2019, the 36ers play their home games at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Davis (basketball, born 1960)</span> American-Australian basketball player

Mark Davis is an American-Australian former professional basketball player. He most notably played in the National Basketball League for the Adelaide 36ers between 1985 and 2001, gaining the nickname of "The Chairman of the Boards" for his record-breaking rebounding achievements.

Mark Robert Bradtke is an Australian retired professional basketball player who played mainly in Australia's National Basketball League, but also had a single stint in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996–97. As well as his outstanding play, Bradtke was known in the early part of his NBL career for his mullet haircut.

Luke Dean Schenscher is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played four years of college basketball for Georgia Tech before having stints in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls in 2006 and the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007. In 2010, he won an NBL championship with the Perth Wildcats.

Lanard Copeland is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he played in the National Basketball League (NBL) from 1992 to 2008.

Roderick DeWayne Grizzard is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He was selected in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards.

Kevin Brooks is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, Brooks is a graduate of White Castle High School in White Castle, Louisiana and graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, then named the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

LaFarrell Darnell Mee is an American former professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Western Kentucky before being selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 34th overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft. He played 40 games in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets. In his 12 seasons in Australia, Mee was named the NBL Best Defensive Player five times and won two NBL championships. He became an Australian citizen in 2006.

Orlando Darryl Phillips is an American former basketball player. Phillips was a strong rebounding power forward who also played in Australia and Europe during his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Sloan (basketball)</span> American professional basketball player (born 1988)

Donald Wayne Sloan is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies. Sloan played parts of five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets. He played in the NBA D-League and Chinese Basketball Association in between NBA stints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerome Randle</span> American-Ukrainian basketball player (born 1987)

Jerome Jerry Randle is an American-Ukrainian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the California Golden Bears before playing professionally in several European countries. Randle has a Ukrainian passport and represented Ukraine at EuroBasket 2015.

Corey Paul "Homicide" Williams was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for MCC–Penn Valley and Alabama State before gaining notoriety as a streetball player in New York City. He played professionally for 17 years, including a four-year stint in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) between 2007 and 2011, where he earned NBL Most Valuable Player honors in 2010 with the Townsville Crocodiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitch Creek</span> Australian basketball player (born 1992)

Mitchell Creek is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). He began his National Basketball League (NBL) career in 2010 and played his first eight seasons with the Adelaide 36ers. After a stint in Germany in 2018, he joined the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League. During the 2018–19 season, he had stints in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves. He played for the South East Melbourne Phoenix between 2019 and 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaal Franklin</span> American basketball player (born 1991)

Jamaal Eric Franklin is an American professional basketball player. Franklin played college basketball for San Diego State, where he was the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year as well as an All-American in his junior season. He was selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies and spent two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets. Franklin played eight seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association from 2014 to 2022. He has also played in the NBA Development League, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montrezl Harrell</span> American basketball player (born 1994)

Montrezl Dashay Harrell is an American professional basketball player for the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals where he received the Karl Malone Award in 2015 as a junior for being the top power forward in the nation. Harrell was selected in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017 where he was awarded as the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2020. Harrell spent the following three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers. He missed the entire 2023–24 season after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Harrell signed with the 36ers in 2024.

Darryl "The Iceman" Pearce is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) for the Adelaide 36ers from 1982 to 1991 before playing four seasons (1992–1995) with the North Melbourne Giants. A 6'3" (191 cm) Shooting guard, Pearce is regarded as one of the best ever Three-point field goal shooters in NBL history having shot at 41.9% from beyond the arc during his 374-game career.

Scott Ninnis is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player. He won three National Basketball League (NBL) championships during his career: 1986 and 1998 with the Adelaide 36ers and 1992 with the South East Melbourne Magic. He coached the 36ers for two years and was an assistant coach with the club when they won the 1998–99 and 2001–02 NBL championships. He returned to the 36ers' coaching staff in 2023 as an assistant and was appointed as interim head coach midway through the 2023–24 season. Despite re-signing with the 36ers to be head coach, he was sacked in August 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Wiley</span> American basketball player

Jacob Daniel Wiley is an American-born naturalized Macedonian professional basketball player for Covirán Granada of the Liga ACB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Withers</span> American basketball player

Todd Dwoyne Withers is an American professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Queens Royals.

References

  1. ↑ "Julius Melvin Hodge - Player Profile". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Ackert, Kristie (March 24, 2005). "HARLEM'S HODGE LEADER OF PACK. His work isn't done at N.C. State". New York Daily News . Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Paxinos, Stathi (November 12, 2009). "New Tiger looks on lighter side". The Australian Financial Review . Fairfax Media . Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  4. ↑ Collins, Dan (2013). The ACC basketball book of fame. John F. Blair. p. 43. ISBN   978-0-89587-606-5.
  5. ↑ Sakamoto, Bob (April 7, 2001). "STARGAZING IN THE CITY". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  6. ↑ Pitoniak, Scott (March 25, 2005). "N.C. State's Hodge hopes for a happy N.Y. homecoming". Democrat and Chronicle . Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Throwback Thursday: Julius Hodge". NC State University Official Athletic Site. CBS Interactive. June 13, 2013. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  8. ↑ Julius Hodge playerfile: career stats Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine , nba.com
  9. ↑ ESPN – Nuggets deal Boykins, Hodge to Bucks for Blake – NBA
  10. ↑ NBA.com Bucks Waive Hodge, Recall Markota
  11. ↑ SONICS: Durant, Green Welcomed to NBA in Summer Opener
  12. ↑ Scafati: via Romero e Hodge, arriva Babrauskas – Yahoo! Eurosport IT
  13. 1 2 Rayman, Graham (November 24, 2009). "JULIUS HODGE: HARLEM GLOBE-TROTTER". Village Voice . Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  14. ↑ Adelaide Pura Milk 36ers | Media – 36ers News | Pure Excitement Archived 2008-04-23 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ NBL > News [ permanent dead link ]
  16. ↑ NBL > News Archived 2016-04-05 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ NBL > News Archived 2016-04-09 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Adelaide Pura Milk 36ers > Julius Hodge returns to 36ers Archived 2009-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ NBL > News [ permanent dead link ]
  20. ↑ NBL > News Archived 2016-04-14 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ↑ NBL > News [ permanent dead link ]
  22. ↑ http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/former-flinders-university-cashier-christopher-fuss-admits-26m-fraud/story-e6frea83-1226015883278 Former Flinders University cashier Christopher Fuss admits $27m fraud
  23. ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-08/man-jailed-for-stealing-27m-from-uni/2787234 Man jailed for stealing $27m from uni
  24. ↑ Hodge signs with Tigers Ex-Sixer Julius Hodge joins Melbourne
  25. ↑ "FIBA LiveStats". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
  26. ↑ Hodge disrespects the 36ers and stomps on logo
  27. ↑ Carchia, E. (April 5, 2010). "Trotamundos tab Hodge and Brown". Sportando. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Guangzhou Free Man sign Julius Hodge". Asia-basket. Eurobasket. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Julius Hodge is a newcomer at Paris-Levallois". Eurobasket. November 21, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Saigon Heat sets high target for first tourney | Look at Vietnam". www.lookatvietnam.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  31. ↑ Saigon Heat Releases Julius Hodge
  32. ↑ Have You Met Julius?
  33. ↑ "Julius Hodge Taking His Talents to Mispec Beach". OurSports Central. February 4, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  34. ↑ "NBL Canada Transactions in 2012 – 2013 Season". National Basketball League of Canada . Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Day One in Nassau". latinbasket.com . July 24, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Julius Hodge Named Director of Player Development". UBBulls.com. University at Buffalo Athletics. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  37. ↑ Julius Hodge to join Herb Sendek as assistant coach for Santa Clara Broncos
  38. ↑ "Julius Hodge Named San Jose State Men's Basketball Assistant Coach". SJSUSpartans.com. San Jose State University. June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Nuggets' Hodge shot and wounded on highway". ESPN . Associated Press. April 8, 2006. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.