 Hodge withParis-Levallois in 2012 | |
| Lincoln Lions | |
|---|---|
| Position | Head coach |
| League | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1983-11-18)November 18, 1983 (age 41) Harlem, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Antiguan |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 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 theDenver Nuggets | |
| Playing career | 2005–2015 |
| Position | Small forward /shooting guard |
| Number | 32, 24 |
| Coaching career | 2015–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 |
| 2010 | Guangzhou 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  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Julius Melvin Hodge (born November 18, 1983) is an American-Antiguan[1]basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for theLincoln Lions men's basketball team. Originally fromHarlem, New York, Hodge playedcollege basketball atNC State and was selected 20th overall in the2005 NBA draft by theDenver Nuggets. TheACC Player of the Year during the 2003–04 season, Hodge finished his college career by leading State to theSweet 16.
Julius Hodge was born in theManhattan neighborhood of Harlem and raised across theHarlem River fromYankee Stadium.[2] His mother, Mary Hodge, worked two jobs, including as ateacher'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 aNew York Knicks game against theLos Angeles Lakers atMadison Square Garden whereMagic Johnson smiled at him in the crowd.[2] Hodge's father wasdeported toAntigua 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 theNJCAA atSullivan County Community College and later inNCAA Division II atLong Island University – Southampton. Steven made the decision to name his younger brother after all-time basketball greatJulius Erving.[4]
As a senior atSt. Raymond High School for Boys, operated by theDe La Salle Christian Brothers, inthe Bronx, New York, Hodge was part of the 2001McDonald's All-American Team and theFirst-teamParade All-American,New York State Mr. Basketball,New York Daily News Player of the Year, New York All-Metro Squad, andSports Illustrated'sOld 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 bestshooting guard byESPN and fifth-best nationally. He averaged 24.5 points, 5 assists and 4 steals per game.[5] Hodge surprised basketball fans by choosing to attendNC State overSyracuse University.[6]
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As a freshman with theNC 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 theLorenzo 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 theACC 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-evertriple-double in Wolfpack history, and was named ACC Player of the Week after leading the Pack to back-to-back victories againstDuke andNorth Carolina. He was one of 17 finalists to make the U.S. squad for the2003 Pan American Games and Dick Vitale named Hodge to his "All-Rolls Royce Team." He was one of the 50 preseason candidates for theWooden Award.
During the2005 NCAA tournament, Hodge hit a game winning shot againstUConn afterCharlie Villanueva had tied the score.
After concluding his senior season and entering theNBA draft, Hodge remained atNC State to finish his degree in communications.[7]
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 the2005–06 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 theMilwaukee Bucks along withEarl Boykins forSteve Blake.[9] On February 7 of that year, Hodge was waived by the Bucks.[10] Later that year, he played for the 2007Seattle SuperSonics summer league team.[11]
On August 10, 2007, Hodge signed withItalianSerie A teamCimberio Varese. Midway through the season, he transferred to fellow Serie A teamLegea Scafati.[12] In Italy, Hodge had trouble getting his clubs to fulfill his salary obligations.[13]
On December 21, 2007, Hodge signed with theAdelaide 36ers in the AustralianNBL as their second import to replace the outgoingMike 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 theSouth 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 theCairns Taipans.[15]On February 2, Hodge became the first 36er sinceRobert 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 theGold 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 theAll NBL Third Team for his efforts with the 36ers. Hodge then bid for his return to the NBA by trying out with theNew Jersey Nets, but could not make the regular season roster despite signing a 2-year non-guaranteed contract.
On November 15, 2008, Hodge re-signed with the Adelaide 36ers replacing outgoing importMark 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 theSouth Dragons, and the praise of opposition coachBrian Goorjian, who coached theAustralian Boomers in the2008 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 theMelbourne Tigers.[21]
In 2011, it was revealed Hodge's recruitment had been paid for out of the $27 million Christopher Wayne Fuss had embezzled fromFlinders University.[22] On July 8, 2011, Fuss received nine years jail for the theft.[23]
In the summer of 2009, Hodge attended aChicago Bulls mini-camp but did not make the team's roster.[13] In November 2009, Hodge signed with theMelbourne Tigers to help bolster an injury-plagued roster missingChris 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 theTownsville 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 onBrett Maher's signature on center court.[26] He had to receive a police escort off the court and out of the building.
Hodge returned to the Americas in 2010 after signing a contract withTrotamundos de Carabobo of Venezuela'sLiga Profesional de Baloncesto.[27]
After a brief stint in Venezuela, Hodge was signed in the summer of 2010 byGuangzhou Free Man of China'sNational Basketball League. He scored 16 points in his debut againstShenyang.[28]
Later in 2010, Hodge received a substantial offer fromPetrochimi Bandar Imam BC of theIranian 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.
Hodge's first new team of 2011 wasBC Tsmoki-Minsk, aBelarusian Premier League team inMinsk. Due to a struggling economy, the club was slow to make payments and Hodge ultimately exercised an option to exit his contract early.[7]
Hodge returned to China in 2011, this time playing for theJiangsu 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]
In December 2011, Hodge signed withVietnam'sSaigon Heat of theASEAN 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 worked9–5 jobs.[7]
In November 2012, Hodge was added to the roster ofParis-Levallois Basket in France'sLNB Pro A.[32] In Paris, he was teammates withSean May andJawad Williams, both of whom were Hodge's conference rivals in college and his teenage friends from the youth basketball circuit.[7]
TheSaint John Mill Rats of theNational 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]
In 2011, Hodge played for theAntigua and Barbuda national basketball team in theCaribbean Basketball Confederation Championship.[35]
On May 18, 2015,Buffalo Bulls head coachNate Oats announced that Hodge would serve as the Director of Player Development for theState University of New York at Buffalo.[36]
On March 29, 2016, Hodge joined his former college coachHerb Sendek as an assistant coach atSanta Clara University.[37]
On April 26, 2018, Hodge joined the staff ofJean Prioleau atSan Jose State as an assistant coach.[38]
In July 2021, Hodge became an assistant coach atLittle Rock.
After visiting a nightclub on April 8, 2006, Hodge was onInterstate 76 in NorthDenver 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 inRaleigh, 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]