Julius Hodge Update from Down Under

After a 39-point, 10-rebound, five-assist haul in the 111-105 road win over Cairns and a 27-point, four-rebound, four-assist effort against Melbourne, the Harlem-born small forward was called the NBL’s Player of the Week.He credits his team-mates, coach and environment for bringing out the best in his game.

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18 Responses to Julius Hodge Update from Down Under

  1. branjawn 02/02/2008 at 10:13 PM #

    We miss Jules

  2. Primewolf 02/02/2008 at 10:15 PM #

    Jules down under. Great place to play ball. He may never come back.

    If he is down under, Chris Paul should be in the Artic.

  3. SuperStuff 02/02/2008 at 11:32 PM #

    You mean they actually let him play. I guess they didn’t read the memo by George Karl to put him at the end of the bench and never let him see the light of day. Jules got drafted by the wrong team out of college. Sometimes it’s just being at the right place at the right time.

  4. wolfpacker420 02/03/2008 at 3:22 AM #

    Same thing happened to another legend out of NC State!! I’ll give you guys a moment to think…….. give up? Rodney Monroe! Got drafted by the sorry Hawks and the rest is history!! I only hope the Hodge gets another chance at the pros because the guy deserves it!!

  5. Greywolf 02/03/2008 at 6:47 AM #

    “memo by George Karl to put him at the end of the bench and never let him see the light of day.”

    George Karl? Didn’t he play for UNX? That couldn’t have anything to do with it, could it?

    Hmmm, Come back for a degree in illegal recruiting, never play NCSU players? Not the holes.

  6. Rochester 02/03/2008 at 8:27 AM #

    Another Wolfpacker has finally earned his way off the bench. Josh Powell started for the Clippers Saturday and had 13 points and 5 rebounds in 37 minutes. He’s reached double figures in scoring in 3 of the past 4 games, after not scoring more than 6 points in any game all year.

    Can’t say the same for Ced Simmons. 2 points all year. Hardly gets off the bench. Could be a senior right now. Was it worth leaving early, Ced?

  7. Dr. BadgerPack 02/03/2008 at 8:54 AM #

    As a first round draft pick, it was “worth” it for Ced. He is set for life out of that slot if he chooses to spend/invest wisely.

  8. Astral Rain 02/03/2008 at 9:46 AM #

    I will never blame a player for going pro if they go in the first round.

    I’ll be happy for JJ if he leaves this year. Jules hurt himself staying for his senior year. Yeah, we got a great memory out of it, but it likely cost him about $1,000,000. He would have been borderline lottery after his Junior year.

    Also would have gotten one less year of incompetent skill development.

  9. highonlowe 02/03/2008 at 10:07 AM #

    Let’s not forget Ced’s decisions was complicated by his father’s medical needs and expenses. Selfishness was not a factor.

  10. Rochester 02/03/2008 at 10:15 AM #

    ^Not saying it was selfish for him to leave, and in the short term it made financial sense, but it’s gonna be hard to cash in for that next contract with 2 points in the books for a season. That’s only 2 more than I’ve scored.

    As for Jules, it’s hard to only blame the Nuggets. He rode the bench on a couple other teams, too. The shooting really didn’t help him out. Maybe he’s only really getting over that now. I hope he gets another shot. There are some truly crappy NBA teams out there that could use his enthusiasm and versatility.

  11. StateFans 02/03/2008 at 12:54 PM #

    ^What makes you think Simmons would have got any better?

  12. redfred2 02/03/2008 at 2:28 PM #

    “Can’t say the same for Ced Simmons. 2 points all year. Hardly gets off the bench. Could be a senior right now. Was it worth leaving early, Ced?”

    Hey, just ask some of the brilliant folks around here, they’ll tell you that Simmons was absolutely correct to jump all over the first offer.

    Myself, I say in certain cases one or two more years in college can make all the difference as far as an overall NBA career. Simmons, like Powell, wasn’t even close to being ready for the NBA. Simmons will just have to wait and earn it as if he came directly off a HS basketball court and then went straight to the NBA, if ever.

  13. Greywolf 02/03/2008 at 2:37 PM #

    BJD95
    Feb 3rd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
    I hate this fucking team. What a bunch of choke artists.

    State Wins, resident admin (would that be BJD95?) shuts down thread, Where do REAL STATE fans go to comment about the game?

  14. wufpup76 02/03/2008 at 5:46 PM #

    go julius!

  15. redfred2 02/03/2008 at 7:30 PM #

    “^What makes you think Simmons would have got any better?”

    What makes you think he wouldn’t have?

    Why didn’t he just jump from the ninth grade straight to playing in the NBA? Why do people in general, have to spend the TIME learning on different levels, before they get to the top of their professions?

  16. Stoner 02/03/2008 at 10:45 PM #

    Assuming Lowe could coach up a post player, Simmons should’ve been more NBA ready, if he stuck around.

    But I can’t blame a guy for going pro if the folks tellimg hime he’s a first rounder are right on the money.

    Just goes to show how competitive the NBA is, when first round picks aren’t kept around for more than a year or maybe two.

    As far as Hodge goes, the Nuggets needed a good perimeter shooter and they ended up with slow, undersized power forward / shooting guard, who couldn’t shoot / oversized, slow, point guard. Hodge has some skills, which can make him useful to a basketball team, but he lacks the all out athleticism for a team to give him time to develop.

    What’s frustrating about Hodge and Simmons is watching two first round draft picks get bounced out of the NBA so quickly. The lack of preperation in college, for playing in the pro’s, is very disappointing.

  17. burnbarn 02/04/2008 at 9:44 AM #

    I continue to wonder why people think players will get better in college faster than they would get better in the pros. In the off season, college players are allowed 1 hour per week with a coach. In the NBA, they have countless hours with coaching.

    Ced has a big fat wallett right now.

  18. redfred2 02/04/2008 at 10:03 PM #

    burnbarn, it’s like I said before, players/people must excel on one level, before they are pushed onto the next. The initial signing money may be good but that doesn’t fill the void if a kid really has his dreams set on being a big time NBA player.

    The talent in the NBA is overwhelming. If a kid isn’t just a super extraordinary BB talent, then maybe he needs to adjust and allow himself time to be properly prepared, coming up through the ranks of collegiate basketball with less talented and less polished players first.

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