Walter Hodge
 | |
| No. 15 – Laboral Kutxa Vitoria | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League |
Liga ACB Euroleague |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
September 21, 1986 Guaynabo, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican / US Virgin Islands |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Florida Air Academy (Melbourne, Florida) |
| College | Florida (2005–2009) |
| NBA draft | 2009 / Undrafted |
| Pro playing career | 2009–present |
| Career history | |
| 2009 | Capitanes de Arecibo |
| 2009–2010 | Cangrejeros de Santurce |
| 2010–2013 | Zielona Góra |
| 2013–present | Laboral Kutxa Vitoria |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Walter Hodge (born September 21, 1986) is a Puerto Rican-professional basketball player, who currently plays for Laboral Kutxa in Liga ACB. Internationally, Hodge plays with the U.S. Virgin Islands national basketball team, due to elegibility granted by a Virgin Islander grandfather. A reserve point guard his first two seasons with the Gators, he became the starting point guard for the two-time defending national champions in the 2007–08 season. Hodge was the franchise player of the 2013 Polish League Champions and the 2012 Polish League Bronze Medalists, Zielona Góra also winning the league's Most Valuable Player award twice. On June 5, 2013, in appreciation for his contribution to Zielona Góra's basketball, his jersey number was been retired.
College career
Hodge attended Florida Air Academy in Melbourne, Florida, where he played on the same team as Sasha Kaun of the 2007-2008 national championship team, the Kansas Jayhawks. While there he won state titles on undefeated teams his sophomore and senior seasons. He chose to attend Florida over Auburn, Hofstra, Georgetown, and Kansas. He currently plays for the Virgin Islands national team.
Playing a reserve role in 2005–06, Hodge averaged 3.9 points and 1.2 assists per game as a freshman. He started 8 games in SEC play and averaged 19 minutes per contest during the Gators' first national title run.
Hodge had a decreased number of starts and minutes during the 2006–07 season, starting just three games but increasing his scoring average to 5.7 points per game as the Gators repeated as national champions. He had a career high of 17 points against Florida State, and finished the season hitting exactly .500 on three-point shots.
With the departure of Taurean Green to the NBA and Lee Humphrey to graduation/playing overseas, Hodge became the starting shooting guard for the Gators in the 2007–08 season.
Professional career
On August 2010 he signed contract with the Polish League team Zielona Góra.
In April 2012, Hodge was named the Most Valuable Player of the Polish Basketball League. As the Zastal Zielona Góra's franchise player he won with his team the 2011–12 Polish League Bronze Medal. In 2012-13 season Zielona Góra's team debuted in Eurocup and advanced to Last 16. Hodge was the team's alpha-dog, scoring avg. 21.2 pts, 5.4 ast, 54% FG and 50% 3-PT FG (25/50). In week 6, he took the Eurocup Player of the Week honors. On February 25, 2013 Hodge was awarded the Polish-Czech All Star Game MVP (he scored 22 points in the game).
He was named to the All-Eurocup Second Team in 2013.[1] In June, 2013 he won the Polish League Championship. It was the first national championship in Zielona Góra's history.
Hodge's stats in Zielona Góra:
2010-11 GP-24 (s5 - 23), avg. 31.3 min, 17.1 pts, 4.9 ast, FG 51%, FT 78%, 3-PT 37% (29/78)
2011-12 GP-45 (s5 - 45), avg. 32.0 min, 19.4 pts, 5.7 ast, FG 42%, FT 87%, 3-PT 32% (66/208)
2012-13 GP-42 (s5 - 29), avg. 29.1 min, 17.8 pts, 4.5 ast, FG 52%, FT 85%, 3-PT 33% (56/172)
On June 5, 2013 Basket Zielona Góra retired Hodge's jersey number 15. He has become the first player in the club's history to be honored with a jersey retirement.
Awards and accomplishments
College
- 2x SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Champion: (2006, 2007)
- 2x NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Champion: (2006, 2007)
Zielona Góra
- Polish League Champion (2013)
- Polish League Regular Season MVP: (2012)
- Polish League Bronze Medalist: (2012)
- Polish League All-Star Game MVP: (2013)
- Polish League All-Star Game Starting Lineup Top Vote-Getter: (2013)
- Eurocup Last 16 Week 6 MVP: (2013)
- All-Eurocup Second Team: (2013)
- First player in Zielona Góra's basketball history with a retired jersey (#15).
See also
- List of Florida Gators basketball players
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 145 games played
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walter Hodge. |
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