Walter Hodge

For the judge, see Walter Hartman Hodge.
Walter Hodge
No. 15 – Zenit Saint Petersburg
Position Point guard
League VTB United League
Eurocup
Personal information
Born September 21, 1986
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Nationality Puerto Rican / US Virgin Islands
Listed height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight 170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High school Florida Air Academy
(Melbourne, Florida)
College Florida (2005–2009)
NBA draft 2009 / Undrafted
Pro career 2009–present
Career history
2009 Capitanes de Arecibo
2009–2010 Cangrejeros de Santurce
2010–2013 Zielona Góra
2013–2014 Laboral Kutxa Vitoria
2014 → Capitanes de Arecibo
2014–present Zenit Saint Petersburg
Career highlights and awards

Walter Hodge (born September 21, 1986) is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player who plays for Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League. Internationally, Hodge plays with the U.S. Virgin Islands national basketball team, due to eligibility arising from his 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 retired.

Early years

Hodge was born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. He attended Florida Air Academy in Melbourne, Florida, a private military academy, and played high school basketball for the Florida Air Falcons. The Falcons won state championships with undefeated teams during his sophomore and senior seasons.

College career

Hodge, center, between coach Billy Donovan and George W. Bush.

Hodge accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for coach Billy Donovan's Florida Gators men's basketball team from 2005 to 2009. 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 Southeastern Conference (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 during 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.

In June 2013, Hodge signed a two-year deal with Laboral Kutxa Vitoria.[2] In February 2014, he was loaned to Capitanes de Arecibo for the rest of the season.[3] In August 2014, he parted ways with Laboral Kutxa[4] and signed with Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Awards and accomplishments

College

Zielona Góra

See also

References

  1. ↑ Eurocupbasketball.com Star power fills 2012-13 All-Eurocup teams!
  2. ↑ "LABORAL KUTXA lands playmaker Hodge as first signing of summer". Euroleague.net. June 5, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Walter Hodge officially loaned from Baskonia to Capitanes de Arecibo". Sportando.com. February 23, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Walter Hodge and Baskonia officially part ways". Sportando.com. August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.

External links

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