North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: A Wolfpack Wednesday
4/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
April 16, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Wednesday of this week was an extraordinary day on the NC State campus. It was, in fact, unlike anything that had been witnessed before in the annals of Wolfpack athletics. Philip Rivers and Julius Hodge, winners of the ACC Player of the Year award in their respective sports, held press conferences just two hours apart in two different locations. Rivers, the ACC's all-time leading passer, answered questions at the Murphy Football Center about the upcoming NFL Draft, while Hodge, a 6-7 bundle of basketball versatility, relieved the entire Wolfpack Nation by saying he would not make himself eligible for the NBA Draft a year early in a gathering held at Reynolds Coliseum.
The fact that both press conferences generated front and center headlines in the local sports pages is a testament to the clout both Rivers and Hodge have brought to NC State athletics. Just as Rivers helped to push Wolfpack football to an entirely different level during his brilliant four-year career, Hodge has contributed mightily to the Pack's re-emergence as a basketball contender in the ACC.
Despite the general rule of coaches inevitably receiving the lions share of credit for wins and blame for defeats, it still takes talent to win games on a consistent basis, and in Rivers and Hodge, NC State has greatly benefited from the contributions of two superb athletes who not only produce on the playing field and the court, but also bring a certain star quality that lends itself to the type of national publicity that can't possibly be bought.
Citing the need to get better and continue his education, Hodge turned his back on instant financial security by choosing to return for his final year of college eligibility. With his family saying the money can wait, Hodge bravely overcame the temptation of quick-fix cash, something many of us might, quite frankly, have a difficult time doing if presented with the same set of circumstances.
"One more year of ACC basketball is not going to hurt," Hodge said. "I'm going to continue to work hard. This decision wasn't based on what I would be this year compared to next year. I was pretty confident that if I left this year that I would be in a pretty good situation, but I think the Knickerbockers can wait one more season."
And just like his hometown team, Hodge and his family had enough patience to wait one more year as well. One more year can only make a difference for a player who, for all of his excellence through three college seasons, can still get better in many areas.
"I definitely want to work on my jump shot" said Hodge. "Not just making more shots, but taking better shots within the offense. I think coach [Herb] Sendek has helped me a lot this year in really knowing when to take the right shot and knowing when to pass. So I want to improve my shooting and my weight. That's been something I've really been hitting head-on since this off-season started. After the Vanderbilt game, the next day I weighed myself and I was at 189. Today I weighed myself and I was at 202. I'm determined."
Hopefully, Hodge will benefit from his senior year as much as Rivers did from his. Already an accomplished quarterback through his first three seasons, the Athens, Alabama native saw his pro stock soar through the roof during and after his senior campaign. Before last fall, many pro scouts questioned Rivers' unusual throwing motion and overall arm strength. It was speculated that he would be a second or third round draft pick.
Since then, his value has risen perhaps as much as any other prospect in the nation. Now the same NFL wonks who once questioned Rivers' ability, gush over his intelligence, maturity and instincts. They're evened convinced that he can indeed make all the throws, regardless of arm slot, release point and mechanics.
"Some of the main questions at the combine were 'How strong is your arm' and 'how did you develop that motion,'" Rivers said, recalling his experience at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. "At the end of that conversation about those topics, it was done. Gradually through my senior year the talk about the throwing motion decreased. It wasn't a big deal. In the workouts and meetings with the Chargers, the Giants and the Browns, not one word was said about it. With the Packers I remember their question was 'how strong is your arm?' My reply was 'strong enough.' I feel like I can make all the throws."
It's hard to believe that a player who is now listed as the second leading passer in the history of Division one college football can't make all the throws. Rivers did, after all, complete 72 percent of his passes during an amazing senior season that saw him throw for a career-best 4,491 yards, 34 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
"I think it's important to be able to make all the throws and to be accurate," said Rivers, who worked out for the Cleveland Browns earlier in the week. "The biggest thing in the Browns workout, the quarterback coach kept saying 'accuracy then velocity.' The key thing in that league is accuracy because you're going to have guys all over the receivers and the windows are going to be a little smaller. You've got to be able place it right where you want to."
Rivers is usually on the money, just as Hodge will wait before rolling in the money.
Either way, the two Wolfpack superstars deserve the lucrative lifestyle that awaits them in the future. And while Hodge and Rivers will be rich, NC State athletics will be forever enriched by the priceless contributions they have made by sticking with the Pack for four full years.
