North Carolina State University Athletics
Hodge says climb on board
3/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 23, 2005
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH -- Julius Hodge has a message for anyone who wants to jump on the NC State bandwagon, as the Wolfpack, fresh off its second-round win over defending national champion Connecticut, heads into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
"We got space for one more if you want to join," Hodge said.
Hodge and his teammates head to Syracuse, N.Y., Wednesday afternoon to begin on-site preparations for Friday's NCAA Regional semifinal against Wisconsin (7:27 p.m., CBS), a game between two teams with deliberate styles of play.
But that shouldn't make the game any less exciting, especially for those who have reveled in the Wolfpack's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1989. The atmosphere certainly has changed from early February, when the Wolfpack was 3-7 in the ACC, a record attributable in part to injuries and illnesses.
"I guess in the middle of the season, there were different things being said, and not everything was positive," said Hodge, who was on the cover of Monday's USA Today for converting the late three-point play. "Now it seems like everything is going right and now the bandwagon is crazy.
"That right there is enough motivation to keep going - to continue to prove the naysayers wrong."
For Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek, the thing that is encouraging is not so much the new wave of supporters his team now has after last weekend's dramatic victory - and during the late-season surge that has seen the Wolfpack win eight of its last 11 games - as the change in attitude his players have had in getting so much positive reinforcement.
Which is none.
The Wolfpack has been particularly resilient all season long, handling the losses and the wins with the same workaday approach. Hodge says he and his teammates are the "lunchbaggers of the ACC."
"All we do is go to work and work hard," Hodge said.
So they were neither overly affected by the losses, nor have they been overly spirited by the wins, and all the praise that has come with them, even though for Hodge that has meant more media appearances and more talk about his lasting legacy.
But he was also in the gym working out on Monday, on the team's day off and, as usual, he was one of the first players to show up for practice on Tuesday.
"I don't think anybody showed up to practice any different than they did after some of our losses," Sendek said. "I was very pleased with our mindset and our ability to refocus on Wisconsin.
"It's equally important that you have that same look-forward mentality after a big win as it is when you have a difficult loss. I really like the way our team came back to work. They were excited about the win on Sunday but they know it is over and we have to get ready for a great challenge on Friday."
And the thing about it, no one on the roster is satisfied with making it to the Sweet 16. They want to continue to advance and keep the story going until the last weekend of the season.
"This isn't enough for us," Hodge said. "We feel we are playing our best basketball of the season right now and if we continue to do so, hopefully we can advance further into this tournament."
If that happens, Hodge might have to scoot over and make a little bit more room on the bandwagon.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
