North Carolina State University Athletics
Hodge Signs with Nuggets
7/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 6, 2005
By Tony Haynes
When he announced that he was returning for his senior season at NC State some 13 months ago, Julius Hodge said that the money he could earn playing in the NBA could wait. The waiting is now over. Hodge, the Wolfpack's third all-time leading scorer, has signed with Denver, the team that made him the 20th pick in last week's NBA Draft. Although terms of the deal were not released, Hodge is guaranteed to make about $2.1 million over his first two years since the NBA rookie salary scale is slotted according to placement in the draft.
Under terms written into the league's new collective bargaining agreement, the club will have options on the third and fourth year of Hodge's contract.
One of college basketball's most versatile players during his four year career at NC State, the 6-7, 210-pound Hodge averaged 17 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists in his senior campaign. Following his junior season, he was named the ACC's Player of the Year.
"I'm just a guy that's committed to hard work," Hodge said during his introductory press conference last week. "I know that my work ethic is going to continue to be great. Whatever I have to do to, not only become a better player at this level, but to help the Nuggets win more games. It's a great opportunity. I'm definitely looking forward to the challenge, the continuous Carolina-State jokes from Coach Karl, and just being in the locker room with the guys having fun."
Nuggets coach George Karl, who played basketball at North Carolina, has already enjoyed a little give and take with Hodge about the rivalry between the two schools.
"You've got to talk to Julius about the weight program," Karl responded when asked about Hodge's slim build. "Do they have a weight room at State?" (Laughs)
Hodge has also gotten in his share of potshots with his new coach, although admitted to making quite a sacrifice when he chose to don a light blue shirt at last week's press conference. Like North Carolina, the Nuggets have some light blue in their color scheme.
"Yeah, I wanted some brownie points," Hodge cracked. "I got a shirt that would make Coach Karl happy and have some style with it."
Karl may have the luxury of bringing Hodge and the other rookies along slowly since Denver does feature a veteran roster of players who teamed up to put together a strong second half last season. But Hodge feels like he's ready to impress, especially with his ability to play all three perimeter positions.
"I see myself as a player. I'm going to go out there on the court and do whatever it takes to win," he said. "I know I can play the one, two and three positions because I'm versatile; but my best position is on the court. I'd much rather be on the court than off. So I'm going to do whatever it takes."
Hodge is also glad he waited one more year to get his money. His senior season in college, which saw NC State make it to the NCAA `Sweet 16' for the first time since 1989, was a rewarding ride for the Harlem, N.Y. native.
"It definitely added more maturity," Hodge said. "I became more of a vocal leader on the court, not saying that I hadn't been my previous three years. It definitely helped me with my point guard skills. Coach Sendek at State did a great job of molding me into that position with the versatility to still play the two and the three. And we won last year. We really played well and peaked at the end of the year, similar to what the Nuggets did last year. So I think I went out on a good note. Now I'm just looking forward to the challenge."
Hodge's next order of business will be to participate with the Nuggets' summer league squad, which will take part in the Reebok Vegas Summer League July 6-15.
