Hit up TarheelDaily....Check it out this article about three things that I would like to see instituted back into the UNC Basketball program. I appear weekly as a guest columnist along with my appearances on WXYC FM 89.3 Chapel Hill for Sunday Night SportsRap, Sundays 9-10PM, and for SoulGrooves on Wednesdays 6-8AM. Scroll on down to the article, and email me if you want to discuss my opinions.....BD

Mic Check...Mic Check....Julius Hodge

January 28, 2004

Harlem World…..HarlemWorld!!

Yes fans....Not only is the troublesome "Princeton Offense" of NC State returning to the SAC on Wednesday night, but the lanky, wiry, and trash talkin’ 6-7 point forward, Julius Hodge is coming with it. Love it, people....this one is probably going to give you your money’s worth.

Hodge puzzled the Heels with two fantastic performances last year. He scorched the Heels with a 30 points / 10 rebounds performance in Raleigh, and he backed it up with another strong performance ( 21 Points and 7 Rebounds ) in the SAC. The question last year in late January asked: how do you stop him?

This year the question asks which Hodge should Carolina fans prepare for?

Will they get the offensive dynamo who wants the ball in his hands at all times and runs the court like a Harlem Pentecostal preacher mesmerizing a congregation, or are they going to see a befuddled point guard, the same guy who over the last few games has been running a show out-of-tune with the rest of his teammates on the floor?

Hodge is one of the most perplexing players to have arrived in the ACC in quite some time. On one hand, he could be a NBA scout’s first-round jewel. He has tremendous ball-handling skills. He can shoot, and he has an awesome knack for getting to the line. He also has a commanding sense of court awareness, and leadership skills that were bred through countless games with St. Raymond’s H.S. in the Bronx, the AAU New York Ravens, and blacktop tournament games throughout Manhattan.

Yet, on the other hand, his play can flame wildly out of control at the drop of a dime, and his lanky build becomes a major weakness when quick, strong, athletic guards check him hard. Hodge can fill the front rows with GMs like Wally Walker and Larry Bird, but a question has begun to surface: Can he take a bumping D that starts outside the 3 point line?

Last week against Tech, Hodge showed that he has a very difficult time with knockdown defenses. The fire hydrant builds of Isma’il Muhammad, B.J. Elder, and Jarret Jack turned Hodge into a non-factoring bench player, who was frustrated by rough play.

Against the Jackets he fouled out with 0-6 FGM-FGA, 2-2 FTM/FTA for a two-point and two- turnover performance that was dismal at best….Hodge also fouled out four games ago against a rotating and bumping Duke defense, with a 3-9 FGM/FGA, 1-2 FTM/FTA for seven points and seven turnovers.

Carolina is hoping that some of those tendencies bleed into Wednesday night…..Despite Hodge’s torching performances against Carolina last year, David Noel and Jackie Manuel provided very good defensive play on the State star for several stretches, and perhaps Noel’s strong build can make a difference. Hodge had a weak first-half performance in Raleigh last year, with 2-8 FGA/FGM prior to the break, and Noel was guarding him for most of those minutes.

However, before Carolina fans gets their hopes up….be reminded, Hodge dropped 25 Points with 6/7 FTM/FTA and 11 Rebounds in an overtime loss against Boston College, and he punched in 23 Points against Clemson, on 8/15 shooting with 7-7 FTM/FTA. His performances against Carolina last year included a combined 15-16 FTM/FTA over the two games.

If Hodge gets loose in the lane this Wednesday like he did countless times last year, it could be a puzzling night in the Hill; but questions are bubbling in Raleigh about the rough D that locked him up last week. Can Hodge handle it?

David Noel and Jackie Manuel could be the solutions for Carolina. Let’s see if they can crack last year’s puzzle……

Stop that B Train from going Downtown,

BD

Bret Dougherty is a UNC-Chapel Hill alum and current graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill. Bret is a co-host of WXYC SportsRap (9 PM Sundays on FM 89.3 & www.wxyc.org). He also has a SoulGroove music show on Tuesday mornings from 6-8 AM on WXYC. His area of study is "The Revitalization of Public Spaces".

Resume