SKO Interview: Eboy

*****First, an intro. HIBACHI 2.0 is constructing a very large interview with all of the members of Shawn Kemp's Offpsring over the course of the next couple of weeks, because we thought it would be interesting . . . fun . . . and funny. And, it would be a new thing. Well, except that SKO actually did some interviews before this. Anyways. There are some general questions from HIBACHI, but at the end of all of the interviews BETCATS asked a few different ones that were many times more entertaining. Anyways, we give you first in a five-part piece . . . Mr. Cliff Terhune a.k.a. Eboy. So, thank you to Eboy and the whole SKO fam.*****

HIBACHI: Childhood . . . where did you live, what kind of stuff did you do, etc? Siblings?
Eboy: Grew up in Jersey......as an only child(imagine that) and had a huge family that was everywhere throughout the state. I was you normal kid growing up......no big problems that lead to my downfall. Well there was that night in ‘87 when I.........aww..forget it.

　
HIBACHI: How did you discover basketball?
Eboy: Through my uncle Mike......who basically turned me on to college and pro ball and that’s how I discovered a freshmen in the making Michael Jeffrey Jordan. Just so happened that he got drafted to the Bulls...who I was cheering for because my uncle had lived in Chicago for 10 years before and he had me hooked on the Bulls since the Nets and Knicks both sucked the collective dick of shittiness. Fate is pretty cool.

HIBACHI: What hobbies have you had throughout your life?
Eboy: Basketball......cooking......comic books.....music......playing in bands......basketball......my fam......being know as Eboy to adoring fans worldwide.

HIBACHI: If you went to college, where did you go and what did you study?
Eboy: I did go to college....missed out on playing big time college ball due to family circumstances....played ball for a Junior college before taking my career path to real school......blah....blah...blah.

HIBACHI: Marital status/kids?
Been with my wife for 12 years (married for 6 of them) and have one son, 4 years old, who is now taking over the house like I’m a broke bitch in foreclosure.

HIBACHI: Age?
Eboy: In my mind I’m still 24.....but 38 ain’t so bad if you’re trying to live like you still got game.

HIBACHI: Occupation?
Eboy: Boring.

HIBACHI: Favorite player as a kid growing up?
Eboy: If you are referencing basketball.....it was and always will be Michael. I’ve had a well documented love affair with the dude since I was 12.

HIBACHI: Why are you a fan of the team that you root for?
Eboy: I’m going to answer this too.....even though it’s for TAD mostly. I root for the Heat for two reasons. I moved to Florida the same year that the Heat started as a franchise and I got caught up in the excitement that surrounded the team in it’s infancy. Although I was a staunch Bulls fan from the time of late in his career Artis Gilmore......and was obsessed with Michael, Scottie, etc......the Heat were like the little brother who tried their damndest but could never get over the hump. Once Michael left in 98 (and I became disgusted with the management of the two Jerry’s for breaking up the greatest modern sports dynasty without giving them the chance to lose what they had earned and turned my back forever on the Bulls) I turned my full, undivided attention to the Heat.....not just a casual fan.....but fully engrossed.....in a team that only mattered a couple of seasons in their history up to that point. I wasn’t like the modern Laker fan....who is jumping on the wagon when things are at their best.....I supported them when they were their absolute worst. Having seen the emergence of Dwyane is just icing at this point. 20 years on....I AM the Heat.

HIBACHI:When did you stop playing hoops, if ever? On what levels did you play?
Eboy: Still haven’t stopped playing. Documented elsewhere is the history of Eboy the prep player.....so I won’t bore your again.

HIBACHI: Who is your favorite player now?
Eboy: Favorite player now........hmmm........well......of course Dwyane is ridiculous and I have the utmost respect for his game......but Michael Beasley is tugging hard for a few reasons.....he’s a natural scorer (like me).....left handed (like me).....goofy(like me).....and he’s got an unlimited ceiling on just how good he can be. I feel blessed to be able to see two talents like this from night to night and hope I can see it for a while longer.

HIBACHI: Have you ever met an NBA players?
Eboy: Yes.....I have. I also have a few relationships with some former Heat players as well as a few other local guys that played NBA ball in other spots. I also.....and mostly never talk about.....have a pretty cool relationship with one of the most legendary sports figures in history......but no one ever believes me.....so I keep it to myself. It works out better that way anyway.

HIBACHI: Where do you see the Heat in five years?
Eboy: If Dwyane stays and Beasley develops.....and they can make a free agent signing of huge proportions......the Heat, with Dwayne still in his prime, will be challenging for Eastern Conference supremacy for a few seasons with the Magic and the Cavs.

HIBACHI: Which rookie from the class of '08 will have a better career?
Eboy: Confused by this question.....but I would say that OJ, Derrick, Michael, Robin and Kevin will all be career players with the possibility of a few of them being legendary.

HIBACHI: If you could take any non-all-star in the NBA and place them on your team, who would it be?
Eboy: Wow......who would I want to fit with the Heat? A guy like Caron Butler would look good back in black and red.

HIBACHI: What music do you listen to?
Eboy: I’d say everything......but it’s kind of misleading.....I love old rhythm and blues.....hard rock.....old school hip hop......Motown......80's metal.....90's alternative. Yeah...that’s about it.

HIBACHI: Who wins the Finals this year?
Eboy: Interesting question........here will be your most interesting answer, obviously. The Cavs will take that shit like they own it. The real answer you know you want to read is who will they beat? I’ll say with full honesty....and not because of my dislike for the team.....that the Lakers will not be there. They just don’t have enough horses coming from their bench to win three series in the west. They’ll lose....in my estimation....to either the Nugs or the Jazz in some odd series that will make little sense to fans across the country. Kind of like this answer.

BETCATS: Does having such large man boobs pester you?
Eboy: No.....sports bras are way better today than they were in the 90's.

BETCATS: Can you describe what it is like to be a chronic liar AS A DAY JOB. Would you recommend it?
Eboy: Uhm.....probably not.....you never know when you're going to have to switch it up.

BETCATS: True or False: you and raccoon genitals are like popcorn and butter.
Eboy: Possibly......although I prefer white cheddar salt on my popcorn.

BETCATS: Follow up regarding you and Ryan Jones's marriage: when can we expect the first baby?
Eboy: Ryan is currently taking prenatal vitamins to open the potential birth canal.....so it's getting closer.

BETCATS: How is your son doing? Is 'Lil Eboy' ever going to comment? If so, can i teach him how to?
Eboy: Kid's good....if he comment's I hope he has the potential to do something innovative like coming up with comment hangman....so yeah, you can lend a hand in teaching him.

BETCATS: If you could be one animal, what would it be and why?
Eboy: Hmmmm............well, I like to think that I could be some form of a big cat like a lion or a tiger............but in all honesty....I'd like to be a gorilla....why not live life being able to whip some ass and throw my poop at whoever I'd like?

BETCATS: If you had to eat one human body part forever, what would it be and why?
Eboy: Is this a trick question? When you say "eat" does it mean I have to digest it?

Thanks a lot for your time, E. That was only 1 of 5 . . . get excited for TADOne, Cheryl, AR and Tariq!

Leon Powe Story ***REMIX***

*********PREFACE: Yes, I already posted this in . . . October? Whatever, but I posted the Leon Powe story a while ago. But, I went back through it and wrote a BETTER new and IMPROVED Leon Powe story, at least in my opinion. I shook it up a while ago. In the words of Weezy F. Baby . . . Remix Baby!*********



A Moose Track

How do they happen? The stories that keep you surprised, bewildered, amused and excited all at the same time. The stories that simultaneously bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your face. The stories that leave you happy for the people involved and making you feel damn lucky about your own privileged life.

Sometimes these stories go unnoticed, never heard about by anyone, staying deep in the background of the individual. These stories are often never acknowledged; even though they have the power to inspire, and empower. How many people have heard the amazing story of Leon Powe, power forward for the Boston Celtics? Not as much as there should be.

Leon Powe, Jr. was born on January 22, 1984 in the tough inner-city area of Oakland, California. At the age of two, his father bolted from the family and his mother, Connie Landry, leaving Leon the man of the house. Without a steady income to support Leon and his six younger brothers and sisters, she was forced to sell trinkets and toys at a flea market; which was enough to keep her family from going hungry.

At seven years old, walking home from school one day, Leon faced a shocking sight that left him no less surprised and crestfallen than renewed sentence on a convict. His house, now a vast pile of ashes, was being hosed down by firemen. Apparently, his younger brother Tim was playing with an errant match. Kids.

Out of a home, the eight-person Powe family found themselves nomads overnight in one of the toughest neighborhoods in America. They settled and slept where they could, be it a cheap motel, an abandoned car or a street corner, and over the six years of their nomadic existence they lived in over 20 locations.

Food wasn't always a given for the young family, and with her mother working long hours on a low-paying job, Leon was often forced to stay home from school to look after his little siblings; being the oldest. With the burden of having to take car of many children, working a job and having so little money overpowered Connie, and she gave into her drug addictions. When Leon was ten years old she was caught stealing groceries and was sentenced to ninety days in prison.

During her stay in jail, they discovered her drug addiction, and the Child Protective Services took custody over Leon and his siblings and they were placed under foster care. He had to grow up faster than most; with an absent father figure and a mother who wasn't there for most of his childhood. You'd almost expect him to get into the nearby gangbangin'.

But Bernard King, the older brother of Leon's then-best friend Shamare Freeman, was determined to not let that happen. Freeman was constantly flirting with trouble and, sometimes, the law as well. In their teens, Leon walked away from his best friend and, hours later, Shamare was caught stealing a bike. Shamare was sent to jail, and Bernard took Powe under his wing and acted as a father figure. Playing basketball on the streets kept him out of trouble.

For high school, still in foster care, he attended Oakland Technical High School, a public institution with an enrollment of 1,500 students. He led the basketball team to the state championship as a Junior, but Leon Powe was not known for his luck. Four days before a game, his mother died of a heart attack at the age of forty one, leaving Powe shocked and full of grief. Knowing that his mother would have wanted him to take part in the game, he played in the loss.

He cruised through the high school basketball circuit, leading his team to the state championship again the following year and getting national attention for his play. He won many prestigious awards, and he became the only player to have their number retired at the high school. But with all of these significant events happening on the court, he had to keep his grades up off of it.

With his tutor, Jonas Zuckerman (hired by Ward, one of Powe's elementary school teachers) Powe studied profusely for the SAT. At first, he didn't care about his academic performance. But as he realized that it was as important as advertised, he went to classes without being told, and his GPA rose from a low-level 1.8 to a very respectable 3.2. He took the SAT's four times in order to obtain the necessary score, with a fifth just in case.

An excited Leon decided to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where he shined early as a player. He played a year and a half for the California Golden Bears, with a large injury in the middle, although it didn't hinder his play. After this stellar play, he decided to leave college before his senior year to enter the 2006 NBA Draft.

He continued over the next four years to play his game, emerging as an elite bench player for a great team, the Boston Celtics, and was a key component in their championship season that was 2008. The story of Leon Powe is one of ultimate success, a feel-good of epic proportions.

How do these stories happen? How do they become possible? We can only imagine. The story is interesting and awe-inspiring amongst many other adjectives that could be used. The true role models lie in these recounts; I just wish they were told more. If you are a basketball fan, Leon's game demands your attention.

But his life story demands your respect.

--Moose

Its Settled: The Verdict

So, a 'week' ago I said that I would come up with a slamonline all-star/dream team. That week has turned almost into a month. Apologies for the lateness.

From the comments I recieved this was (imo) the strongest line-up we could assemble for both teams. I took into account: experience, height, ability and geographical location in making these decisions (not really). for me, this was done in an exremely professional manner, taking almost 1 hour to look at all the comments and decided rostering.

1st Team:

PG- Money Bill Williams- Cos we aint got no point guard except him. Oh, and DP likes to come off the bench to kill second units. I do worry about having a 6'2 PG though. Especially from what I saw when we played.

SG-Izzo. For various reasons. 1)- He almost played for Ireland- in the alchohol Olympics- word! 2) Every team has a Allen Iverson try-hard. 3. Every team has a European in it nowadays- except Boston.

SF-Me! Cos I'm the author! And 3 is my natural position right now.

PF-Eboyyyy- because every roster always has an old person that looks funny. See, Celtics- Cassell, Rockets, Mutumbo. And because he almost played college ball.

C- Cub. Do we really have to discuss this?

6th Man: Justin Walsh. Walshy seems like a dude who can play 2 or 3 positions so versatility is important, especially coming off the bench.

2nd Team:

PG-RV - perimeter stopper. Solid with the ball. Enough said. And it takes 5 to win a ball game.

SG- DP- he loves to kill the 2nd unit. This team needed scoring and assists. Badly.

SF-B.Long- I don't think I could handle him gloating over being the shooting guard. Sheesh.

PF-BET- No-one else plays the 4, and besides, every team needs an Artest or Bowen on it. Even if it is just for kicks.

C-Tariq- Izzo says he's tall. And he adds International Flavour.

6th Man: Moose. Apart from his age, height and position, he's just so frickin' awesome that I couldn't resist giving him the insanely large responsibility as 12th man. In two years he'll be better than everyone, so you guys should watch out for lil' Moosie!

Utility: The Baconator. Why? Because he's a utility duh.

Head Coach:
Mr. Eboy. Sir!

Why? Because he was dumb enough to volunteer for the job of coaching a bunch of smart-ass pr*cks like us.

Assistant Coach:
Me. Because I coach a girls rep team that has won 64 straight games against girls who are all 2-3 years older than them. Oh, and I get to talk to coache's all the time working for the Spirit and at the Youth Olympics. And nothing could give me greater pleasure than to turture Eboy on the sidelines.

Statistician: Roy. If it weren't for injuries, he'd be starting for the 2nd team, with RV or DP coming off the bench as the 6th man for the 1st team.

Of course, I'm expecting some heated responses and even a death threat or 2. But I got this for you all 'And you know what they say- When you great, it's not murder- its assassinate'. Truth.

PS- It'd be great if you could read the game notes I wrote below. I get that because it's not about the USA, the majority of you immediately loose interest. I did put a lot of effort in though and just a 'thanks' would be awesome. Thanks guys. Besides, you might be 'witnessing' the birth of a future college or WNBA/NBA star.

Peace, Hursty.

Game Notes Sydney Spirit vs. Wollongong Hawks

By Hursty

Welcome everyone to the first ever NBL game notes presented on hibachi. This was the first game I've been to in 2009 and it turned out to be a cracker! So, on with the show:

The game is at the State Sport Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush. AKA: Where the majority of the athletics were held in 2000.

This is the 400th game in the NBL for Spirit captain Jason Smith. Thats a huge achievement for a 6'4 white guy. He's been in the L since the 94/5 season and was the Captain of the Australian Boomers at the 2004 Olympics and was on the team for the 2008 season before shoulder surgery de-railed his campaign.

The 'defense' chants start early, and so does the heckling.

Money Bill's Hawks look good, getting a lot of kick n' drive for open 3's. Problem is, they aren't going in. Same goes for the Spirit.

The crowd is extremely vocal and into the game early. I have these kids a few rows behind me, probably around ages 12 or 13 yelling 'Saville sucks!' pretty often. I just laugh and keep taking notes.

Some things I notice straight away: For the Hawks, Kavossy Franklin (an American import, who's been in the NBL for quite a few years now) looks very lethargic and slow. Maybe he's carrying an injury. He used to be a 30pt scorer, now it seems like he's just an above-average 2 guard.
Matt Knight for the Spirit looks like Anderson Varejao. A lot. Same height and everything.Except that he would kill Anderson up in a fight. The Spirit are also very good at closing out to shooters and grabing defensive boards and pushing immediately.
Damian Martin is making his return from a broken wrist tonight, and he looks a bit shakey early on, the dribble is not quite there and he appears a little nervous-as would 99.9% of players in a return game.

Although the crowd is small (I'd say around 1600-2000 people) it is very noisy. I imagine it would be like a small college or a mid-sized H.S game environment.

Neither side can gain any real flow or momentum early and the 1st quarter ends around 20 apiece (sorry, but I had to go the little boys room, so I missed the score).

Checking back into the game (for me at least) and its 18-14 Spirit very early in the second quarter, with David Gruber having 10 off the bench.

Damian Martin does a nice little fake behind-the-back pass to Matty Knight as he runs the floor- a point guard rewarding his big man.

Glen Saville bangs a 3 at the other end. He's money. Glen played almost his entire career for the Hawks except for last season when he joined the now-defunct Sydney Kings for their runs to the Finals, where they were eventually beaten by the Melbourne Tigers.

The NBL has it's very own Dick Bavetta, just 20 years younger. Maybe they're cousins or something.

I'm sitting next to the Spirit swingman Graeme Dann's dad Mike. Mike talks alot and knows a LOT about the game, so it's a welcome relief from the idiot kid hecklers behind me. Now they've got bongo drums or something and, although it's kinda funny, its almost impossible to hear anthing Mike is saying.

Matt Knight is getting it done on both ends of the floor. He rebounds very well and is pretty atheltic for a big guy. He sets hard screens and rolls to the basket. He scraps well, has great hands and gets most of his points off offensive rebounds.

Half-time! Its 38-38 and the Sound Tech guy liks Rihanna apparently. It's her fourth song already. T.I. and Moby get some air-time as well. Knight and Dann decide to play some h.o.r.s.e in the shoot-around, and Knight hits a winner as he shoots the ball off the ring to hit the shot clock, slide off the backboard and then dunny roll into the ring.

American Spirirt 6th man David Gruber is quietly having a nice game as he has a dozen or so and Damian Martin is asserting himself more, grabbing rebounds and getting guys open shots, even though he doesn't shoot particularly well.

Neither team can hit freebies, both are shooting around 50-60% from the line I think (I don't have credentials, so I can't get hold of a boxscore at ALL for the game).

After Knight's lefty spin lay-up, its 48-43 Sydney and the Hawks call time with 6:34 to play in the 3rd.

Anthony Petrie is getting into it with Gruber and Knight, who are happy to oblige, throwing elbows and jawing at each-other on dead ball situations. The kid hecklers are saying 'Petrie sucks! Hit the freeway loser!' I give them credit, but they have a lot to learn about heckling opposition players...

The Hawks bench 'plays' a lot younger than the Spirit. Maybe it's the road game, but they get abused by the Sydney bench, particularly Gruber, who goes to work in the post in the third against the smaller Hawks bench.

The Hawks can't get anything going towards the basket, and it shows. Sydney are closing down the lane in their zone D, and the Hawks shooters, particularly Saville and Matt Campbell are struggling. Kavossy Franklin can't get anything going, although he is trying hard.

Petrie hits a lefty lay-up and, although its only 49-45, the Hawks are in more trouble than it seems.

Another Hawks turn-over leads to an acrobatic lay-up by Dann. Both teams are finally starting to hit their free-throws and its 54-49 SYD with 2:34 to play in the 3rd.

Um, Reed almost airballed a three for the Spirit, but that's ok, because they're up by 6 right now and looking pretty comfortable.

Some easy baskets for Cam Tragardh cut the lead to three, and an an announcement says that it's Smith's 400th game. Everyone applauds, but most of them know it anyways.

Franklin misses two free-throws, but taps in his own miss on the buzzer and its 58-53 heading into the 4th quarter.

Sydney loves Rihanna still! Yay!

Damian Martin goes C2C and dishes to Gruber for a lay-in. The Hawks cut it to 60-57 with 10:53 to go and Franklin looks like he might be ready to take over the game.

Knight pops out and hits an elbow jumper! I told you he could hit shots! Petrie fires back with a 18ft baseline jumper.

40 seconds of intense scraping by both teams, culminating in a Hawks turnover and some crazy fan support, Dann skies for a dunk, getting his elbow above the rim, but has his arm pulled on the attempt. Cash, cash and the Spirit are up 5.

Both teams are getting to the line, and whoever hits more often is probably going to take the game the way it's being played right now.

Although Damian Martin (injured wrist) is coming off the bench, he's played a load of minutes tonight even alongside starter Luke Martin (think Felton and Augustin for the Cats). The combination proving deadly mid-way through the fourth, both hustling for loose balls and creating shots for Gruber and Knight especially.

Knight scores, and he's got 15 and it's 65-59 Spirit. Too much of a lead?

Franklin has had an extremely quiet second half. Time-out Hawks and Saville ices a corner 3 straight away. An excellent seal by Gruber in the low post makes it a 2 possession game and he's got 20.

Hmm, Franklin goes C2C and then Dann hits a huge 3 from a good 2 feet beyond the arc. Mike opens his arms like God and yells in my ear 'He's really developed that shot of late!' It turns out that I share something in common with Graham, Luke Martin and 2 other players on the Spirit- we all train (or have trained) under Coach Smith, who's in the States right now with Ater at Uconn.

The crowd is amped up as the game comes down to the last few minutes and the announcer is doing a good job getting people involved. It's a real family atmosphere here right now. Even the stupid kids are cheering, rather than trying to abuse the Hawks team. The bongo drums are in full beat.

Graeme Dann wears some really nice K1X shoes.

Franklin hits a 3 to make it a 9 point game after Gruber abuses Saville down low.

Knight gets 2 and Saville bangs in a 3 to make it 75-67 Spirit.

Dusty Rychart has decided to show up! He hits a 3 for the Hawks off a nice Franklin feed and its 75-70. Timeout Sydney!

Jason Smith hits one of only 3 field goals for the game out of the timeout.

A Damian to Luke to Smith Alley-oop is the highlight of the night-no dribble and two passes to get to the other end. Nice play.

Matty Knight is limping, he must've been corked or something earlier. 2:25 to play.

The Spirit effectively seal the game with 2 offensive rebounds in a row and 1 minute drained off the clock.

Knight decides to stick the nail in the coffin as the 6-9PF/C steps outside and hits a long-range bomb. He starts jumping up and down and the Spirit players embrace him in celebration. He has 20 and this game is almost through.

Luke Martin gets an And-one (there are only two or three in the whole game). 85-72 with 1:15 to play.

Rychart and Franklin get baskets to make it 85-76, but Smith hits two freebies to end any remote hope of a T-mac 13 in 33 type comeback.

Petrie hits a 2, then its all over.

Apparently not. The refs call a foul on the buzzer (don't you just hate that?) and your final score is 88-78 Sydney Spirit over the Wollongong Hawks.

post-game:

The Spirit are very welcoming to fans after the game, applauding their support. Coach Rob Beveridge thanks the fans and so does Jason Smith. A fine 400th game present. A pity he only shot 3/15.

I meet Beveridge, Smith, Damian Martin and Graham. All are extremely welcoming and friendly. Graham says he'll be sure to check the blog after I write down the site address.

Rob Beveridge and Jason Smith are definitely classy individuals. They listen and give their attention as we speak.

Smith briefly mentions that the players are forced to write the game reports on the Spirit website, because all unnecessary staff were let go after the Spirit collapsed earlier this season.

Almost all of their salary comes from door sales, so please get out to the games if you can Sydneysiders.

I was not expecting this at all, but..... I've been offered the opportunity to help out with the Spirit by writing articles for them for the website. This means I'll be able to sit in the media area (there was only one journalist there this evening). I'll also get access to practices. I immediately accepted the offer by both Rob and Jason- if they read this, I offer them my thanks and congratulations on the win.

I understand that this was extremely long, and I applaud you for reading the whole game notes.

Smith finished with 13, Knight with 20 and 10 and David Gruber had a very quiet and subtle game high 26 on 13/15 shooting.

Damian Martin, in his first game back had 6 pts, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in the win.

Somehow Rychart had 21 and 12, Franklin added 19 and Petrie finished with 12.

http://www.sydneyspirit.com.au/

http://www.sydneyspirit.com.au/default.aspx?s=photogalleries&galleryid=11751&photoid=1 You can look through a short gallery of photos from the game here.

Peace, Hursty.

Flash Bangs: Julius Hodge

Julius Hodge doesn't care what you think. Truly. He's just happy to be here. When you almost die, life takes on a whole new meaning.

Hodge was born in Harlem NYC in 1983. He grew up in the slums of one of the meanest cities in the 1st world. He was born tough.

Hodge was one of the guys that, no matter where he went as an amateur player, he always drew attention.

He was a 2001 McDonalds All American at St. Raymonds High School for Boys, New Yorks 'Mr Basketball' and the NY Daily's 'Player of the Year' and he was Sports Illustrated's 'Athlete of the Month'. By the end of his time at St. Raymonds he was rated the no.1 Shooting Guard by ESPN and no. 5 overall in the nation (*1).

In an interesting move, Hodge chose North Carolina State (what up BET!) over other suitors. Why? He could have gone to Uconn (fresh off winning a 'chip 2 years prior with Rip Hamilton) and become a bonafide star straight away.

See, Hodge has always done things his own way. Not swayed by public influence like other NY guards to the same extent that Steph, Kenny Anderson and Telfair were, he chose NCState because he could leave his own legacy. Something untarnished by predecessors. The last time State had been competitive? 1983. Damn.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=bFolL4Is-sU (highlights of the game. 1 minute 30 secs).

Choosing a major program like Georgia Tech (the way Marbury did) was almost like a let off. A slackers choice. Not to disprespect Marbury's choice, but Hodge would leave his own mark. A unique one. Hodge was good enough to go to the NBA from H.S like Telfair. But he never had the same intense hype and hoopla.

Hodge spent four years at State, as a frosh, he was the leading first year scorer in the ACC. He also won the 2002 offensive rebounding award. Named after who? Lorenzo Charles. Who's that? Well, if you'd watched the video you'd know. Charles made the game winning alley-oop dunk to win the NCAA championship.

Next year, he was named all ACC 1st Team and in the process, recorded the 1st Triple Double in Wolfpack history.

Its interesting to note that, prior to Hodge eventually winning the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year award in 2004, Josh Howard (Wake Forest) did it. And after? J.J. Redick.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=z4KGMohRbf0&feature=related (Hodge gives UCONN the business- sorry Moose).

Hodge went at pick 20 to the Denver Nuggets in the 2005 Draft just as expected. He filled an urgent need at the 2 guard for the Nuggets (*remember they did not have J.R Smith at this stage) placing him alongside Andre Miller and Carmelo Anthony. Unfortunately for Hodge, he only played 3 minutes a game. Earl Boykins played a large portion of minutes at the two for Denver along with starter Voshon Lenard.

For various reasons- mainly coaching and the emergence of JR Smith after the trade with New Orleans the next year- Hodge fell out of the rotation almost completely. He played only 14 games as a rookie. Eventually in 06/7 Hodge would battle for major minutes with JR off the bench and got his first start against the best shooting guard in the League on January 5th 2007- Kobe Bryant. Funny thing is, most people expected Hodge to get pulled almost immediately or rack up the fouls as Kobe destroyed him. Nope. Kobe had 8 points that game and Hodge had 16 and a win.

Remember- Hodge was just happy to be alive.

9 months earlier he had come within minutes of dying from blood loss. He was on Interstate 76 (which is in Denver) at around 2am and was the victim of a drive by shooting. A vehicle pulled up alongside him and fired several shots into his car. The perpetrators were never caught....

The ridiculous thing is, that 6 days after his match-up with Kobe, Hodge and Boykins were traded to the Bucks for Steve Blake. Less than a month later Hodge was waved by the Bucks, ending his time in the NBA-for now.

2 years ago Julius (he was named by his older brother) made his way Down Under to Adelaide-known as the City of Churches. The 36er's (obviously the name was stolen from Philly) were struggling. Badly. They had a losing record when Hodge replaced Mike Chappell (who was officially released on the 12th of December 2007) on the 21st of December- 9 days later.

Hodge immediately went on to dominate the NBL (National Basketball League). Even in his first game (which he only saw 19 minutes) Hodge had a modest line of 6pts, 5 boards, 3 assists and a whole lot of dribble penetration. He worked within the team concept- even though he only knew a couple of plays and brought the team within 1 win of 50%.

In his second game, this time against Perth, Hodge was.... interesting. I got to see this game in its entirety on T.V and Hodge had 10 pts, 5 boards and 4 assists- and 8(!) turnovers. The turnovers weren't from poor ball control or offensive fouls, more from a lack of understanding the offense, making a pass to a guy who he thought was about to dive- but instead flared out to the wing. Minor things, mostly from a team standpoint that are adjustable from time.

Again, against Perth, Hodge took over the game- even though his team lost by 21. He blew up, getting his all night long- with 16, 10 and 7. Hodge would come into his own for the rest of the season, drawing double teams and even (against the Melbourne Tigers-eventual NBL champions) a triple team once- its pretty cool to actually see a guy get triple teamed on the halfway line.

Next, against Money Bill Williams' very own Wollongong Hawks, Hodge destroyed everything in sight, with 34 points, 14 boards and 3 steals. They still lost though. This would become a theme for the 36er's. Hodge would dominate the games and put up LeBron like numbers, but the team would still lose. NOTE: This was not his fault. Captain Brett Maher (former Australian Olympian with 500+ games of NBL experience) was injured almost as soon as Hodge arrived and for some reason, the entire bench was non-existent almost the entire season. The other import Lanard Copeland was suspended for games as well- think Ron Artest 2006ish. The 36'ers bench was one of the weakest in the League- and still is.

Hodge- one of my all time favourite NBL players alongside S-Jax, Corey 'Homicide' Williams and Chris Anstey put his stamp on the NBL season with this statline- easily one of the top 5 of the season- 39 points (on 62.5% shooting), 1o rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and his first NBL 3 pointer. 29th January 2008. A date in NBL history- any of the 5 fans of basketball here in Australia could tell you that.

Hodge would go on to become 3rd Team All League (votes are taken after each week of games)- otherwise Hodge would easily have been 2nd team, probably 1st team. Unfortunately, he was unable to lead Adelaide to the playoffs.

Hodge breathed new life into a dying League. He and Williams almost single-handedly added an integrity and flare to the game that was missing since the Mid 1990's. It's shame to see the degrading of such a beautiful game. It really is.

HOWEVA- The NBL will be a different product after this season. Thank GOD.

Whatever Hodge can contribute to the game this year- after once again replacing a failed import- will automatically be seen as a monumental positive. Dude can flat out ball, and he'll find a home in the NBA in the near future. Bet on it. Remember: He's just happy to be alive.

Peace, Hursty.

PS- No, I don't think that Hodge has forgotten about CP3 giving him the dirty down low. Moose- its ok if you don't understand that right now.

PPS- Hodge was named after Julius Erving (by his brother).

PPPS- Julius gained multiple player of the week honours last year and is expected to contend, not just for the all-star game this year (he'll start) but for MVP honours if the 36'ers can win 60% of their games this year (they suck even more right now than last year).

PPPPS- I dont know why the pictures appear as they do, I can't seem to get them to appear where they should. And videos won't upload. Feel free to educate me on rectifying this.