Every spring, basketball players from the U.S. and abroad come to the IMG Basketball Academy with hopes of a future in professional basketball. From sure-fire NBA lottery picks to players simply preparing for a tryout with a lower-level pro club, each player in the Academy’s pre-draft program/Pro Training Center with coaches Mike Moreau and David Thorpe has a different story and background. They share one thing in common - the desire to improve their game at the IMG Basketball Academy. See below for some background on one of our recent players.
After a standout high school career in which he was named Florida’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior, Walter Hodge as a freshman joined a University of Florida team loaded with talent. He played a role as a reserve while the Gators rolled to two national championships in his freshman and sophomore years. The guard then went on to start all 71 games of his junior and senior seasons.
Walter Hodge on…
Getting his name on the U of F practice gym wall… It was weird because it usually doesn’t happen until after you finish your time, depending on if you were a great teammate and you deserve it. The last few games, I was going extra hard, and coach said that I deserved to get my name up before the season was over so that the guys can see it. I was like, “wow.” To see my name next to Al Horford and Joakim Noah and people like that is pretty special.
His height and dunking the ball… They list me at like 5-11 or something, so I’ll wear heels when I’m getting measured to get to 6-foot. The first time I dunked, I was 5-7. I was in eighth grade in Puerto Rico. I was always trying to dunk, but my dunks were spraying all over the place. I got a steal and went down and dunked it. Everyone in the gym was kind of like, “Who is that guy?” After that, it was a wrap.
Walter Hodge. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
On training at IMGA… I heard people talk about it, but I never knew much about it. I played IMGA in high school when they had Taurean Green and other people. It’s great. Every day, you’re learning new stuff and doing something different. Coach David and coach Mike know what they’re talking about because they have experience coaching pros. You really have to listen to them. It’s great playing against guys you’ve seen on TV. When we play, we go hard, but we leave the business on the court. We go eat together after we practice. We go places together. It’s a good time.
Tim Tebow and athletes at U of F… I had two classes with him. He’s like a god in Gainesville. Some people will try walking with him and people will chase them away like, “No, don’t touch him.” I was dying. He’s a regular guy, but up there, he’s like Superman. It’s the same way for Joakim Noah, though. If he shows up, people are like, “Oh my goodness, Joakim Noah!” You can be someone who’s on the bench all year and come in and get two points in a game and be a superstar on campus. The fans are great.
Winning two national championships… The funny thing was, when we started the season we were ranked 70-something. We weren’t even supposed to make the tournament. But our swagger was so crazy. We didn’t care who we were playing. The coach was telling us not to watch TV or read anything, but we listened to people doubting us because we were ready. After two games, it was over - we knew how good we were. Our swagger was out of control. I remember when we played Nova before the Final Four and people were talking about how tough Villanova was. I’m like, “I don’t care if they’re from Philly. I’m from Puerto Rico. I’m hard, too.” The second year, we knew were going to win. Every time we stepped on the court, we would talk. We would mess with people mentally.
Four other players as teammates for a game with $20 million on the line… Taurean Green. My man, Al Horford. Joakim Noah. Chris Richard. We’ll take on anyone. I’ve got three big guys. We’re getting all of the rebounds, I don’t care who we play. Plus, we’ve got two shooters.
Playing overseas and Nick Calathes signing to play in Greece… Playing in the NBA was my dream growing up. Sometimes you have to take a different step to get where you want to go. I would love to go overseas and work on my game and then come back to the league. I would love to go to Spain or Italy. Look at Nick. If he does well over there, he could be a top-five pick next year. I don’t think a lot of point guards are coming out next year. Plus, $1 million and a house and car? I’ll take that deal any day.
