As Julius Hodge started the next chapter in his career, he found himself in familiar territory.
In his debut as a head coach, Hodge led the Lincoln University Lions into Cameron Indoor Stadium to face the Duke Blue Devils.
Hodge was a regular visitor to Cameron, back in his playing days at NC State. Now, he’s coaching the defending CIAA champions, and Duke traditionally plays the champions of that Division II conference in a preseason exhibition game.
“I knew we weren’t going to get a break,” he said.
He smiled as he said it, and he continued to have fun at the expense of his host.
“I have no good memories coming to Cameron,” he said. “I did not get a win in here. It was extremely difficult, and I was the best player in conference at the time, which is crazy. I was always in foul trouble. I was guarding Chris Duhon, who did not drive the paint. Like, he was easy to stay in front of, but I’d always have four fouls early in the second half. But then we’d play them in Raleigh, and we’d beat them, and I wasn’t in foul trouble.”
It took Hodge awhile to come to coaching. He came to NC State as a McDonald’s All-American and won ACC Player of the Year in his senior year—2004. The two-time All-ACC first teamer then went to the NBA as a first-round pick.
He then spent a decade in the pros, spending two seasons with the Denver Nuggets and then playing for teams on five different continents—everywhere from Saigon to Minsk.
In 2015, the 32-year-old decided to give coaching a try. Like his playing career, he was willing to go anywhere to hone his craft, working on coaching staffs in Buffalo, Santa Clara, San Jose and Little Rock.
“The thing about it is, being an assistant coach as long as I had—almost a decade—you learn how to be a flag bearer for the head coach,” he said. “You anticipate his wants and needs. You make sure you’re there at his beck and call and just learning.”
Hodge was fortunate to be on the staffs of some promising head coaching, which helped him along the learning curve.
“Some of the guys I’ve been around,” he said, “my first experience coaching was with Coach Nate Oats (at Buffalo), who’s now head coach at Alabama, soaking up knowledge from him. And at the time, it was his first season as a head coach.
“And then going with Coach Herb Sendek, my former college coach, for two years at Santa Clara. Just being able to soak up all the knowledge. And one who was maybe one of my personal favorites, Coach Jean Prioleau at San Jose State. We did not win a lot of games, but in terms of offensive mind and strategy, the way he’s able to put his offensive system in drill form, and then he’s able to have our guys learn it and pick it up so quickly, he’s basically my Tex Winter (the longtime NBA strategist credited with building the Chicago Bulls NBA championship offenses).”
After nine years on the bench, Hodge now has the chance to run his own show. Once again, he’s starting near the bottom and paying his dues as he prepares to climb the ladder.
“One day at a time,” he said. “Just continue working every day. It may seem mundane. It may seem robotic at times, but that’s how great teams become great teams. That’s how great players become great players—doing the boring things every day.”
It’s the same message he is passing on to his players.
“These guys see me working every day, being disciplined, regimented, with us having 4:00 AM practices sometimes.”
Even though he’s now a Lincoln Lion, Hodge’s heart is still with the red and white.
“I do have a really great memory of beating Duke University in Raleigh and having my nephew on my shoulders,” he said.
And, like many followers of NC State, last year’s team gave him another memory he’ll always treasure.
“I absolutely loved it,” he said of State’s ACC title and Final Four run. “Seeing my Wolfpack. They had some trepidations and faced some adversity throughout the season, but just to finish the way they did] was so exciting. It was literally the Cardiac Pack. To see us basically reign supreme as the best team at ACC, and that’s where we belong as Wolves. And that’s how I feel about that.”
Lincoln was able to hang close to the No. 7 Blue Devils for much of the first half, but Duke’s superior talent, size and depth eventually had its way, and Hodge suffered a 51-point loss in his exhibition game debut. It was the result everyone expected.
Well, almost everyone.
“Obviously, I felt like we were about to shock the world,” Hodge said, “but that didn’t happen the way I imagined. … But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for these guys, I’m happy they were able to experience this. Hopefully, I’ll have many more games as a head coach.”
