Walter Hodge

Walter Wallace Hodge Muñoz (born September 21, 1986) is an American-Puerto Rican-U.S. Virgin Islander professional basketball player for Sagesse Club of the Lebanese Basketball League. Internationally, Hodge plays with the senior U.S. Virgin Islands national basketball team, due to eligibility arising from his Virgin Islander grandfather. After being a reserve point guard in his first two seasons with the Florida Gators, he became the starting point guard for the two-time defending national champions in the 2007–08 season. On June 5, 2013, in appreciation for his contribution to Zielona Góra, his jersey number was retired.

For the judge, see Walter Hartman Hodge.
Walter Hodge
Hodge with Zielona Góra, in 2012.
No. 15 – Hekmeh BC
PositionPoint guard
LeagueLebanese Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1986-09-21) September 21, 1986
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
NationalityAmerican / Puerto Rican / U.S. Virgin Islander
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High schoolFlorida Air Academy
(Melbourne, Florida)
CollegeFlorida (2005–2009)
NBA draft2009 / Undrafted
Playing career2009–present
Career history
2009Capitanes de Arecibo
2010–2011Cangrejeros de Santurce
2010–2013Zielona Góra
2013–2014Laboral Kutxa Vitoria
2014→Capitanes de Arecibo
2014–2015Zenit Saint Petersburg
2015Capitanes de Arecibo
2015–2016Pallacanestro Cantù
2016Capitanes de Arecibo
2016–2017ASVEL Basket
2017–2018Homenetmen Beirut
2018Capitanes de Arecibo
2018–2019Homenetmen Beirut
2019–presentSagesse Club
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Representing  Virgin Islands
FIBA CBC Championship
2011 The Bahamas

Early years

Hodge was born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. He attended Florida Air Academy in Melbourne, Florida, a private military academy, and played high school basketball for the Florida Air Falcons. The Falcons won state championships, with undefeated teams, during his sophomore and senior seasons.

College career
Hodge, center, between coach Billy Donovan and George W. Bush.

Hodge accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for head coach Billy Donovan's Florida Gators men's basketball, team from 2005 to 2009. Playing a reserve role in the 2005–06 season, Hodge averaged 3.9 points and 1.2 assists per game, as a freshman. He started 8 games in Southeastern Conference (SEC) play, and averaged 19 minutes per contest, during the Gators' first national title run.

Hodge had a decreased number of starts and minutes during the 2006–07 season, starting just three games, but increasing his scoring average to 5.7 points per game, as the Gators repeated as national champions. He had a career high of 17 points against Florida State, and finished the season hitting exactly 50% of three-point shot attempts. With the departure of Taurean Green to the NBA, and Lee Humphrey to graduation/playing overseas, Hodge became the starting point guard for the Gators, during the 2007–08 season.

Professional career

On August 2010 Hodge signed with the Polish League team Zielona Góra. In April 2012, Hodge was named the Most Valuable Player of the Polish Basketball League. As the Zastal Zielona Góra's top player, he won with his team the 2011–12 Polish League Bronze Medal (3rd place).

In the 2012–13 season, Zielona Góra's team debuted in the European-wide 2nd-tier level EuroCup, and advanced to the Last 16. Hodge was the team's leader, with averages of 21.2 points and 5.4 assists per game, while shooting 51.7% overall from the field (52.4% on 2 point field goals) and 50% on 3 point field goals (making 25 out of 50 attempts). In week 6, he took the EuroCup Basketball Player of the Round honors. On February 25, 2013, Hodge was awarded the Polish-Czech All Star Game MVP (he scored 22 points in the game). He was named to the All-EuroCup Second Team in 2013.[1] In June 2013 he won the Polish League championship. It was the first Polish national championship in Zielona Góra's history. On June 5, 2013, Basket Zielona Góra retired Hodge's jersey number 15. He became the first player in the club's history to be honored with a jersey retirement.

In June 2013, Hodge signed a two-year deal with Spanish club Laboral Kutxa Vitoria.[2] In February 2014, he was loaned to Puerto Rican club Capitanes de Arecibo, for the rest of the season.[3] In August 2014, he parted ways with Laboral Kutxa,[4] and signed with Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg. On May 6, Hodge returned to Capitanes de Arecibo.[5]

On July 31, 2017, Hodge signed with Homenetmen Beirut of the Lebanese Basketball League.[6] After playing with Capitanes de Arecibo for some time in 2018, Hodge returned to Homenetmen Beirut on September 25, 2018.[7]

National team career

Hodge is a member of the senior U.S. Virgin Islands national basketball team. With the U.S. Virgin Islands, he played at the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship, the 2010 Centrobasket, the 2011 FIBA CBC Championship, where he won a gold medal, the 2012 Centrobasket, the 2014 Centrobasket, the 2016 Centrobasket, and the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup.[8]

Awards and accomplishments

College

Zielona Góra

Baloncesto Superior Nacional

Homenetmen Beirut
  • Arab Club Championship Champion: (2017)
  • Lebanese League Champion: (2018)
  • Lebanese Cup Winner: (2018)
  • Lebanese League League MVP: (2018)
  • Lebanese League Guard of the Year: (2019)
  • Lebanese League Import of the Year: (2019)
  • Lebanese League 1st Team: (2019)
  • Lebanese League All-Imports Team: (2019)

See also
  • List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 145 games played

References
  1. Eurocupbasketball.com Star power fills 2012-13 All-Eurocup teams!
  2. "LABORAL KUTXA lands playmaker Hodge as first signing of summer". Euroleague.net. June 5, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  3. "Walter Hodge officially loaned from Baskonia to Capitanes de Arecibo". Sportando.com. February 23, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  4. "Walter Hodge and Baskonia officially part ways". Sportando.com. August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  5. Modestti, Luis (May 6, 2016). "Hodge listo para debutar con los Capitanes". BSNPR.com (in Spanish). Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  6. "Walter Hodge inks in Lebanon with Homenetmen Club". Sportando.com. July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  7. "Walter Hodge returns to Homenetmen". Sportando. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  8. Walter Wallace HODGE (ISV).
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