The return of Julius Hodge to the Adelaide 36ers has given the team a genuine shot at making the playoffs. Not only that, his return has brought back quite a number of fans, too – over 5,000 came to see his homecoming.
And on Wednesday night, the Julius Hodge Experience lights up Adelaide (and, thanks to Fox Sports, the rest of the country also) once more in a juicy date with the in-form Townsville Crocodiles.
Last season, Hodge was an absolute revelation for the team. The 20th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft and North Carolina State alumn arrived in the city of churches in December of last year, replacing underperforming import Mike Chappell.
After chasing a spot on an NBA roster in the off-season, he has crash landed back in Adelaide mid-season again, this time replacing underperforming import Mark Tyndale.
In his four games so far since returning, the 36ers appear a team born again.
In the pre-Hodge era, the 36ers were lingering in the bottom four with a disappointing 5-7 record. A swag of promising off-season moves did not deliver what the fans had hoped for.
There were some positives, such as the outstanding debut NBL season of Aussie centre Luke Schensher. But a playoff push seemed enormously unlikely.
Hodge burst on the scene in his first weekend back in the country. He dropped 26 points against the Sydney Spirit and backed it up just a night later with 27 against the South Dragons. His two standout performances earned him the NBL’s player of the week accolade.
The only downside was that the team couldn’t take a win out of either game.
Perhaps more critical, albeit less statistically appealing for Hodge as an individual, is what has happened since the American’s first weekend back down under.
The 36ers are actually back on the winners list.
They claimed the scalp of the surprisingly competitive Wollongong Hawks two weekends back. Then they backed it up with an eight-point win over the Melbourne “greatest-of-all-time-if-only-they-had-a-point-guard” Tigers on Saturday night.
Hodge appears to be the missing piece to the puzzle. He has led his team in assists in three of his four games to date. He has been solid defensively.
He provides the firepower that was missing with Mark Tyndale occupying an import slot.
The scary thing is we are yet to see the best of him. In January last year, he famously exploded for 39 points against the Cairns Taipans. It may only be a matter of time before he finds himself in the thirties once again.
Thanks to the arrival of Hodge, it now it seems as though the 36ers are making a genuine run for the playoffs. They sit just one position out of the top six and a win tomorrow night would put them on par with the next-best side, the Spirit.
Standing in their way is the fourth-placed Crocs, the side that last weekend toppled the New Zealand Breakers – who are currently sitting second on the ladder – in Auckland, an arduous task to say the least.
It is fair to say the Crocs themselves are looking good for a spot in the top six come season’s end.
However with the dominance of the Dragons and Breakers, the loaded rosters of the Tigers and Wildcats and the fairytale-in-waiting Spirit not too far behind, the playoff race is looking tight.
Both sides can’t afford to slip up from here and will be desperately seeking a win.
In the end, the Hodge factor seems too big to ignore. The 36ers are riding a wave of momentum and don't look like slowing down any time soon.
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