Jabril Hodges Held Onto His Dreams Now They’re Close To Reality

Though Jabril Hodges strives to carve his own pattern as a man and player away from his father’s (former two time NBA champion Craig Hodges) it’s obvious that some of his fathers skills and morals rubbed off on him. He strives for perfection by never giving up. He thrives on doubters, who said he couldn’t shoot, by breaking the career record for 3’s at Long Beach State University without a credible low-post threat to demand double-teams and free him up. His Nike Summer Pro League Career averages rank up there with the averages of superstar alums Kobe Bryant and Amare Stoudemire. He just recently finished his first season with the CBA’s Butte Daredevils averaging 14.7 pts off the bench. He’s preparing himself to try to earn a spot on an NBA roster this July after last years narrow miss. Some scouts may highlight his assists average(2.9) as cause for concern as well as no real big time competition while at LBSU, but Jabril is a gym rat whose constantly looking for ways to improve his game. He will get his shot this year because he has experience under his belt and his mental toughness is insurmountable. He has adapted and thrived in an environment where most players give up and move on. His stats don’t reflect his will to win and his hustle. He works out 3 times a day and has managed to bulk up about 5-10 pounds. He would thrive off the bench as a change of pace guard. He’s built in the Jordan Farmar mold of quick and push the pace guard off the bench. His midrange game is very consistent and his character can’t be questioned. He’s very humble and willing to learn and definitely has plenty of pride and doesn’t accept handouts. He doesn’t want tryouts given to him as favors to his father and waited his life for this very moment. The ball is in his court and if his jumper is any indication he won’t miss his shot this summer.

Stay tuned later this week when Jabril gives thewestbias.com his first interview since the seasons end and discusses future plans and goals.