Technician Deputy Sports Editor Tyler Everett recently caught up with former N.C. State forward and NBA first round draft pick Julius Hodge

Technician: What are your impressions of coach Sidney Lowe?

Hodge: I really like Coach Lowe. I think he runs a great system where he allows guys to play, not just in practice, but also during the game. I think you have to have a higher intellect to get most of the plays he is running all the time. But I thought towards the end of the season, once the guys really got into the groove, it looked like a really good team. I would definitely have liked playing for him because it’s a pro system. It is nothing but pick and roll, and my goal was to get to the NBA, so it definitely would have made me look better in terms of my chances of getting drafted high.

Technician: You have been very outspoken about how much you enjoyed playing for State. What made your time in Raleigh so special for you?

Hodge: I miss it. I loved my time here playing in Raleigh. It’s a great place and it’s very family-oriented. It felt like home from when I stepped foot on campus. It’s a very warm atmosphere. I loved the fans and I loved their intensity for the Pack. It is definitely a great place and that’s why I am now settled down here.

Technician: If you had to pinpoint one aspect of it, what would you say was your favorite thing about your college days?

Hodge: One thing about Raleigh that I loved the most… Can I say the women? No, I’m just playing. My fiancée won’t love me if I say that. It was the person that got me to come here, coach Herb Sendek. Even at times when I was playing for him, and I thought he was a villain, he turned out to be a good guy and a hero at the end, so it was all good.

Technician: Star recruit C.J. Leslie just announced his intentions to join guards Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown in the Wolfpack’s freshman class of 2010-11. How much would you have enjoyed playing with guards of that caliber?

Hodge: It would have been awesome. I would have played small forward all the time, and that would have been cool with me. An electrifying point guard like Ryan could not only get me the ball, but put the ball in the basket and be very explosive. Lorenzo can knock it down and create his own shot. He’s a very athletic player and a very smart player as well. It would have definitely been…. Ah, man, I would have loved it. But I don’t want to put my recruiting class down. We had a really good recruiting class myself coming in with me. It wasn’t just me and we definitely had our good time.

Technician: What can you tell us about the stage you are at in your basketball career?

Hodge: On the court, I just finished my third season over in Australia. I just bought a home here in the Raleigh-Morrisville area. I spend pretty much every day going in and working out with coach Wright Wayne, the lifting coach for our men’s basketball team, getting up a lot of reps. I have been having Kirk Brown work with me. I’m just training and continuing to get better, getting ready for being on a summer league team. I am only 26, so I have to do that every day. There ain’t no time to rest.

Technician: Do you still have your eye on the NBA?

Hodge: The NBA is most definitely still my number one goal. It makes me cringe sometimes, seeing some of the guys on the court that I know that if they were in front of me on the basketball court, that I would be able to turn them inside out. It’s just waiting for the proper timing and opportunity, and when it arises, to take full advantage of it. I know that next time I will be ready to do so.

Technician: Tell us a little bit about the camp you will be hosting in June.

Hodge: It gives me an opportunity to work with children. Anybody that knows me, knows that I love kids. To be able to help young basketball players and kids who are aspiring to be not only good students, but good players on the court. I help them out with their skills and help develop them and also hone in on some of their weaknesses so they can become better players.

Technician: I hear you have also been giving speeches at local schools. What can you tell me about the message you are looking to convey?

Hodge: I have been doing some inspirational speaking at a couple schools in the Wake County area. I talk to them about my experiences growing up in the inner city with so many obstacles in front of me. If they can keep their eye on their prize and set goals, it doesn’t have to be a huge goal. I had small goals every day. As a basketball player, I wanted to make sure I worked out every day. But before I was on the basketball court I made sure I had my homework done and made sure my little sister had her homework done. Small goals are going to help you every day to become a better citizen.