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Some players are remembered for their entire body of work, or a catchy nickname, or their 1 shining moment. For Jeff Hodge, it is all of the above. He had a great career at South Alabama, where he was a 3-time 1st-team All-Sun Belt player and remains among the best in school history with 2221 PTS/461 AST/223 STL. He and fellow guard Junie Lewis played so well together that they were affectionately known as “Peanut Butter and Jelly”. His most famous shot was a 3-pointer against in-state rival Alabama with 2 seconds left to pull off a 1st round upset in the 1989 NCAA tourney. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jeff about being named conference POY and playing pro basketball. Today is Jeff’s 55th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
You grew up in Birmingham: what made you choose South Alabama? My 1st choice was UAB because some of my high school friends had a good career there and I wanted to stay close to home. They said I was too small so I decided to go south.
You and your fellow guard Junie Lewis were referred to as “Peanut Butter and Jelly”: who gave you 2 the nickname, and how did you like it? Junie came up with it while we were just sitting around the dorm going into our senior year. He thought we needed some more publicity as the 2 best guards in the conference.
You were a 3-time 1st-team All-Sun Belt player: how were you able to remain so consistent throughout your college career? Through the grace of God and hard work. I was 6’3”, 175 pounds coming out of high school. We had a good coaching staff with good plays designed to get me open and I worked hard every offseason to get better and better.
In 1989 you were named conference POY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was a great honor but I could not have done it without my teammates/coaches. We put in extra effort on the track and in the weight room.
Take me through the 1989 NCAA tourney:
You scored 29 PTS and made a 3-PT shot in the final seconds of a 2-PT upset of in-state rival Alabama: how did “the shot that rolled the Tide” change your life (www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP2aDB6aV0U)? It changed my life dramatically. A lot of my friends cheered for Alabama while I was growing up and it was our 1st time in the limelight. I kind of lost some friends at the time but gained them back years later.
You scored 16 PTS in a 9-PT loss to eventual champion Michigan: where does tourney MOP Glen Rice (36 PTS/16-25 FG) rank among the greatest players that you ever faced? It was like playing against your big brother because they were so big/physical. I rank Glen #1.
In the summer of 1989 you were drafted in the 2nd round by Dallas: did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? It was a lifelong dream: growing up in the projects we just played sports all day long. I was not expecting to get drafted by Dallas so it was a blessing from God.
You later spent a couple of years in the CBA: what is the biggest difference between college basketball and pro basketball? College is a bit more aggressive but back then the NBA was more physical with hand-to-hand contact. Now the NBA is more about entertainment than physicality, while the college game is very exciting to watch.
Your son Jeff played basketball at North Alabama: who is the best athlete in the family? I think I am the best but he has better ball-handling skills than I did. All I had to do was run the wing and shoot the ball.
You currently work for a power company in Birmingham: how do you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? I love it a lot but I am looking to get into the coaching game and help some kids in Birmingham get more involved in sports.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? As a guy with a great attitude who loved to play the game. I was excited to help our team win and be a great asset to the university.