Hodge: “The heart is what makes us win”
Shared his impressions on his National Team’s great 83-71 victory over Canada 83-71, in what was Group B’s initial surprise during the FIBA AmeriCup 2017 that's taking place in Bahia Blanca, Argentina.
ARGENTINA (FIBA AmeriCup 2017) - Point Guard Walter Hodge was born on September 21, 1986 in the Puerto Rican municipality of Guaynabo; but today he wears the Virgin Islands’ jersey. He shared his impressions on his National Team’s great 83-71 victory over Canada 83-71, in what was Group B’s initial surprise during the FIBA AmeriCup 2017 that's taking place in Bahia Blanca, Argentina. Walter ended the game with 25 points (6/9 in doubles, 3/6 in triples and 4/5 in free throws), 8 assists, and 4 rebounds during 30’26” minutes in the court.
After sharing the story behind his tattoos —which mainly represent the places he's had the opportunity to visit thanks to basketball— we had to ask him if after the win against Canada and a possible Final Four qualification he was considering getting a tattoo about the city, and he assured: “I may tattoo something about Bahia. I promise that if we win and go into the Final Four, I’ll get a tattoo.”
Regarding the game, the Guard said: “We started out very well; attacking as the coach wanted, which is something very important to us. The younger players did a good job, they kept the game going.
He also talked about Coach Sam Mitchell: “He's a good coach that gives us a lot of energy to play, especially younger players. He doesn't hit me in the head, we both know we're crazy, but he’s a good coach and I have a lot to learn from him.” About the victory, he said: “The team defends very well and that’s the key: we're small but if we do everything together we can do it. We have nothing to lose. We played against 3 Olympic teams. We have to do our job and control what we can.”
“We have many college players, but they play very well. The most important thing is to play hard. It’s the heart what makes us win. As an island, we want to get to the Olympics. That’s our goal and if we can do it, better yet. Today we did a great job. We came to crush everyone. We have nothing to lose,” he pointed out, and added about the public at the Osvaldo Casanova Stadium that supported the Caribbean team: “Thank you to the people that applauded us at the end. You acknowledged us and it's very good to play at a city that breathes basketball.”
FIBA