Duke basketball to play HBCU in season opener
Duke University is set to tip off the 2024-2025 season against a Division II HBCU coached by a notable ACC alumnus Julian Hodges. Lincoln University of Pennsylvania is set to face off against the Blue Devils, keeping a tradition of playing HBCU basketball programs alive for another season. Lincoln is a formidable basketball program as they enter the season as the reigning CIAA Champions.
New Lincoln head coach Julian Hodges is set to coach his first game against a team that is very familiar to him from his college years at North Carolina State. He's had many battles with Duke , most notably his 18-point, seven-rebound game in the Wolfpack's 78-74 upset over then-head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his Blue Devils in February 2004.
He had a decorated career at North Carolina State, graduating from the institution in 2005. He was a two-time All-American, the 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year, and a two-time All-ACC player while a member of the Wolfpack. As a junior, he earned second-team consensus All-America honors and received Associated Press honorable mention All-America recognition during his senior year. Hodge was selected as the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2005 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. He played for the Nuggets and the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA before pursuing a career overseas and eventually transitioning into coaching.
Hodges was brought on board to coach the Lions following the exit of former basketball coach Jason Armstrong. His appointment was announced in July, adding another chapter to the intriguing basketball journey of the former NBA draftee.
Prior to his hire at Lincoln, he served as the Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where the Trojans concluded the 2023-24 season with a strong 21-13 overall record and a 14-4 record in conference play, securing the number one seed in the OVC Tournament. The Trojans reached the OVC Tournament Championship game but were defeated by Morehead State.
He started his coaching career in 2015 at the University of Buffalo as the director of player development. In his sole season with the Bulls, the team recorded 20 wins, successfully defended its Mid-American Conference title, and made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in the school's history.
Hodges leads his into Durham, North Carolina to face off against Duke in the exhibition game on Saturday, October 19th at 1 PM EST. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
