Julius Hodge was born in the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem and raised across the Harlem River from Yankee Stadium. His mother, Mary Hodge, worked two jobs, including as a teacher\'s aide, to support Julius and his two siblings.\n', '

Hodge became smitten with basketball when he was five years old after his father took him to a New York Knicks game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden where Magic Johnson smiled at him in the crowd. Hodge\'s father was deported to Antigua and Barbuda when Hodge was nine years old and Hodge has not seen him since. Hodge\'s older brother, Steven, was his strongest male role model and played basketball in the NJCAA at Sullivan County Community College and later in NCAA Division II at Long Island University - Southampton. Steven made the decision to name his younger brother after all-time basketball great Julius Erving.\n', '

As a senior at St. Raymond High School for Boys, operated by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, in the Bronx, New York, Hodge was part of the 2001 McDonald\'s All-American Team and the First-team Parade All-American, New York State Mr. Basketball, New York Daily News Player of the Year, New York All-Metro Squad, and Sports Illustrated\'s Old Spice Athlete of the Month. He scored a total of 684 points his senior season, setting the school record at St. Raymond High School, and left rated as the best shooting guard by ESPN and fifth-best nationally. Hodge surprised basketball fans by choosing to attend NC State over Syracuse University.\n', '

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