THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 15, 1995 TAG: 9502150656
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 144 lines
In 500 hours, you could drive across America about 10 times. Or, you could watch 250 college basketball games on television. Or, you could take a 12 1/2-week vacation from a 40-hour work week.
Or, if you're Odell Hodge, you can rehabilitate your left knee.
It will take Hodge about 500 hours of work in Old Dominion's training room before he can return to competitive basketball.
Three hours a day, at least five days a week for four months. Then five months of about two hours a day.
Pushing. Pulling. Leg extensions. Jogging on a mini trampoline. Walking on a treadmill. Stepping up onto a 12-inch-high box while holding 40-pound dumbbells. Whirlpools. Hot packs.
They are all part of Hodge's world right now - a time of year that his world usually centers around basketball.
But basketball ended for Hodge Dec. 3 in Carbondale, Ill. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament while battling with an opponent for a pass during a fast break. Hodge said his mind replays the play that resulted in knee surgery Dec. 28 just about every day.
And after nine months of rehab, Hodge will be able to do what he has his entire life: run up and down a basketball court in a game without a care in the world.
Do not pity him, for Hodge feels no self-pity about his plight. Sure, there are times when the isolation from his Monarch teammates and the enormity of the effort ahead of him can be overwhelming. He wouldn't be human without such emotions.
But above all else, Hodge is driven.
``I have a goal when I come back not only for my knee to be in the best condition possible, but for myself to be in the best condition of my whole career,'' Hodge said.
As he spoke, he dripped with sweat while maintaining a steady walking pace on the treadmill. For Hodge, the inactivity was one of the worst aspects of the post-surgery period. Once he began rehab, he faced the arduous and painful task of increasing his range of motion.
On Jan. 19, a stationary bicycle was wheeled into the Monarchs' practice gym, and Hodge rode it while the team practiced. He had ridden it previously to improve his range of motion, but this time Hodge was allowed to pedal against a level of resistance that got his heart rate up.
It was the first time he'd broken a sweat in the three weeks since surgery.
Breaking a sweat is no longer a novelty. In the training room, he does about 15 strength and coordination exercises designed to build up the left leg.
``If anything, we have to hold him back because he wants to do too much,'' ODU trainer Scott Johnson said. ``We'll have to say, `No Odell, you're not ready for that yet.' ''
When the $800 brace Hodge will wear next season arrived, he wanted to strap it on and start working on post moves in the gym.
Sorry, not yet, Johnson said.
Hodge is ready to do anything he's told to hasten his recovery. Johnson is pleased with progress made in the seven weeks since surgery and said Hodge's dedication to rehab has put him on or slightly ahead of schedule.
Although Johnson hesitates to make projections because setbacks are always possible, he said Hodge could be jogging on a treadmill in a couple weeks, working on post moves - minus a defender - by early April and playing full-court pickup games by September.
``I've seen what athletes go through, and it's a very hard process to accept, but he's never had that problem,'' Johnson said. ``Every day it's a new challenge to him to see how much he can improve.''
One thing Hodge insists will be improved is his shooting range. He can work on stationary shooting now.
``Can you see me adding another point to my game next year by stepping back and shooting the 3?'' Hodge said. ``Oh my God, won't that be great?
``When you talk to coach, tell him I'm very confident I can shoot the 3 and knock it down. Who knows, I may be the 3-point shooter we need next year.''
ODU coach Jeff Capel will be happy with the same Hodge who was the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year last season as a sophomore.
``Scott says he thinks the knee will be stronger than it ever was,'' Capel said. ``I've told Scott to work on the other leg, too.
``Odell is really pushing himself. I've never seen anybody as committed as he is.''
Capel is committed to helping Hodge feel like a member of the team despite the natural separation. Hodge is often in the gym during practices, still gets a copy of the scouting report for each game and travels with the team when it doesn't interfere with his classes.
But when it's time for the players to suit up for the game, Hodge is wearing a suit and tie. At game time, he takes a position near the end of the bench instead of his normal position as ODU's center.
``Some games, I really honestly want to get dressed,'' Hodge said. ``I'm a player. I want to compete, but I know I can't.
``I do feel a little isolated sometimes, but I am part of this team and I'm encouraging them and talking to them like I always have. The only difference is I'm not out there playing.''
When his teammates are on the practice court, Hodge is often in the training room.
``I'm always by myself and doing this alone, especially when they're out of town,'' Hodge said.
Hodge knows he is engaged in a marathon, not a sprint, and he keeps his eyes on the prize at the end.
``I'm very fortunate my basketball career is not over with,'' Hodge said. ``Ten years ago, it would have been.''
At the very least, a similar injury 10 years ago may have left his basketball future in doubt. But with the medical advances in recent years, Johnson is confident Hodge will be able to play at the level he did before the injury.
``It's very painful,'' Hodge said while laying on a training table with a hot pack on his knee. ``It's sore a whole lot, and you just want to go to sleep for a while after a workout.
``But I love being in here. I know I'm not in here but three hours a day. When I come back, I want to come back 100 percent and not be thinking about the knee at all.''
After the hot pack, Johnson strapped a leg extension board to Hodge to straighten the leg. When he was done with that, Hodge excused himself to use the restroom.
But instead he limped down the hall toward ODU's locker room.
``I've got to check out my stories,'' Hodge said, referring to the soap operas he is enamored with.
After watching his ``story'' for 10 minutes, Hodge turned off the TV and headed back to the training room to get in the whirlpool. In the midst of 500 hours of rehab, there's only so much time for stories. ILLUSTRATION: MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/Staff color photos
Old Dominion's Odell Hodge readjusts his knee brace during his a
recent workout at the school's training room. Hodge's rehabilitation
program includes about 15 strength and coordination exercises
designed to build up his left leg.
Hodge's hard work could get him off the mini trampoline and back on
the court, playing in pickup games as early as September.
Photo
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/Staff
Odell Hodge, still limited to walking on the treadmill, will soon be
permitted to jog.
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