Like many recent high school graduates, Zach Hodskins is packing up and getting ready to go off to college. But there are two things that set him apart — Hodskins, who was born without a left forearm, will attend the University of Florida as a preferred walk-on for Billy Donovan’s basketball team.
One of four freshmen and one transfer who will join the Gators for the 2014-15 season, Hodskins plans to major in business administration and set to arrive Monday for a six-week summer session.
But Hodskins’ road to Gainesville began in the summer of 2013 when Florida assistant basketball coach John Pelphrey attended a basketball tournament in Suwanee.
Pelphrey wasn’t there to see Hodskins specifically, but he quickly noticed the Milton High shooting guard.
“I noticed something different about him. I was kind of curious as to how this was working,” Pelphrey said. “And then next thing I know, I see him throwing the ball and dribbling and pacing. I kept waiting for them to take him out … and then all of sudden there’s a loose ball, he catches it at the 3-point line and knocks it down like he’s done it a thousand times.
“I thought, wow this guy … he’s tough. He can shoot. Obviously he has a high level of intelligence because he’s making plays with effort and smarts.”
Once Hodskins heard Florida was interested in him in October 2013, he was sold — even though the preferred walk-on offer came without a scholarship.
“It was a couple a weeks after he saw me,” Hodskins said. “I was just so ecstatic that it was Florida, I took it right away.”
But Hodskins’ offer comes with no guarantees. As a walk-on he could potentially earn a scholarship and a spot in the starting line-up, but it’s unlikely.
“Yes, there’s always room to get a scholarship … but if I never get one, it’s all right,” Hodskins said. “I’m just really happy to be a part of team and family. I’m going to go in there and do my best to make the other guys better players.”
Hodskins and Pelphrey are on the same page as far as what his role will be. It’s likely Hodskins will serve as a practice player and sit on the bench for most of the season, but it’s possible he will travel with the team, too.
“There’s an operational piece from these young men that is very valuable to our program,” Pelphrey said of Florida’s walk-on players. “I thought there’d be a place in our program for someone who liked to play, was willing to work and had a level of toughness.”
In preparation for his first practice as a Gator, Hodskins said he hasn’t changed much in his daily workout routine, besides lifting more weights in an effort to bulk up.
“I work out with kids from school, play pick-up basketball and do individual drills with Dad,” Hodskins said. “We’ve been doing the same shooting drills since I was in sixth grade, every day for about an hour and a half or two hours.”
Four days before his departure, Hodskins said he isn’t nervous about playing with the Gators or starting college, but he is nervous about making the journey of more than 350 miles from home. Luckily, he’s bringing a small piece of home with him — his jersey number.
“I’ve always been (No.) 24 since I was a freshman in high school. I’ve always thought it kind of looks like my initials, if you write it out. I’ll be (No.) 24 for another four years, hopefully.”
