Basketball is one of the few sports that is truly two-handed, and one of the biggest attributes of many players coming up is their ability to be a two-handed dribbler or shooter. That wasn’t the case for Florida Gators walk-on Zach Hodskins, as he was born with just one hand.
It didn’t stop his love for the game of basketball or his ability to play at a very high level either. The Lexington, Kentucky native was offered a preferred walk-on spot from former Gators head coach Billy Donovan before the 2013-14 season.
After sitting out a redshirt year, Hodskins was able to get on the court some in his freshman season. However, he missed both of the shots taken last year. He started this season 0 of 3, but on Tuesday night it was a sweet spin move and lay-in that got him his first collegiate basket of his career.
.@dabreu91 @dustinhart_ @GatorsMBK Here's Zach at full speed! #GoGators pic.twitter.com/I4J6ESYJG0
— Florida Gators (@FloridaGators) December 23, 2015
Donovan saw the talent, new head coach Mike White has gotten to work with it and Hodskins’ hard work has apparently paid off.
“Really happy for Zach, a great young man, obviously overcoming an unbelievable adversity,” coach Mike White said, via ESPN. “He’s a very, very likable young man. You could tell by the decibel level in the O’Dome when he scored. It was a fun moment for our team and for Zach. Proud for him, happy for him.”
Lest you think this was a pity play or a walk-on for publicity, Hodskins put on a highlight reel career in basketball-mad Kentucky before getting to the Gators.
[ESPN]
