Hodges’ sisters mirror each other on, off court
Like all twins, sophomores Doneeka and Roneeka Hodges have similar qualities about them.
The New Orleans-natives exhibit the same facial and body features and wear their hair in ponytails that are roughly the same length. Each also sport a headband on the court.
But a tattoo of Mickey Mouse with a basketball on their arms?
Doneeka has the loveable cartoon character on her right arm and Roneeka has the same tattoo on her left arm.
“We got it in high school, and it doesn’t symbolize anything,” Roneeka said. “It was a happy thing. We were happy our grandma allowed us to get one. We just got the first thing we saw.”
Still, Doneeka said there was no particular reason why Mickey Mouse was the tattoo of choice.
“I just wanted a cartoon character, and Mickey Mouse was the first cartoon character I saw,” Doneeka said. “I was just so excited I could get a tattoo.”
But on the court, the two players do have differences.
“Is your style different from my style?,” Roneeka asked Doneeka with a smile. “Kind of,” Doneeka said.
Doneeka said she would not call herself a set shooter alone. She said though she is a solid shooter, she does not feel she is a better shooter than her twin.
“I think she operates more around the basket, and I operate more on the perimeter,” Doneeka said. It’s more likely for me to be able to shoot a three pointer than her because she works in the post.”
Head coach Sue Gunter said Roneeka’s height makes her game distinctly different than her smaller twin sister.
“Roneeka’s a little bit bigger, and she plays multiple positions,” Gunter said. “She can play a three or she could play a four, and she can even play a two if she needed to.”
Tuesday, Doneeka was named to the All-Southeastern Conference Second Team. This season, Doneeka started all 25 games, averaged 15 points per game and ranked second on the team in assists. She also leads the team with 46 three-pointers at a 38 percent clip.
“That’s a great honor to be on a list with the top players in the best conference in women’s basketball,” Doneeka said. “It’s something special to me, but without my teammates, I wouldn’t have been able to receive that honor.”
Gunter said injuries, players that were ineligible along with other factors gave Doneeka a chance to play extended periods of time last year and helped her get the experience she has used to become an All-SEC player.
“Doneeka probably got playing time early because of the various things that happened,” Gunter said. “I think she took full advantage of the opportunity last year that she had to play, and it’s really carried over.”
Last season was very successful for Roneeka. She averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds, despite having a stress fracture. This season, a mysterious leg injury has caused her to play limited minutes, but she has upped her averages to 9.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Roneeka said the injury this year is not related to the stress fracture from a season ago.
“It’s this mysterious leg [injury] that we can’t quite put our finger on yet,” she said. “Hopefully, we’ll get it all resolved, and next year I’ll be healthy. It’s a major concern, but I just have to get out there and do what I can do to help contribute to the team.”
Gunter said the injury effects Roneeka’s leg and foot. She hopes there will be successful diagnosis to the injury.
“We don’t know. We’re still trying to it figure out,” Gunter said. “She has a problem with her legs and feet cramping after a certain amount of time on the floor. We’ve been to numerous doctors in different areas.”
Chris Gibson