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One-Handed Florida Gators Basketball Player Zach Hodskins Makes Debut

By Patrick Schmidt

Nov 14, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators guard Zach Hodskins (24) dribbles the ball as William & Mary Tribe guard Connor Burchfield (10) defends during the second half at Stephen C. O
Nov 14, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators guard Zach Hodskins (24) dribbles the ball as William & Mary Tribe guard Connor Burchfield (10) defends during the second half at Stephen C. O /
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The Florida men’s basketball team opened their season last night against William & Mary and that also marked the debut for Zach Hodskins who was born without a left hand

Zach Hodskins was born without a left hand but that didn’t stop him from being a great basketball player and fulfilling his dream of playing college basketball after he was granted a walk-on spot on Billy Donovan’s team one week after clips of him went viral.

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Hodskins made his college debut last night against William & Mary in the final two minutes of the Gators’ 68-45 win and drew a loud ovation from the home crowd as he battled nerves and fired up one shot, it didn’t go in, but Hodskins was a winner on the night after doing something that many people had doubts would ever be a reality.

What a great story this is and it is only going to get better as Hodskin continues to develop into a player and works his way into playing more minutes, which should be a realistic proposition with a favorable early season schedule that could see a few blowouts in favor of Florida that would allow Hodskins to get his walk-on freshman on the court.

Just imagine the eruption from the crowd when he sinks that first bucket.

“I’ve always dreamed of being here, and tonight I feel like I fulfilled that dream and now I’m just gonna take the next step forward,” Hodskins told The Alligator. “It didn’t really matter (if I played tonight or not), I was hoping I would, I’m glad I did but I’m glad that my teammates played well. … I love it, I mean as long as they treat me like a normal human being and a player and their friend I’ll be just fine.”

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