Above the Rim with Ja'Heim Hudson: ‘Achieving my dream’

AUBURN, Ala. – For his final season of college basketball, Ja’Heim “Turtle” Hudson wanted an opportunity to win.

“I chose to play at Auburn in my last year because I really wanted to win and have the opportunity of achieving my dream,” Hudson said. 

Hudson’s path to Auburn was not as straightforward as others. A graduate of Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, Hudson was rated as one of the top 75 power forwards in the country after helping his team win back-to-back state championships in 2020 and 2021. 

The Peach State native began his college career at Georgia State, spending two seasons with the Panthers and helping them win the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in 2022. He got his first taste of March Madness that season as he played 18 minutes in a Round of 64 matchup against No. 1 seed Gonzaga. 

The following season, Hudson transferred to SMU where he was a valuable piece off the bench. He averaged 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in his lone year with the Mustangs. 

However, when the opportunity to come to Auburn presented itself, it was too good to pass up. 

“I saw the type of system that Bruce (Pearl) runs and what he’s done with players at my position, and I felt like I could be a part of that and really wanted to contribute to winning at this level,” Hudson said. 

Staying right and ready, Hudson has seen his role grow throughout the season. He’s averaging seven minutes per game in SEC play and scored a season-high 7 points in Auburn’s win at LSU last week. He also played an integral role in the team’s win at Georgia last month when Johni Broome was out. 

Hudson started playing basketball at an older age than most of his peers as he started in sixth grade. At 6-foot-2, he was already one of the taller kids in his class, and he fell in love with the sport and pursued playing it beyond high school. 

While some might say he plays like a gazelle, Hudson earned the nickname “Turtle” when he was younger from a familiar person in his family. 

“My aunt Crystal gave me the nickname,” he said. “I took my time with a lot of things that I did, and I moved very slow.”

Hudson credits his aunt Crystal, along with his uncle, Jeff Harris, for putting him in the right position to achieve his goals. He also credits his teammates and coaches from Wheeler for shaping him into the person he’s become. Those familiar ties and connections from Wheeler still stand today. 

“I stay in touch with my high school coaches and teammates all the time,” he said. “Isaiah Collier, I keep in touch with him and a lot of my other teammates as well.”

Collier currently play in the NBA for the Utah Jazz. He was a first-round pick last year. 

Though Hudson will have just one season on The Plains, he wants to leave a huge impact on his coaches and teammates, leaning on his prior experience from his time at Wheeler High School and his two previous stops in college to be a leader for the Tigers. 

“Coming into college, I had a lot of people that were great leaders for me and gave me some good pointers and things I should lead on,” Hudson said. “I feel like I should pass that on to the next generation, the next group of guys that are coming up.”

Hudson is expected to graduate from Auburn in May from the College of Liberal Arts. 

“Being able to graduate is a blessing,” he said. “Coming from where I came from, it’s amazing. I’m probably going to be the first person to graduate from a university in my family, so it means a lot to me. It’s really special.”

“Turtle” might be his nickname, but Hudson’s hustle, drive and willingness to sacrifice and be a team player is anything but slow as he plans to help in any way he can to achieve his goal and the team’s goal of winning.