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Mar. 26—MORGANTOWN — It is possible Ross Hodge may come to WVU fresh off a basketball championship season.
WVU athletic director Wren Baker announced Wednesday afternoon that Hodge, the head coach at North Texas, will be the 24th men's basketball coach at West Virginia.
"Ross Hodge is a proven winner and leader who has demonstrated success at every stop of his career, " Baker said. "He has won more than 80 % of his games as a head coach while establishing himself as one of the best defensive minds in college basketball. His teams play with toughness and grit and Mountaineer Nation will love the passion his players have for the game."
Hodge, 44, replaces Darian DeVries, who was hired by Indiana on March 18.
WVU said an introductory press conference will be announced at a later date. That's because Hodge is busy at the moment. North Texas (27-8) will play in the NIT semifinals against either UC Irvine or UAB on April 1.
"It is with great honor and humility that I accept the head men's basketball coaching position at West Virginia University, " Hodge said. "I have such respect for the toughness, grit and pride of the people of West Virginia, and my hope is that we can reflect that with how our team competes on the court."
WVU's statement confirmed reports that Hodge had signed a 5-year deal with the Mountaineers. No further contract details were released.
North Texas is a combined 46-23 in Hodge's two seasons, with both seasons ending in the NIT.
Hodge was an associate head coach at North Texas while WVU athletic director Wren Baker was the athletic director at that school.
While he's been a head coach at the Division I level for just two seasons, Hodge also spent five seasons as head coach at the junior-college level.
In seven seasons as a head coach, Hodge has won 80.3 % of his games, which includes leading Midland College to the Division I junior-college national championship game in 2011.
"We believe we have everything we need to be successful and to challenge for Big 12 championships and look forward to competing against the best coaches and best teams in the country, " Hodge said.
Hodge will bring with him to Morgantown a defensive-minded system.
In his two seasons at North Texas, the Mean Green never averaged more than 69.2 points per game, but the team was third in the country this season in points allowed (5.9 ppg) and ranked 43rd in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (41.1 %).
A native of Dallas, Hodge also spent time as an assistant coach under Larry Eustachy at both Southern Miss and Colorado State.
He also was an assistant under Grant McCasland—now the head coach at Texas Tech—at North Texas.
"West Virginia made a very good hire in Ross Hodge, " ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla posted on social media. "He is a very capable basketball coach, quietly super competitive and smart. He has already been around coaches who have been successful in the Big 12, and I expect him to do the same in Morgantown."
What isn't known is just what will the WVU roster look like upon Hodge's arrival.
Most likely, he will be building a roster from scratch.
Star guard Javon Small, as well as forwards Eduardo Andre and Toby Okani and guard Joseph Yesufu are out of eligibility.
Freshmen Jonathan Powell and K.J. Tenner both announced they were entering the transfer portal, as did Sencire Harris and Amani Hansberry.
Tucker DeVries also entered the portal with the intention of joining his father in Indiana.
Freshman forward Abraham Oyeadier and sophomore guard Ofri Naveh—both were redshirted last season—along with senior guard Jayden Stone are the only scholarship players remaining who have yet to announce their intentions for next season.
Stone was also redshirted last season after transferring in from Detroit Mercy. He was injured in the preseason and then dealt with personal family issues during the season.
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WVU athletic director Wren Baker announced Wednesday afternoon that Hodge, the head coach at North Texas, will be the 24th men's basketball coach at West Virginia.
"Ross Hodge is a proven winner and leader who has demonstrated success at every stop of his career, " Baker said. "He has won more than 80 % of his games as a head coach while establishing himself as one of the best defensive minds in college basketball. His teams play with toughness and grit and Mountaineer Nation will love the passion his players have for the game."
Hodge, 44, replaces Darian DeVries, who was hired by Indiana on March 18.
WVU said an introductory press conference will be announced at a later date. That's because Hodge is busy at the moment. North Texas (27-8) will play in the NIT semifinals against either UC Irvine or UAB on April 1.
"It is with great honor and humility that I accept the head men's basketball coaching position at West Virginia University, " Hodge said. "I have such respect for the toughness, grit and pride of the people of West Virginia, and my hope is that we can reflect that with how our team competes on the court."
WVU's statement confirmed reports that Hodge had signed a 5-year deal with the Mountaineers. No further contract details were released.
North Texas is a combined 46-23 in Hodge's two seasons, with both seasons ending in the NIT.
Hodge was an associate head coach at North Texas while WVU athletic director Wren Baker was the athletic director at that school.
While he's been a head coach at the Division I level for just two seasons, Hodge also spent five seasons as head coach at the junior-college level.
In seven seasons as a head coach, Hodge has won 80.3 % of his games, which includes leading Midland College to the Division I junior-college national championship game in 2011.
"We believe we have everything we need to be successful and to challenge for Big 12 championships and look forward to competing against the best coaches and best teams in the country, " Hodge said.
Hodge will bring with him to Morgantown a defensive-minded system.
In his two seasons at North Texas, the Mean Green never averaged more than 69.2 points per game, but the team was third in the country this season in points allowed (5.9 ppg) and ranked 43rd in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (41.1 %).
A native of Dallas, Hodge also spent time as an assistant coach under Larry Eustachy at both Southern Miss and Colorado State.
He also was an assistant under Grant McCasland—now the head coach at Texas Tech—at North Texas.
"West Virginia made a very good hire in Ross Hodge, " ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla posted on social media. "He is a very capable basketball coach, quietly super competitive and smart. He has already been around coaches who have been successful in the Big 12, and I expect him to do the same in Morgantown."
What isn't known is just what will the WVU roster look like upon Hodge's arrival.
Most likely, he will be building a roster from scratch.
Star guard Javon Small, as well as forwards Eduardo Andre and Toby Okani and guard Joseph Yesufu are out of eligibility.
Freshmen Jonathan Powell and K.J. Tenner both announced they were entering the transfer portal, as did Sencire Harris and Amani Hansberry.
Tucker DeVries also entered the portal with the intention of joining his father in Indiana.
Freshman forward Abraham Oyeadier and sophomore guard Ofri Naveh—both were redshirted last season—along with senior guard Jayden Stone are the only scholarship players remaining who have yet to announce their intentions for next season.
Stone was also redshirted last season after transferring in from Detroit Mercy. He was injured in the preseason and then dealt with personal family issues during the season.
Continue reading...
