Ross Hodge had some experience inside the Coliseum prior to being hired to lead the basketball program.
Serving as the associate head coach at North Texas at the time, the Mean Green traveled to Morgantown to square off against West Virginia in early December of the 2021-22 season.
And while the atmosphere wasn’t quite the same given the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and only a couple hundred in the building at the time, it afforded Hodge a chance to appreciate the program from afar.
“The gunshot was even louder. It reverberated for like 15-seconds after,” he said. “But did get a chance to look at the facilities and see some of the tradition and history.”
The Mean Green led that game by eight at halftime only to eventually fall 62-50 in the second half, but the experience is one that stuck with him especially given the facilities and resources that the program featured.
“The Coliseum is like a palace man. It’s like you’re entering into the Roman Coliseum. It’s just an incredible building,” Hodge said.
Little did Hodge know at the time, but four seasons into the future he would have a chance to call that palace his home after becoming the 24th head coach of the Mountaineers basketball program. It’s an opportunity that Hodge certainly doesn’t take lightly after spending the past eight seasons at North Texas in his role as an assistant under Grant McCasland and then rising to the head coaching seat for the past two seasons.
Hodge was keenly aware that the Coliseum boats the No. 1 rated home court advantage in all of college basketball on the KenPom ratings and is already excited to get a look at the building at its full capacity.
“Home courts are real. They're powerful. They matter, and I've always said if it's worth a basket, then it's worth everything, and I can't wait to see that,” he said.
Facilities and infrastructure aside, one of the biggest draws for Hodge to a place that is quite far from where he grew up in Dallas, Texas is the attitude and values of its people. It’s one thing that he heard from every single person that he discussed the opening or the state with throughout the process.
“The first thing that comes out of everyone’s mouth is you will love these people. There is not better people anywhere on this planet than the people of West Virginia and you got a chance to see that right away from the moment we stepped off the plane,” Hodge said.
Over his career, Hodge has become known for a blue collar, hard-nosed approach especially with his defensive principles that is a near perfect match for the DNA of those within the state. It’s something he came across honestly after watching his mother work three jobs at once in his youth. There were times she would work 20 days in a row without a day off and that approach stuck with Hodge.
“Like I said, if you watch our team play and you think, man, that's a tough team, that's a tough woman right there,” Hodge said fighting through emotion.
Hodge understands the responsibility to lead the West Virginia basketball program and as part of that there is a respect for all of those that came before him in the role. He listed the accomplishments of Gale Catlett, John Beilein and of course Bob Huggins. Hodge recalled sitting in his living room as Huggins embraced DaSean Butler after his injury in the 2010 NCAA Final Four.
“You could see the love and ...