Ross Hodge was well versed in the history and passion surrounding the West Virginia basketball program.
It was a big component in his decision to pursue the opening and something that he was able to see first-hand while he was still in negotiations for the position.
That’s because his North Texas team was playing in the National Invitational Tournament against Oklahoma State when his team let a nine-point lead slip away before eventually getting a stop and holding on for the win.
“I thought for a second there I was going to be the only coach in the country to simultaneously get crushed by two fanbases at the same time. But I love it. That’s what I want,” he said.
Hodge enters into his tenure atop the West Virginia basketball program with high expectations.
“Nobody’s going to have higher expectations than myself and our staff and our players, and we welcome it, and we appreciate it,” he said. “And we felt the love from the moment we’ve stepped off this plane.”
That passion is a critical element for Hodge who recognizes that west Virginia held the number one home court advantage in the country according to KenPom, an analytical site covering college basketball. Hodge has been standing in front of teams for 21 years and is excited to begin his chapter at the highest level.
But not without recognizing those that came before him. Hodge believes in the power of the West Virginia brand from the NBA logo Jerry West to current Boston Celtics head coach and former Mountaineers guard Joe Mazzulla.
But he also understands the coaching footsteps he will be stepping into as well.
“Being the basketball coach here is something that I certainly do not take lightly,” he said. “I have so much respect for the men that have come before me.”
Hodge cited Gale Catlett, the all-time-winningest coach in program history and what he meant to the state of West Virginia and then John Beilein who was ahead of his time offensively with how he kept his bigs away from the basket and posted up his guards.
“He was really at the forward thought process of that,” Hodge said.
Then Hodge referenced former head coach Bob Huggins who he had the opportunity to compete against in 2021. But it was how Huggins approached coaching his teams that stood out the most.
“He’s as good as it gets when you talk about playing with edge and toughness and competing,” he said.
But there also was a softer side that was on display during the 2010 Final Four when DaSean Butler tore his ACL and Huggins came to the floor to embrace him.
“I'll never forget Coach Huggins kneeling down there, and both those guys were shedding tears. And it's something that inspired me and taught me,” Hodge said.
It didn’t take long for Hodge to embrace his role atop the Mountaineers basketball program meeting with fans at the Pitt baseball game and even mentioned that Sept. 13, the date of the Backyard Brawl in football, is already circled on his calendar.
And while Hodge has a rule in practice that he doesn’t curse and requires five pushups and then will move on with the session, he was willing to expand that for one special circumstance.
“The Hodge household was doing about 500 push-ups when we were listening to the Sweet Caroline version of the Mountaineer version of the Sweet Caroline,” he said.
