One season ago, West Virginia hired a new head men’s basketball coach, and he said all the right things about wanting to stay at WVU long-term. One year later, he’s gone, and new head men’s basketball coach Ross Hodge is walking into a program that is on their fourth coach in as many seasons.
For Hodge, wanting to come to West Virginia was a tough decision, but his values point toward him staying in Morgantown for the near future.
“This move was not an easy move for me, I’ll be perfectly honest. We talked a lot as a family, we shed a lot of tears. We had deep, meaningful relationships in Denton and that’s something that’s very important to us. Obviously, I’m a basketball coach, that’s what I’m paid to do to win games, to win championships, we understand that, but people are important to us and it’s not something we take lightly, put it like that, moving a family.” Hodge said.
Hodge’s history points to someone who cares about the people around him, and his words back that up too.
During his coaching career, Hodge has spent years being an assistant as well as a head coach. It started as Paris Junior College where he was from 2005-2009, starting as an assistant before working his way up to being their head coach. Flash forward to being an assistant at Colorado State, he was there from 2012-2016, and he was then at North Texas for eight years both as an assistant and head coach.
“There was probably only a handful of situations that we would have even considered again leaving my family there in Texas, that’s where I’m from originally and have so much immediate family. The opportunity to get Shelly back close to her family as well was something that’s very important to us,” Hodge said.
Hodge is from Texas, a native of Dallas, and he’s spent the majority of his coaching career in the Lone Star State. Hodge has even had the opportunity to leave for other jobs, but he turned them down due to his roots in Texas.
“I had several opportunities to leave when I was an assistant at North Texas for what some people would say were bigger and better opportunities at bigger brands, higher levels, more money. And ultimately, that’s not necessarily what I’m interested in. I’m interested in people and being in a place that we can call home,” Hodge said.
Calling a place home is just what West Virginia hopes Hodge does, and Hodge’s family is returning closer to their home. His wife, Shelly is a Maryland native, and she too, will be getting closer to her family roots.
“She’s been a blessing. She’s been a godsend in addition to the family, and we are extremely excited to get back in this area. Shelly has so much family in the Ohio area, the Maryland area, and the Pennsylvania area,” Hodge said.
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