West Virginia Athletic Director Wren Baker has stressed the importance of getting the right hire for the vacant men's head coaching job.
That means, despite outside pressures, Baker had to conduct a thorough search and not rush the process to reach that eventual conclusion. That was certainly on display throughout the course of the search with the eventual tabbing of North Texas head coach Ross Hodge to lead the basketball program.
Hodge, who had been on the WVSports.com Hotboard since it was first released, is a candidate that Baker is plenty familiar with due to their past ties.
Hodge spent two seasons atop the Mean Green basketball program, but eight in total when you consider he served as the associate head coach under Grant McCasland prior to that. That overlapped with Baker’s time in Denton where he was the athletic director from 2016-22.
So, clearly Baker was aware of Hodge and his defensive prowess, which checks one of the major boxes that the athletic director has had in previous coaching searches.
Hodge has gone 46-23 in two seasons atop the Mean Green with back-to-back trips to the NIT. In Hodge’s first season atop the program, a 19-15 year, he had to rebuild the roster after a wave of departures but dealt with injuries to key members of his rotation.
Then Hodge had to do it all over again this past season, with the top six scorers exiting the program, showcasing his eye for talent on the recruiting trail.
A total of five of those transferred out with eligibility remaining and their eventual destinations ranged from Michigan to Vanderbilt to St. John’s to New Mexico to East Tennessee State.
So, how did North Texas respond? A 27-8 overall record, a second-place finish in the American Athletic Conference and a trip to the Final 4 of the NIT.
It’s better to be early than late and it’s clear given the shared background here that Baker, who is a known basketball mind and previously served as a head coach himself, recognizes the potential with Hodge leading the basketball program.
That was not only evident by the hire itself, but the fact that the search process bypassed more proven options that wanted the post.
While still relatively new to being a head coach at the Division I level, Hodge does have previous head coaching experience going 146-24 in five seasons at Paris JC and Midland College at the junior college level. It’s a path that other successful head coaches have taken such as McCasland.
“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."
This is a hire based on both familiarity with his work and potential, given what Hodge has been able to do in a limited sample size atop the Mean Green program. North Texas relies on their defense and making other teams uncomfortable, which is an aspect that should travel to the Big 12 with the right roster.
And like his previous mentor, West Virginia will likely have to wait for Hodge to complete a run in the NIT prior to being able to make the hire. McCasland wasn’t hired at Texas Tech until March 31, 2023, after leading the Mean Green to the NIT Championship. Hodge is expected to continue to coach North Texas through the remainder of their season as well.
The pathway is certainly there for success despite the later start with the transfer portal ongoing, as McCasland was able to lead the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament in year one.
But admittedly, each situation is different and now it’s up to Hodge to prove that Baker’s selection in his third search in as many years was indeed the right one.
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