ESPN Analyst Says West Virginia Landed a 'Program Builder' in Ross Hodge

Wren Baker may have hit on another basketball hire for West Virginia.

Nov 19, 2023; Charleston, SC, USA; North Texas Mean Green head coach Ross Hodge reacts to a call on the court in the first half against the Towson Tigers at TD Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-Imagn Images | David Yeazell-Imagn Images

He may only have two years of experience as a Division I head coach, but Ross Hodge is someone who is well-respected in the basketball industry.

In both years on the job at North Texas, Hodge had to retool his roster through the transfer portal, and instead of the attrition causing a setback, he went on to win 46 of 69 games. The resume itself doesn't look all that impressive but many in college basketball believe he will win at West Virginia, including ESPN analyst and former college head coach, Paul Biancardi.

"West Virginia landed a program builder and a consistent winner in Ross Hodge," Biancardi posted on X. "After spending a couple of days last week in Denton, Texas, watching film and being on the court with Ross Hodge, I realized it wouldn’t be long before he was approached for another job. His UNT teams were known for their defensive efficiency and overall discipline. His offensive execution is on point, especially from out of bounds and after timeouts. They ranked 5th in the country in out-of-bounds efficiency and 10th in after-timeout efficiency, according to Synergy Basketball."

Although it will be an entirely different roster in 2025-26 for the Mountaineers, this will be a welcomed sight. This past season, WVU had a lot of issues inbounding the ball, getting good looks out of timeouts, and bringing the ball up the court versus pressure. A lot of that had to do with the lack of capable bodies, but still, it was an issue that never improved.

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