Identifying the Major Red Flags with Potential WVU Candidate Ross Hodge

Whoever Wren Baker ultimately hires will likely turn out to be a quality coach who helps the West Virginia men's basketball program get back on track. That is if we're going based on track record.

Baker's background in basketball has allowed him to have a good eye for coaches, hiring some of the best under-the-radar coaches in the country from Mark Kellogg (twice), Grant McCasland, and Darian DeVries. It's safe to say Baker is batting a thousand up to this point, but there is some growing concern from the WVU fan base that this search may turn out differently.

Some of the presumed top candidates for the job have either taken positions elsewhere or ended up not being a good fit for WVU, which is the reason the search is still ongoing. Now entering its second week, a new "leader" has emerged, North Texas' Ross Hodge.

Mar 30, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; North Texas Mean Green assistant coach Ross Hodge during the second half in the game against the UAB Blazers at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

If Hodge ends up being the guy, there will almost certainly be a mixed reaction from the fan base. While he does have an impressive start to his young head coaching career record-wise, there are a lot of reasons to be concerned.

Let's start with the lack of experience.

Hodge has seven total years of head coaching experience, only two of which came at the Division I level. He was a junior college head coach from 2006-11, spending three years at Paris JC where he went 83-17, and two years at Midland College where he logged a record of 63-7. Impressive? Certainly, but that was well over a decade ago, in the old era of college basketball, and at a much lower level.

Secondly, the two-year stint at North Texas is not enough, in my opinion, to warrant being the top guy in this search. That doesn't mean he's not deserving of the job or that he couldn't be successful at West Virginia. We'd just be kidding ourselves if we assumed he was Wren Baker's No. 1 option. He hasn't won a regular season or conference tournament championship, nor has he appeared in the NCAA Tournament as the head man. There are/were several other candidates who are more experienced and have accomplished more than Hodge.

More importantly, where is the signature moment? If a coach only has two years of experience and is being considered for a Power Five job, he either has an incredible record or a handful of significant wins that turn heads.

Although there have been limited opportunities, Hodge is 0-2 versus ranked opponents. This year, North Texas went 0-4 against NCAA Tournament teams. Last year? He went 0-6. It's not really a resume to be jumping up and down about. Oh, and I should also mention the Mean Green lost to a 12-19 UTSA team at home.

Again, could he still be successful at West Virginia? Sure, but the deeper fans dig into his profile, the harder it's going to be to convince them he's the right guy for the job.

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