Jerome Tang Believes Ross Hodge Will Get West Virginia 'Rocking' Again

The Kansas State head coach praises the WVU first-year head coach.

Jan 27, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang talks with West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Ross Hodge before the game at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Imagesa | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

It hasn't been perfect, but Ross Hodge continues to win.

Tuesday night was a perfect example of that as the Mountaineers got out to an extremely slow start and saw a 10-point lead evaporate in the second half against Kansas State, thanks to the Wildcats knocking down some shots and West Virginia going on a seven-minute scoring drought.

Coaches around the league have been quick to praise the first-year WVU head coach, including K-State's Jerome Tang, who was not only impressed by Hodge but also the fans who came out to support the team in less-than-ideal weather.

“Well, night games, man, the moonshine kicks in and the fans…man," Tang said when asked what makes Hope Coliseum such a tough place to play in. "I’ve had some great wins and some incredible losses in this arena. When it’s rocking, and Ross (Hodge) is going to get it going, he’s going to get players in here, and he’s going to get it going. Just think about it, what was it? Like 8,000? Maybe more out there? It’s snowing like crazy, it’s -7, and I saw people walking. These fans, man, they just love this place. This is the pro team. It’s a basketball school. You see the statues out front…it’s a special place. Ross is going to do a terrific job. It will always be a tough place to win. I love playing in front of this crowd.”

I've said it roughly a hundred times now, and I'll continue to say it: What Ross Hodge has been able to do with this roster, to this point, should give fans all the confidence in the world that he's going to be successful here. Just like Darian DeVries did a year ago, he threw together this group over the summer and has them still in a position to make the NCAA Tournament heading into February. The difference is Hodge doesn't have an NBA talent on his roster, as we saw a year ago with Javon Small.

As Tang said, Hodge is going to get players in here. Landing the highest-rated recruit in program history, Miles Sadler, is one heck of a start.

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