Ross Hodge Believes He Has a Future Head Coach on His Current Staff

For years, Phil Forte spent his time being a thorn in West Virginia's side during his playing days at Oklahoma State. He was an elite three-point shooter who seemingly always came up with big buckets in big moments. He ended his collegiate career averaging 12.9 points per game on 41% shooting, including a 39% mark from three-point range.

Now, Forte is on staff for the Mountaineers, and last night, he had a chance to return to his alma mater for the first time as a coach. Once again, the Cowboys beat the Mountaineers in a game that Forte was involved in, except this time he was on the wrong end of it.

After the game, WVU head coach Ross Hodge was asked about the impact that Forte has had on his staff.

“He was the first person I ever hired when I got the head coaching job at North Texas. I didn’t know Phil. Typically, when you get these opportunities, you think in the back of your mind, you’re going to go with somebody you know right away for your first hire. But I had some other people that had worked with Phil, and they raved about him, and then obviously growing up in Texas, and where I’m from, he’s a legend there too. His work ethic and his commitment…everything that made him a great player has followed him into the coaching ranks. He’ll definitely be a head coach sooner than later.”

Before he joined Hodge at North Texas, Forte spent a couple of years at Saint Louis under Travis Ford. In his time there, the Billikens went 44-24 and made it to the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament in 2022. His first gig in the coaching space came at Sam Houston, where he helped the Bearkats to a 37-22 record over two seasons.

Forte isn't the only WVU assistant who is on the rise. Yusuf Ali is making a massive first impression on Mountaineer fans, particularly with the success he's had on the recruiting trail. He played a pivotal role in the commitments and eventual signings of Miles Sadler and Aliou Dioum. Sadler, of course, is the highest-rated recruit to ever sign with West Virginia. Ali also has a strong relationship with the No. 3 recruit in the 2027 class, Paul Osaruyi, who is a high school teammates with Sadler and Dioum. So yes, there is absolutely a chance that the Mountaineers could land another big fish in the near future.