Which North Texas Players Could Look to Follow Ross Hodge to West Virginia?

West Virginia is hiring North Texas' Ross Hodge as the school's next men's head basketball coach. With an entire roster to fill, Hodge may look to bring some of his players from UNT with him, that is assuming some of them hit the transfer portal.

So, which players could follow Hodge to West Virginia? Here's a handful of guys to watch.

Note: None of the following players are in the transfer portal as of this moment.

Brenen Lorient

Nov 13, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; North Texas Mean Green forward Brenen Lorient (6) works around Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Dawson Garcia (3) during the second half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Position: Forward

Height: 6'9" Weight: 215

Eligibility left: One year

Lorient was the second-leading scorer for the Mean Green this season, averaging 11.9 points per game while shooting 57% from the field and 47% from three-point range, albeit on 23 attempts. He was also the second-leading rebounder (4.9) and led the team in blocks per game (1.1), all while coming off the bench all season.

Grant Newell

Mar 15, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; North Texas Mean Green forward Grant Newell (8) shoots a free throw against the UAB Blazers during the first half at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Position: Forward

Height: 6'9" Weight: 220

Eligibility left: One year

Newell has Power Four experience, having played two years at Cal, where he started 39 games and averaged eight points as a freshman. This past season, he averaged 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. He has the ability to step out and knock down threes, but not at a consistent level - just 29.9% from range for his career.

Brock Vice

Mar 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Brock Vice (10) receives the ball during the Creighton Bluejays practice session at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Position: Center

Height: 6'10" Weight: 240

Eligibility left: Three years

Vice began his career at Creighton where he redshirted. This past season, he appeared in just five games, so clearly there's still some work to be done from a development aspect. I'd imagine West Virginia will look at other options in the portal but could be brought along for depth.

DeAndre Thomas

Position: Forward

Height: 6'7" Weight: 210

Eligibility left: All four years

Thomas is the Mean Green's lone commit in the 2025 class. He chose North Texas over offers from Holy Cross, Oral Roberts, Rice, Texas-Rio Grande Valley, Tulsa, UC Riverside, Utah Tech, and UTSA.

Brenen Lorient

Grant Newell

Brock Vice

DeAndre Thomas

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