West Virginia’s first season under head coach Ross Hodge may not have been a complete success, but it still doesn’t change the fact he’s still the correct hire for the Mountaineers. Read more: Bumpy start won’t halter Coach Hodge’s success at WVU.
In coach Hodge’s first season at WVU, he went 18-14 with a 9-9 record in the Big 12. Not bad, but nowhere near where the former North Texas head coach would like to be at.
While the first season may not have gone how he or anyone wanted, the initial bumpy start will in no way define Hodge’s eventual success at West Virginia. In fact, evidence already shows that Hodge has put the right pieces together to bounce back and improve right away.
Laying a foundation
Managing to do it in just his first year, Hodge has already laid the foundation for what to expect in this new era of WVU basketball.
Protecting home court is first and foremost. The Mountaineers weren’t always good on the road this season, but the complete opposite could be said when they played at Hope Coliseum.
Under Hodge, the Mountaineers finished this season with an impressive 15-3 overall record at home. There were only five teams in the conference that were better in that category, and they are all going to the NCAA Tournament.
While WVU had its struggles on the road this season, it’s safe to say that under Hodge the Mountaineers will not make it easy to beat them on their home court.
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Hodge was also to bring his elite defensive mindset with him to West Virginia. And it already looks to spell problems for BIg 12 foes for years to come.
Throughout the season, the Mountaineers played explosive offenses like BYU, Kansas, and UCF. However, time and time again they managed to shut down opposing offenses so much so that it allowed them to stay in games, despite a lackluster offense at times.
Under Hodge, WVU allowed just 64 points per game, good for sixth in the nation. They also forced 12 turnovers per game.
Before coming to West Virginia, most people knew of Hodge’s defensive minded approach. But in his first year he has already managed to prove it wasn’t smoke and mirrors. He proved that not only can it work in the American Athletic Conference, but also the Big 12.
West Virginia style of play
That defensive first approach to his coaching is a style that should embody the state throughout his entire tenure at WVU.
The people of West Virginia tend to be blue-collar, hard working people. And with the basketball team’s defensive-minded approach, there are a lot of similarities among the two.
While this is something you can’t necessarily measure or see, it’s not farfetched to say that Coach Hodge’s brand of basketball is perfect for the Mountain State. The way he implores his teams to play almost mimics the culture of the state as a whole.
It’s tough. It’s not always pretty. It might not always be the most glamorous. But at the end of the day, it’s hard-nosed basketball that any opposing team won’t forget.
Hodge has also shown time and again how happy he is to be the coach of West Virginia. He has shown a lot of pride in leading the Mountaineers, something a previous coach that shall go unnamed clearly did not.
The want to be here and the pride he has will go a long way in the eyes of the residents across the state. As well as the eventual success he will have.
Reinforcements on the way
A big reason for Coach Hodge’s disappointing start to his WVU tenure is not having all the players he needs to fit his scheme. The same could be said for some of those players not playing up to their full potential.
Well, going into his season year with the program, Hodge had started to flip the script on that. He has managed to bring in a star-studded recruiting class.
Leading the way is four-star point guard, Miles Sadler. Coming off a 24-point performance at the Nike EYBL Scholastic Championship, the consensus top-50 recruit is one of the best guards in the 2026 class.
He will be able to step in on day one and improve West Virginia’s backcourt.
On the flip side, his teammate Aliou Dioum, is also a highly touted recruit in his own right. Already standing at 6’10 200 pounds, the imposing center has already shown he can thrive in Hodge’s system.
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He possesses long arms and the ability to use his physical traits to impact offensive players in a multitude of ways. Dioum will immediately help to make West Virginia’s front court more athletic and more of a threat in the paint.
Add in the incoming transfers that Hodge will have time to hand pick and you are looking at a revamped roster that should better contend for a NCAA Tournament berth next season.
A bright future
It’s easy to forget that Hodge has just three years of head coaching experience at the Division 1 level. And in that time span, he has amassed over 60 wins.
You don’t get that type of early success without knowing what it takes to be a head coach. The fact he was able to make the jump from the Power 5 to a school like WVU in that short time period also shows the potential he has as a head coach.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, a new coach and a completely new roster was not destined for success. Not to mention all the turmoil that the program has had to endure for the past four years.
However, all that is now in the past. It does no good to dwell on what could have been and what shouldn’t have happened. What matters now is that WVU basketball has found their coach in Hodge.
The first year may not have been what everyone wanted, but don’t be shocked if Hodge turns it around and does a complete 180 in his second year.
Hodge and his Mountaineers have one more opportunity to finish this season on a high note as they face Stanford in the first round of the College Basketball Crown tournament on Thursday, April 2 at 5 p.m.
Have to wonder why you feel the need to defend Hodge. Haven’t heard anyone calling for his head yet and most sure appear to continue being supportive despite the mess this team was during some of the season. WVU fans will always support their team and hope for the best. Baker’s responsible for whatever happens anyway. He’s had three chances to get the basketball coach hire right and has only failed on two so far.
Hi, Don. It is just the time of year when our staff likes to break down the season aftermath. It’s not in response to any particular critics, just a point of view. Thank you for reading our work!