The University of West Virginia named Ross Hodge as the new men’s basketball coach.
DENTON, Texas — The Mean Green are losing a good one.
West Virginia University announced Ross Hodge as the new head men’s basketball coach. Hodge has spent the last eight seasons at the University of North Texas. Hodge was head coach of the team for the past two seasons and posted a 46-23 record. Hodge and the Mean Green finished second overall in the Americ an Athletic Conference this season with a 27-8 record against conference opponents.
Despite the John Denver song, country roads will not take Hodge home to West Virginia. He’s a Dallas native and a Texas A&M-Commerce alumnus. However, he is reuniting with a former colleague, Athletic Director Wren Baker. Prior to taking the job in Morgantown, Baker was UNT’s AD from 2016 to 2022.
“Ross Hodge is a proven winner and leader who has demonstrated success at every stop of his career,” Baker said. “He has won more than 80% of his games as a head coach while establishing himself as one of the best defensive minds in college basketball.”
The move comes at an inopportune time for the Mean Green, who are heading to the semifinals of the NIT next Tuesday in Indianapolis. Wednesday night, North Texas pulled off a nail-biting 61-59 win over Oklahoma State, despite losing homecourt advantage due to scheduling issues with the team’s arena.
A UNT spokesperson confirmed Hodge will remain with the team for the remainder of the NIT.
“We loved our time in Denton and the many meaningful relationships we established over the last eight years,” Hodge said in a WVU announcement.
The Mountaineers have been without a permanent leader for nearly a year after 16-year head coach Bob Huggins resigned.
