It's Official: West Virginia University's Next Basketball Coach Ross Hodge Talks on Taking Over Program
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on March 26, 2025
Ross Hodge, who has won 80% of his games as a head coach and is considered one of the nation’s top defensive masterminds, has been named the 24th head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University, Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker announced today.
“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. His teams play with toughness and grit and Mountaineer Nation will love the passion his players have for the game. More importantly, Ross is an
incredible person and family man. His wife, Shelly, along with their children, Emery and Reed, will be great assets to our community and state. Please join me in welcoming the Hodge Family to Almost Heaven!”
incredible person and family man. His wife, Shelly, along with their children, Emery and Reed, will be great assets to our community and state. Please join me in welcoming the Hodge Family to Almost Heaven!”
Hodge, 44, has spent the last eight seasons at North Texas, including the last two as head coach, posting a 46-23 (.667) record. With a win Tuesday at Oklahoma State, Hodge’s North Texas team won its 27th game of the season and will compete in the semifinals of the NIT next Tuesday in Indianapolis.
Hodge has compiled a record of 192-47 (.803) in seven seasons as a head coach.
He has agreed to a five-year deal with WVU.
“It is with great honor and humility that I accept the head men’s basketball coaching position at West Virginia University,” Hodge said. “I have such respect for the toughness, grit and pride of the people of West Virginia, and my hope is that we can reflect that with how our team competes on the court. I understand the great responsibility of continuing the tradition of Mountaineer Basketball and sincerely appreciate the trust and belief of Wren Baker, Presidents Gee and Benson and the rest of the administration.
“We loved our time in Denton and the many meaningful relationships we established over the last eight years. We are forever grateful for the opportunity afforded to us by Jared Mosley.
“We believe we have everything we need to be successful and to challenge for Big 12 championships and look forward to competing against the best coaches and best teams in the country. Shelly, Emery, Reed and I can’t wait to meet all of you.”
This year, Hodge has led a revamped North Texas team to an eight-win overall improvement and second-place finish in the American Athletic Conference, five spots higher than its preseason projection. UNT’s roster featured 10 newcomers (seven transfers and three freshmen) this season, after losing the top six scorers from last season and four starters.
UNT’s 27 wins are the second-most single season wins in school history and the 14 league victories were tied for the third-most league wins in school history and most in its AAC tenure. Hodge’s 46 wins are the most by a UNT head coach in his first two seasons.
This year, North Texas ranks third in the country in scoring defense at 59.9 points per game, 1.5 points behind first place Houston. This season, UNT had the AAC’s second-most efficient offense and second-most efficient defense. On offense, UNT averaged 1.13 points per possession against AAC opponents and on defense held AAC opponents to 1.01 points per possession.
Last year, in UNT’s first season in the American, Hodge led North Texas to a 19-win season and the second round of the NIT. Hodge was named a finalist for the 2024 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award, which is given to the nation’s top rookie head coach. He was the only rookie head coach to lead his respective team to either the NCAA Tournament or NIT. North Texas was without two starters due to injuries for half of its league games and finished with 10 conference wins, the most by a first-year UNT head coach.
Also last year, North Texas’ scoring defense held opponents to 63.8 points per game, which was the 12th-best in the nation and best in the AAC. North Texas made 284 3-point field goals and shot 37.7% from 3. It was tied for the second-most single season 3-point field goals in program history and the 3-point field goal percentage was 14th best in the nation.
Hodge has been the architect of North Texas’ defense. The Mean Green have featured one of the nation’s top defenses over the last five seasons. Since 2020, North Texas is giving up an average of just 59.2 points per game. Only Houston is allowing fewer points per game over the last five seasons combined (58.0). In 2021-22 and 2022-23, UNT had the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense, limiting opponents to 55.7 and 55.8 points per game, respectively, and is Conference USA’s top single-season scoring defenses in league history.
In his six seasons at UNT prior to being named head coach, Hodge served as the associate head coach under current Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland. Hodge helped lead the Mean Green to a 135-65 overall record and 71-35 record in conference games. North Texas won the 2020 Conference USA regular season championship, 2021 Conference USA Tournament championship and 2022 Conference USA regular season title. In 2021, UNT earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, where they received a program-best No. 13 seeding. In the first round, the Mean Green upset Purdue, 78-69, for the program’s first-ever NCAA win. In 2023, Hodge helped lead North Texas to the 2023 NIT championship, the program’s first NIT title. In his first season at North Texas in 2017-18, Hodge helped guide UNT to the 2018 CBI championship.
UNT is just one of six schools in the country to have won a national postseason game in each of the last five years, joining Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Houston and Oregon.
In 2022-23, North Texas won a single-season program record 31 overall games. It was the second straight season UNT set the program record for single season wins. Additionally, UNT won 16 league games in 2022 and 2023, which is a program record.
Prior to his arrival at North Texas, Hodge served as the associate head coach under McCasland at Arkansas State for the 2016-17 season. The Red Wolves made a 10-win improvement that season, which was the second-best turnaround in Division I basketball that year.
Prior to Arkansas State, Hodge spent four seasons with Larry Eustachy at Colorado State. Hodge served as the lead recruiter there and helped the Rams to an 87-48 record over his four-year stint. During his time there, the Rams advanced to postseason play twice, including the NCAA Tournament in 2013, where they reached the NCAA Second Round after defeating Missouri, 84-72. CSU lost to eventual national champion Louisville.
Hodge joined the Division I coaching ranks when he was hired by Eustachy as an assistant coach at Southern Miss prior to the 2011-12 season. The Golden Eagles posted a 25-9 record and finished second in Conference USA with an 11-5 mark. Southern Miss received an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament as an eight seed.
From 2006-11, Hodge was one of the nation’s top junior college head coaches, compiling a 146-24 (.858) overall record with stops at Paris Junior College and Midland College.
Hodge guided Midland to a 63-7 (.900) overall record in his two seasons (2009-11) after taking over the Midland head coaching job after McCasland left to be the head coach at Midwestern State. Hodge saw his 2010-11 team post a 33-4 record, winning the Western Junior College Athletics Conference title, the Region V Tournament championship and advancing to the NJCAA Championship game. In 2009, Hodge led Midland to its best start in program history (26-0) and an appearance in the Region V Tournament title game.
Prior to taking the Midland job, Hodge spent four years at Paris JC with the last three as its head coach. Hodge led the Dragons to an 83-17 (.830) record. The Dragons won two Texas Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season championships and in 2006-07, he was named the conference coach of the year. The following season, Hodge earned Region 14 Coach of the Year honors after his team won the Region 14 Tournament and finished eighth in the NJCAA Tournament.
Between 2003 and 2005, Hodge served as the assistant men’s basketball coach at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where he helped the Lions to the 2004-05 Lone Star Conference Championship, and a spot in the NCAA Division II Sweet 16.
Hodge was a two-year starter at Paris Junior College, where he won the Bobby Walters Leadership Award in 2001. He finished his playing career at Texas A&M-Commerce, where he was honored with the Terry Allen Award for leadership and positive representation on and off the court in 2003.
Hodge is a native of Dallas. He and his wife, Shelly, have two children, Emery and Reed.
Editor's Note: Top photo of Ross Hodge courtesy of meangreensports.com.Bottom photo of Wren Baker courtesy of WVU Sports Communications.
