West Virginia's Defensive Gamble: Hodge Over Calhoun

0:00On March 24th, a year ago, West Virginia's athletic director, Ren Baker, faced another coaching search for men's basketball when Darien DeVries left. For Indiana after just one season, one top candidate was Jerra Calhoun from Utah State, but Baker passed and hired Ross Hodge from North Texas instead. Nakahoun is headed to Cincinnati as their new head coach. Baker's decision boiled down to defense. Calhoun's teams at Youngstown State and earlier Utah State ranked near the bottom nationally in defense of efficiency for years, only cracking the top, 140 recently. Meanwhile, Hodge had built a strong track record at North Texas, often ranking in the top 30 or better. Fans and analysts have debated the hires, but the big 12 conference demands elite defense to compete. West Virginia has prioritized that, going with defensive specialists like DeVries and now Hodge in back-to-back years. Hodge stepped in after taking over at North Texas, maintaining solid rankings even while

1:01rebuilding. He served as their defensive coordinator before leading the team, showing consistent results that stood out in the search. In the end, Baker saw Hodge as a smart bet for the long haul, grabbing a rising coach early despite some early risks to build a contender and a tough league.