If there is one thing that West Virginia basketball fans learned in the first season with Ross Hodge at the helm of the program, it's that he is serious about his defense.
That's a mindset that fits well with basketball culture, as defense was a heavy emphasis under some of the best coaches for the program over the past 25 years, mainly John Beilein and Bob Huggins. But that type of focus as a team requires a coach to recruit elite-caliber defensive players – or at the very least players who are going to make a serious effort on the defensive end of the court.
Ross Hodge discusses building current roster while keeping defensive-first focus
When you're building a team in the NIL and transfer portal era, putting together a strong defense can be even a tougher challenge than it has in years past. And with just one player returning with any experience from last year's team, the Mountaineers underwent a significant roster reload.
With that, there are likely questions about how well Hodge can keep his team playing at an elite level on defense consistently as his tenure continues. But when the subject was broached during Hodge's most recent press conference, he made it clear that defense will always be the top focus, and he doesn't hide it on the recruiting trail.
"We have defensive identity. It's no secret that if you're going to be good in the Big 12 as a team, you've got to be really good defensively. Looking at that again, I think you had seven of the top, best 25 defenses were in our league," Hodge said.
"So some of it, you're having those conversations with them prior to them even making the decision to come here that it is going to be a part of what they're being asked to do. And if you're a player as an individual, they know that you're going to have to be a pretty good defensive player to play at the highest level that you would like to play at."
WVU head coach Ross Hodge on keeping the team's defensive identity with a roster of new players: pic.twitter.com/PkoQo6AURR
— Joe Brocato (@joebrowvm) July 30, 2026
That sounds like a coach confident in what he has assembled in terms of defensive ability – in fact, it sounds like someone who wouldn't consider signing a player if they weren't committed to playing intense defense. That alone should be a good indication that the Mountaineers will be able to keep up the good work on the defensive end of the court this year.
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