Former WVU basketball head coach Darian DeVries claims he wasn't looking to leave Morgantown after just one season, but getting offered the same gig at Indiana was an "opportunity you couldn't pass up." But many Mountaineer faithful -- including former player Emmitt Matthews Jr. -- are not buying it.
That might make it a bit tough for fans of the program to accept what comes out of a coach's mouth as fact nowadays -- but incoming head coach Ross Hodge wants those who support the Mountaineers to know that he's excited to be leading the program.
During a recent interview with The Field of 68, Hodge didn't mince words when talking about receiving the opportunity with West Virginia basketball -- he described taking the job as "the honor of a lifetime."
"A lot of emotions come with that phone call. This isn't something I take lightly or take for granted," Hodge added.
Ross Hodge explains why taking the @WVUhoops job was "the honor of a lifetime" 👀
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) June 20, 2025
"A lot of emotions come with that phone call. This isn't something I take lightly or take for granted"
FULL INTERVIEW ⬇️https://t.co/OEdzoZySVB pic.twitter.com/FL13sE0WPh
Hodge will have his work cut out for him despite his ambition to take the job -- WVU basketball will return zero minutes of action from the 2024-2025 season, marking the second consecutive season the program has faced that conundrum.
But it's certainly not impossible to believe Hodge can get the Mountaineers to compete in year one of his tenure -- the Mountaineers were coming off a historically bad season when DeVries took over a rebuilt his roster via the transfer portal, and he was able to take the Mountaineers to a 19-13 finish and the brink of an NCAA Tournament appearance that many thought the program had earned.
Hodge also brings experience in rebuilding rosters -- he cut his teeth coaching collegiately at the JUCO level, where roster rebuilds have always been a constant. And he managed to finish his five-year JUCO stint with a record of 146-24, an NJCAA Elite Eight appearance, and an NJCAA National Championship appearance. To him, putting together a roster from scratch is old hat.