MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — When Ross Hodge was hired at West Virginia last March, Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland predicted that his protege would find great success in the Big 12.
It might not happen right away. At least, it didn't Sunday, when the teacher got the better of the student in their first meeting as opposing coaches at the major-college level.
The good friends who spent seven seasons together at Arkansas State and North Texas shared an obligatory
but brief hug during pregame at halfcourt — McCasland said Hodge told him to “smile for the cameras” — before the 13th-ranked Red Raiders beat the Mountaineers 70-63 to break a two-game losing streak.
Hodge insisted there was no extra motivation to outduel McCasland.
“I didn't really think about that too much,” he said.
Instead, the focus was figuring out how to slow down JT Toppin, Christian Anderson and Texas Tech. That didn't work out too well for the Mountaineers, either.
Make no mistake, Hodge was thrilled to see McCasland in person for the first time since Big 12 media days in October.
On the court, Hodge's competitive fire came out.
Right out of the gate, McCasland said he saw Hodge punch the scorer's table when Texas Tech turned loose balls into several 3-point baskets and never trailed.
“I knew what he meant,” McCasland said. "That's his heart. He’s a fighter.”
Hodge was McCasland’s associate head coach for six seasons at North Texas and a year before that at Arkansas State. After McCasland took over at Texas Tech in 2023, Hodge became the Mean Green’s head coach for two seasons.
Hodge was the architect of McCasland’s North Texas defense. The Mean Green had the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense in 2021-22 and 2022-23, when they won 25 and a school-record 31 games, respectively, including capturing the 2023 NIT championship.
Last season in Hodge’s second as head coach, North Texas lost to UC Irvine in the NIT semifinals and finished 27-9.
Hodge continued his defense-first philosophy at West Virginia. The Mountaineers are second in scoring defense behind Houston in the Big 12 and seventh nationally, allowing 63.3 points per game.
Scoring, though, has been a problem. West Virginia failed to reach 60 points in its three previous games and barely did Sunday.
But McCasland said Hodge's time will come.
“He is built for this in a way that I cannot explain," McCasland said. "He’s one of the toughest, most resilient, demanding people in the right way. And he believes in people in a real way. And it’s not tied to hoops.”
McCasland and Hodge met for about 15 minutes at the Texas Tech team hotel on Saturday night. Their conversation was typical for them: Family and team. No talking about basketball. The reunion meant “a lot of emotions,” McCasland said. “I love his family. His mom was here. His sister was here. His wife texts my wife.”
Each coach exchanged hugs at the game with the opposing staffs, many of whom they've known for years.
In the end, McCasland said the game, regardless of outcome, would be positive for himself and Hodge because “he's always made me better, as a person, as a husband, as a coach. So I just knew this game would make us better. Either way. Win or lose. And that’s his approach and I just love him because I know what a competitor he is."
West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker was in the same role at North Texas when he hired both McCasland and Hodge at North Texas. He hugged McCasland before the game and said "I told him good luck the rest of the year, but not today.”
Coaches and players go up against former schools all the time and that's not too difficult, but “it is hard to compete against the people that you love," Baker said. "It's fun to see them do well, but it is hard. I know those two guys love each other. I don't know if they love me or not, but I do love them. They are two great, great people."
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