With Ross Hodge assuming control of the Mountaineers, he is looking to another Big 12 program as a model for what he envisions for his team’s future.
This season, Houston had the highest-ranked scoring defense in the nation and just happened to compete in the national championship. North Texas finished two spots behind them last season, and their previous head coach Ross Hodge is now the head coach of the Mountaineers, who compete in the same conference as the Cougars.
“Historically, when you examine the teams that succeed and prevail during this season, it’s due to their strong defensive foundation, particularly in the Big 12.” It’s completely expected; the teams with the strongest defense — while Kansas was clinching the Big 12, they were the league’s top defensive team. “Hodge stated that Houston recently claimed the Big 12 title and has been the top defensive team in the conference.”
The focus on defense is what has allowed Hodge to differentiate himself as a younger coach in Division I. Hodge played a key role in developing the defense for Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland during their time at UNT, and it’s a foundation Hodge has established for his programs.
Hodge mentioned that resilience has allowed his teams at North Texas to compete closely with Houston, as stated by Hodge.
Our scoring defense has been quite strong, and we’ve alternated with Houston for the best road winning percentage in the nation over the past eight years. “If you want to achieve victory away from home, you need to be resilient, you need to play with intensity, you need to be capable of defending, and you also need exceptional guard performance, and we’ve had some of the top guards in the nation,” Hodge stated.
Hodge sees the Cougars as a standard for his team and many others nationwide, and he shapes his teams similarly to the approach taken by Houston’s head coach, Kelvin Sampson.
“I believe it wouldn’t only be us pursuing them; I think others aiming for the Final Four would closely consider it.” However, I hold great respect for Coach Sampson and a significant amount of respect for all the coaches in the Big 12. “There are countless ways to achieve something, and I believe you don’t need to stick to just one ideology,” Hodge stated.
Regarding Hodge’s approach to excelling defensively, he mentions that it changes depending on the players each year, though the fundamental level of performance will remain consistent.
Each team will vary slightly, and each will possess specific strengths and weaknesses. “We’ve possessed top-tier defensive squads over the years, but at times we’ve had teams proficient at defending the three-point line, only to struggle the next year with that while excelling at guarding two-point shots, or perhaps we caused a few more turnovers,” Hodge stated.
Hodge draws this analogy from his wife Shelly, who teaches yoga. He mentioned that she instructs on flexibility, which Hodge understands he needs to embrace.
“In storms, it’s the adaptable trees that endure the tempests.” The inflexible, tough, trees, they snap during tempests. “You need to have a degree of flexibility, you need to be willing to adapt, and you can’t be so rigid that this is the only way we will operate aside from the fact that you will play with great intensity, we will play as a team, we will support one another, and there will be a strong connection within the group,” Hodge stated.
