Grading Ross Hodge’s First Year Leading WVU Basketball

WVU basketball has wrapped up its first season with Ross Hodge at the helm. It also appears the program finally has some stability after four head coaches in four years.

The Mountaineers finished the year with an 18-14 overall and 9-9 Big 12 regular season record. The year came to an end in the Big 12 Tournament against BYU with a 68-48 loss. After a full first year from Hodge, here are his grades for his debut Mountaineer season.

Defense: A

It was never a secret that Hodge has a defensive identity as a head coach, as he proudly pounds his philosophy on that side of the ball. It showed this season, as WVU finished No. 10 in scoring defense, allowing just 64.8 points per game.

The only Big 12 team with a better mark in defensive scoring was Houston at 62.7 points per game. WVU made life difficult for opposing offenses, but failed to consistently take advantage this season.

Offense: D

The offense is where things took a turn for the worse, as it was noticeable how little it was able to complement the stifling defense. The Mountaineers ranked No. 323 in scoring offense this season at just 69.2 points per game, the worst in the Big 12.

The team’s offensive struggles were perfectly encapsulated in the final game of the year against BYU, as the team committed a season-high 22 turnovers and multiple scoring droughts, including making just one shot from the floor in the final eight minutes of the game.

WVU men’s basketball head coach Ross Hodge and Baylor head coach Scott Drew watch their teams play against each other in January, 2026. (WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose

Offensive consistency was a major problem and cost the Mountaineers multiple games. While WVU turned defense into offense on occasion, it was not good enough to keep the team afloat.

Recruiting: C+

Recruiting is a difficult aspect to grade this year’s team on, considering multiple players did not meet expectations this season. In terms of building a roster, I have few problems with Hodge’s strategy.

Hodge started by bringing in a starting point guard and forward which he trusted with senior guard Jasper Floyd and Senior Forward Brenen Lorient. He then surrounded them with two high-scoring offensive weapons in senior guards Honor Huff and Treysen Eaglestaff and a seven-foot center in senior Harlan Obioha to play the five.

As mentioned earlier, some of these players were not up to Big 12 standards, but it was a solid class on paper. With the depth added through high school recruiting and the portal, I don’t think roster construction was the problem. I believe individual performance and schematic issues are what held this team back.

Back Court Play: B-

The guard and forward positions were difficult to grade, because some players performed better than the grade I believe the group as a whole.

Huff is doing considerable lifting in this category, as he often got WVU out of dry spells by making miracle shots from three. It’s hard to knock him when he averaged 15.8 points per game and made the second-highest amount of threes in a season by a Mountaineer ever at 106.

Other than Huff, WVU got a spark off the bench with fifth-year guard Chance Moore, who averaged 10.3 points per game. Freshman guard Amir Jenkins had kinks to work through, as almost any freshman does. Floyd played well on defense with a team-high 61 steals on the year, but the offensive side left some to be desired.

Eaglestaff was the most eye-catching miss on the team this season. A flashy portal signing who averaged 18.9 points per game at North Dakota as a junior averaged just 9.5 at WVU and never seemed to find his footing consistently on offense. While guard play was serviceable this year, the group never seemed to reach their full potential in the system.

Front Court Play: C-

The front court was hit-and-miss this season, but definitely below Bug 12 standards as a whole. Rebounding was an area of struggle all year, with 34.6 rebounds per game and a rebound margin of just +1.4.

Lorient was the highlight of the forwards, as expected, with 11.6 points per game. Freshman forward DJ Thomas had a promising freshman season, becoming a consistent rotational piece.

WVU men’s basketball head coach Ross Hodge talking to DJ Thomas in the middle of a game during the 2025-26 season. (WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose)

However, WVU lacked a dominant big to hold down the paint as Obioha averaged just 5.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Building for Future: B

The transfer portal could obviously change everything about this team. However, if the current eligible players stick around, Hodge and the Mountaineers could implement a cohesive culture to top incoming freshmen like five-star Miles Sadler and portal recruits.

Jenkins and Thomas developing could mean trouble for the rest of the Big 12 and a healthy senior forward Jackson Fields would add crucial depth to the forward position.

Overall Outlook

Overall, the season fell shy of the standards of the program, but it’s not fair to truly determine Hodge’s chances at having success after only one year.

Find more coverage of  WVU basketball at WV Sports Now.

For related content, Mike Asti and Luke Blain evaluated Ross Hodge on the latest episode of Mountaineer Report.