WVU Basketball, Ross Hodge ‘Excited’ for Return to Charleston, W.Va.

WVU basketball is getting a change of scenery Saturday when it takes on Wake Forest, as the game will be played at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center at 6 p.m.

Head coach Ross Hodge highlighted the opportunity to play in front of a different portion of Mountaineer fans, saying he mentioned it to the team after WVU beat Coppin State 91-49 Wednesday.

“That was one thing we mentioned in the postgame talk to the guys that’s something that I’m excited about and something that I’m very happy that we were able to make happen,” Hodge said in the postgame press conference. “As with everybody in this state, you don’t wanna start singling anybody out, but, like most people, it’s an incredibly passionate part of our fan base and I know that game that has played there a lot of times.”

The Mountaineers are already familiar with the Charleston Coliseum, as they were in attendance for Best Virginia’s matchup against Shell Shock in the Elite Eight of the TBT in July. After seeing the atmosphere there, Hodge said he was ready to bring WVU hoops back to the Charleston Coliseum for the first time since 2017.

“That was something that we felt like was really important to reward that that area and that part of our fan base and then get to do it with a quality opponent. It’s like, there’s a lot of reasons to be excited about it,” Hodge said. “So we got a little taste of it as a team when we went down there and watched the TBT play this summer. So that was cool. They have a reference point and I mean that the crowd was awesome for that.”

As WVU is fully healthy, it will be the first time fans see the team at full strength against a quality opponent, as Hodge mentioned. Now, the team has a chance to learn more about itself in the state’s capital.

“It is nice to have everybody and it’s a great opportunity to learn more about ourselves and our team and in a great environment against a great team. And so just really excited and thankful for that,” Hodge said.

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