Ross Hodge building his team both before and after arrival
It’s been fast and furious for West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge and his coaching staff.
Hodge made it to Morgantown in April once he completed his duties at North Texas and almost in the blink of an eye, the summer’s almost over with the bulk of the roster and staff now in place.
“What we were able to kind of put together and add so feel good about that,” Hodge said.
That process is more challenging than ever, given how quickly things move in the recruiting process now and the urgency associated with everything in college basketball.
The summer is critical for the development of any team as it allows things to slow down for players without a ton of academic responsibility. They have eight hours a week to work with strength and conditioning but more than anything it gives them a chance to get to know each other.
Coaches are intentional about developing those bonds but it can’t be forced and some of it can be addressed in the actual recruiting process getting to know potential additions.
“Who are they as people? What interest do they have? You know, making sure their interests are aligned with, you know, our interest as a program and as a university and as a state, and then you find that common ground and you can kind of build from there,” Hodge said.
The summer also provides players a chance to familiarize themselves with the terminology because while there can be the same concepts and actions on the floor, they could be called different things by different coaching staffs.
“If you get a chance to spend some time together, get to know each other a little bit and then just try to get a baseline understanding of at least what should be happening, then it’s a pretty good summer,” he said.
Then once the players get into the fall with more practice time, that is when players are able to really start to create the necessary habits and truly become a team. But the early building blocks are key.
“But to start you at least just want them to know what they’re supposed to be doing, even if they can’t quite execute it right away,” Hodge said.
