West Virginia University Men's Basketball

The Hodge File Personal Information Birthday July 15 Hometown Dallas, Texas Education Paris JC, 1999-2001 Texas A&M-Commerce, 2001-2003 (Bachelor's) Wife Shelly Children Emery, Reed Coaching History 2003-05 Texas A&M-Commerce - Assistant Coach 2005-06 Paris Junior College - Assistant Coach 2006-09 Paris JC - Head Coach 2009-11 Midland - Head Coach 2011-12 Southern Miss - Assistant Coach 2012-16 Colorado State - Assistant Coach 2016-17 Arkansas State - Associate Head Coach 2017-23 North Texas - Associate Head Coach 2023-25 North Texas - Head Coach 2025-Present West Virginia - Head Coach Ross Hodge, who has won 80% of his games as a head coach and is considered one of the nation’s top defensive masterminds, was named the 24th head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University, Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker announced on March 26, 2025. “Ross Hodge is a proven winner and leader who has demonstrated success at every stop of his career,” Baker said. “He has won more than 80% of his games as a head coach while establishing himself as one of the best defensive minds in college basketball. His teams play with toughness and grit and Mountaineer Nation will love the passion his players have for the game. More importantly, Ross is an incredible person and family man. His wife, Shelly, along with their children, Emery and Reed, will be great assets to our community and state. Please join me in welcoming the Hodge Family to Almost Heaven!” Hodge spent the last ei

Andre Shaw was hired as an assistant coach in the spring of 2025 on Ross Hodge's first staff at West Virginia. Shaw, a native of New York City, spent the last four seasons on the men’s basketball staff at North Texas, including the last two as an assistant coach. Shaw has 12 years of coaching experience. “Andre is a high character person who will be involved in many areas of our program,” Hodge said. “He develops great relationships with our student-athletes and impacts them on and off the floor. Andre has East Coast ties being a native New Yorker and also does a tremendous job with player development.” This past season at North Texas, the Mean Green won 27 games and advanced to the semifinals of the NIT. The Mean Green ranked third in the country in scoring defense at 60.1 points per game, 1.5 points behind first-place Houston. UNT had the AAC’s second-most efficient offense and second-most efficient defense. UNT’s 27 wins were the second-most single season wins in school history and the 14 league victories were tied for the third-most league wins in school history. North Texas had five players earn all-conference honors UNT won 19 games in 2023-24 and reached the second round of the NIT. The 10 league wins and .555 league winning percentage were both the best by a first-year UNT men’s basketball staff. Shaw recruited some of North Texas’ top performers and helped mentor guard Jason Edwards and Atin Wright to first-team all-conference honors. UNT won 46 games in Shaw’s two s

Jase Herl was hired as an assistant coach on head coach Ross Hodge's first staff at WVU in April 2025. Herl, a native of Goodland, Kansas, spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at North Texas. Herl has 15 years of coaching experience, including a period as the interim head coach at Colorado State. “Jase is the complete package when it comes to coaching basketball,” Hodge said. “He has a great feel for people and the game of basketball. He impacts all areas of our program, and I am thrilled to have him in Morgantown.” This past season at North Texas, the Mean Green won 27 games and advanced to the semifinals of the NIT. The Mean Green ranked third in the country in scoring defense at 60.1 points per game, 1.5 points behind first-place Houston. UNT had the AAC’s second-most efficient offense and second-most efficient defense. UNT’s 27 wins were the second-most single season wins in school history and the 14 league victories were tied for the third-most league wins in school history. North Texas had five players earn all-conference honors. UNT won 19 games in his first season in 2023-24 and reached the second round of the NIT. The 10 league wins and .555 league winning percentage were both the best by a first-year UNT men’s basketball staff. Herl recruited some of North Texas’ top performers and helped mentor guard Jason Edwards and Atin Wright to first-team all-conference honors. UNT won 46 games in Herl’s two seasons in Denton. “I am extremely blessed to be at West

Johnny Estelle was hired as an assistant coach on Ross Hodge's first staff in the spring of 2025. Estelle, a native of Waco, Texas, has nearly 30 years of coaching experience, including 14 years as a head coach and the last two seasons as an assistant coach at North Texas. “Johnny’s impact will be felt all throughout the program,” Hodge said. “He is intentional and has a unique ability to develop impactful relationships that last. He has been inducted into two separate hall of fames, which speaks directly to his ability as a basketball coach and his influence as a person.” This past season at North Texas, the Mean Green won 27 games and advanced to the semifinals of the NIT. The Mean Green ranked third in the country in scoring defense at 60.1 points per game, 1.5 points behind first-place Houston. UNT had the AAC’s second-most efficient offense and second-most efficient defense. UNT’s 27 wins were the second-most single season wins in school history and the 14 league victories were tied for the third-most league wins in school history. North Texas had five players earn all-conference honors. UNT won 19 games in his first season in 2023-24 and reached the second round of the NIT. The 10 league wins and .555 league winning percentage were both the best by a first-year UNT men’s basketball staff. Estelle recruited some of North Texas’ top performers and helped mentor guard Jason Edwards and Atin Wright to first-team all-conference honors. UNT won 46 games in Estelle’s two seaso

Lucy Mariani joined the Mountaineer student-athlete development staff as a football academic counselor in 2021, and currently works in the WVU Coliseum advis...

Mike Randle was hired as Director of Recruiting on coach Ross Hodge's first staff at WVU in April 2025. Randle, a native of Houston, spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at North Texas. Randle has 11 years of coaching experience. “Mike is one of the best up and coming young coaches in America,” Hodge said. “He is an elite relationship builder and has made impactful connections nationally. Mike is a tireless worker and pours his heart into mentoring young men.” This past season at North Texas, the Mean Green won 27 games and advanced to the semifinals of the NIT. The Mean Green ranked third in the country in scoring defense at 60.1 points per game, 1.5 points behind first-place Houston. UNT had the AAC’s second-most efficient offense and second-most efficient defense. UNT’s 27 wins were the second-most single season wins in school history and the 14 league victories were tied for the third-most league wins in school history. North Texas had five players earn all-conference honors UNT won 19 games in his first season in 2023-24 and reached the second round of the NIT. The 10 league wins and .555 league winning percentage were both the best by a first-year UNT men’s basketball staff. Randle recruited some of North Texas’ top performers and helped mentor guard Jason Edwards and Atin Wright to first-team all-conference honors. UNT won 46 games in Randle’s two seasons in Denton. “I’m humbled and honored to be joining the West Virginia University basketball family,” Rand

Phil Forte was hired as an assistant coach on head coach Ross Hodge's first staff at WVU in April 2025. Forte, a native of Flower Mound, Texas, spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at North Texas. Forte has eight seasons of Division I coaching experience. “Phil is one of the best young coaches in the country,” Hodge said. “The work ethic and character that helped him be a great player in the Big 12 has carried into his coaching career. He has a great understanding of how to help our players to get better on and off the floor. We are happy to have Phil and Madison in Morgantown.” This past season at North Texas, the Mean Green won 27 games and advanced to the semifinals of the NIT. The Mean Green ranked third in the country in scoring defense at 60.1 points per game, 1.5 points behind first-place Houston. UNT had the AAC’s second-most efficient offense and second-most efficient defense. UNT’s 27 wins were the second-most single season wins in school history and the 14 league victories were tied for the third-most league wins in school history. UNT won 19 games in his first season in 2023-24 and reached the second round of the NIT. The 10 league wins and .555 league winning percentage were both the best by a first-year UNT men’s basketball staff. Forte recruited some of North Texas’ top performers and helped mentor guard Jason Edwards and Atin Wright to first-team all-conference honors. UNT won 46 games in Forte’s two seasons in Denton. “I’m excited to get to work h

Sean McClurg was hired as Director of Video, Scouting and Analytics on Ross Hodge's staff at WVU in April 2025. McClurg, a native of Wayne, New Jersey, spent...

Yusuf Ali was hired in the fall of 2025 as an assistant coach on Ross Hodge's first staff at West Virginia. Ali, a native of Toronto, Canada, comes to WVU from Arizona State, where he served as an assistant coach for Bobby Hurley this past season. Ali played a pivotal role in recruiting at Arizona State. “We are excited to announce the addition of Yusuf to our coaching staff,” Hodge said. “Yusuf has a unique ability to connect with people. He has great relationships both internationally and stateside. Yusuf also brings with him Big 12 experience and will be a valuable member of our program.” Prior to Arizona State, Ali served as an assistant coach at Simon Fraser University. While there, Simon Fraser earned wins over No. 1-seeded Saint Martin’s, Western Washington and local rival, UBC, in a Buchanan Cup victory, securing a spot in the playoffs. Notably, all of his graduates signed professional contracts in the offseason. Prior to Simon Fraser, Ali co-founded and served as the head coach of the Toronto Basketball Academy and DeepEnd Training from 2018-21. His team posted a record of 32-6 during his two years as head coach from 2019-21. Renowned for his focus on player development, Ali has mentored and coached some of Canada’s top basketball talents, many of whom have gone on to play in the NCAA and professional leagues around the world. As a former athlete, Ali was a standout player in U-Sports Basketball, representing the Ryerson Rams and achieving a national championship wit