Men's Basketball
Hodge, Ross
Ross Hodge
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- Ross.Hodge@unt.edu
- Phone:
- 940-565-3654
- Alma Mater:
- Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2003
Updated April 1, 2024
Ross Hodge was named North Texas' 19th head men's basketball coach on April 2, 2023. He was elevated to head coach after six seasons as the Mean Green's associate head coach under Grant McCasland. He began his tenure with UNT in March of 2017 when he and McCasland came to Denton together.
In his first season as the Mean Green's head coach, Hodge and UNT overcame a ton of injuries to finish with a 19-15 overall record and reached the second round of 2024 National Invitation Tournament. North Texas was without two starters due to injuries for half of its league games and still finished with a 10-8 conference record in what was its first season in the American Athletic Conference. It was the most league wins (10) and best league winning percentage (.556) by a first-year UNT head coach.
During the season the Mean Green had notable wins over LSU, Memphis, SMU and Northern Iowa.
North Texas advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 2024 AAC Tournament after earning a first-round bye and defeating Tulane in its opening, 81-71. It was the third time UNT had beat Tulane that season.
The Mean Green were ranked No. 79 in the NET and earned a spot in the 2024 NIT. They defeated LSU 84-77 on the road in the first round.
In Hodge's first season North Texas' scoring defense held opponents to 63.8 points per game, which was the 12th-best in the nation and the best in the AAC. It marked the fourth year in a row UNT had been in the top 15 in the nation for scoring defense. The Mean Green were also a lethal shooting team as they made 284 3-point field goals and shot 37.7 percent from deep. It was tied for the second-most single season 3FGs in program history and their 3-point field goal percentage was the 14th best in the nation.
After the season, guard Jason Edwards was voted first team all-conference. Edwards scored 650 points, which was the fifth-most points in a single season in program history. The newcomer had five 30-point games, which was tied for the most in program history. He knocked down the sixth-most single season 3-pointers in program history with 84.
In his six seasons at UNT prior to being named the head coach, Hodge helped lead the Mean Green to a combined 135-65 overall record and 71-35 record in conference games. North Texas won the 2020 Conference USA regular season championship, 2021 Conference USA Tournament championship and 2022 Conference USA regular season title. In 2021, UNT earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament where they received a program-best No. 13 seeding. In the first round they upset Purdue, 78-69 (ot), for the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament win. In 2023, Hodge helped lead North Texas to the 2023 NIT championship. The program's first NIT title. In his first season in Denton Hodge helped guide the Mean Green to the 2018 CBI championship.
Since arriving to Denton in 2017, UNT has gone 13-4 in NCAA national postseason games. They had never won a national postseason game prior to 2017.
Hodge is the mastermind of the Mean Green defense, which has been one of the nation's best over the last few years. In both 2021-22 and in 2022-23 UNT had the nation's No. 1 scoring defense holding opponents to 55.7 and 55.8 points per game, respectively. They are Conference USA's top two single-season scoring defenses in league history.
In 2022-23 the Mean Green won a single-season program record 31 overall games. It was the second straight season UNT had set the program record for single season wins. Additionally, UNT won 16 league games in both 2022 and 2023, which is a program record.
From the 2021-22 season through the 2022-23 season, North Texas went 56-14. Its .800 winning percentage over those two seasons was the seventh-best in the nation. Its 56 total wins were the ninth-most in the nation. UNT had never won more than 46 games over a two-year period.
Since 2017 the Mean Green have had 19 all-conference honorees including the 2020 C-USA Player of the Year Javion Hamlet and 2023 C-USA Player of the Year Tylor Perry.
Prior to arriving in Denton, Hodge served as the associate head coach under Grant McCasland at Arkansas State for the 2016-17 season. The Red Wolves made a 10-win improvement that season, which was the second-best turnaround in Division I basketball that year.
Prior to Arkansas State, Hodge spent four seasons with head coach Larry Eustachy at Colorado State. Hodge served as the lead recruiter at Colorado State and helped the Rams to an 87-48 record over his four-year stint. During his time at Colorado State, the Rams advanced to postseason play twice, including the NCAA Tournament in 2013 where they reached the Round of 32 after defeating Missouri in the first round, 84-72. CSU lost to eventual national champ Louisville.
Hodge joined the Division I coaching ranks when he was hired by Eustachy as an assistant coach at Southern Miss prior to the 2011-12 season. The Golden Eagles posted a 25-9 record and finished second in Conference USA with an 11-5 mark. Southern Miss received an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament as an eighth seed.
From 2006-11 Hodge was one of the nation's top junior college head coaches compiling a 146-24 (.858) overall record with stops at Paris JC and Midland College.
Hodge guided Midland to a 63-7 (.900) overall record in his two seasons at the helm of the Chaparrals (2009-11). Hodge took over the Midland head coaching job after McCasland left to be head coach at Midwestern St. Hodge saw his 2010-11 squad post a 33-4 record while winning the Western Junior College Athletics Conference Title, the Region V Tournament championship and advance to the NJCAA Championship game. In 2009-10 Hodge led Midland College to their best start in program history (26-0) and an appearance in the Region V Tournament title game.
Prior to taking the Midland job, Hodge spent four years at Paris JC with the last three as its head coach. Hodge led the Dragons to a 83-17 (.830) record. The Dragons won two Texas Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season championships and in 2006-07 he was named the conference coach of the year. The following season, Hodge earned Region 14 Coach of the Year honors after his team won the Region 14 Tournament and finished eighth in the NJCAA Tournament.
Between 2003 and 2005 Hodge served as the assistant men's basketball coach at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where he helped the Lions to the 2004-05 Lone Star Conference Championship, and a spot in the NCAA Division II Sweet 16.
Hodge was a two-year starter at Paris Junior College, where he won the Bobby Walters Leadership Award in 2001. He finished his playing career at Texas A&M-Commerce, where he was honored with the Terry Allen Award for leadership and positive representation on and off the court in 2003.
Hodge is a native of Dallas, Texas. He and his wife, Shelly, have two children.
Ross Hodge was named North Texas' 19th head men's basketball coach on April 2, 2023. He was elevated to head coach after six seasons as the Mean Green's associate head coach under Grant McCasland. He began his tenure with UNT in March of 2017 when he and McCasland came to Denton together.
In his first season as the Mean Green's head coach, Hodge and UNT overcame a ton of injuries to finish with a 19-15 overall record and reached the second round of 2024 National Invitation Tournament. North Texas was without two starters due to injuries for half of its league games and still finished with a 10-8 conference record in what was its first season in the American Athletic Conference. It was the most league wins (10) and best league winning percentage (.556) by a first-year UNT head coach.
During the season the Mean Green had notable wins over LSU, Memphis, SMU and Northern Iowa.
North Texas advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 2024 AAC Tournament after earning a first-round bye and defeating Tulane in its opening, 81-71. It was the third time UNT had beat Tulane that season.
The Mean Green were ranked No. 79 in the NET and earned a spot in the 2024 NIT. They defeated LSU 84-77 on the road in the first round.
In Hodge's first season North Texas' scoring defense held opponents to 63.8 points per game, which was the 12th-best in the nation and the best in the AAC. It marked the fourth year in a row UNT had been in the top 15 in the nation for scoring defense. The Mean Green were also a lethal shooting team as they made 284 3-point field goals and shot 37.7 percent from deep. It was tied for the second-most single season 3FGs in program history and their 3-point field goal percentage was the 14th best in the nation.
After the season, guard Jason Edwards was voted first team all-conference. Edwards scored 650 points, which was the fifth-most points in a single season in program history. The newcomer had five 30-point games, which was tied for the most in program history. He knocked down the sixth-most single season 3-pointers in program history with 84.
In his six seasons at UNT prior to being named the head coach, Hodge helped lead the Mean Green to a combined 135-65 overall record and 71-35 record in conference games. North Texas won the 2020 Conference USA regular season championship, 2021 Conference USA Tournament championship and 2022 Conference USA regular season title. In 2021, UNT earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament where they received a program-best No. 13 seeding. In the first round they upset Purdue, 78-69 (ot), for the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament win. In 2023, Hodge helped lead North Texas to the 2023 NIT championship. The program's first NIT title. In his first season in Denton Hodge helped guide the Mean Green to the 2018 CBI championship.
Since arriving to Denton in 2017, UNT has gone 13-4 in NCAA national postseason games. They had never won a national postseason game prior to 2017.
Hodge is the mastermind of the Mean Green defense, which has been one of the nation's best over the last few years. In both 2021-22 and in 2022-23 UNT had the nation's No. 1 scoring defense holding opponents to 55.7 and 55.8 points per game, respectively. They are Conference USA's top two single-season scoring defenses in league history.
In 2022-23 the Mean Green won a single-season program record 31 overall games. It was the second straight season UNT had set the program record for single season wins. Additionally, UNT won 16 league games in both 2022 and 2023, which is a program record.
From the 2021-22 season through the 2022-23 season, North Texas went 56-14. Its .800 winning percentage over those two seasons was the seventh-best in the nation. Its 56 total wins were the ninth-most in the nation. UNT had never won more than 46 games over a two-year period.
Since 2017 the Mean Green have had 19 all-conference honorees including the 2020 C-USA Player of the Year Javion Hamlet and 2023 C-USA Player of the Year Tylor Perry.
Prior to arriving in Denton, Hodge served as the associate head coach under Grant McCasland at Arkansas State for the 2016-17 season. The Red Wolves made a 10-win improvement that season, which was the second-best turnaround in Division I basketball that year.
Prior to Arkansas State, Hodge spent four seasons with head coach Larry Eustachy at Colorado State. Hodge served as the lead recruiter at Colorado State and helped the Rams to an 87-48 record over his four-year stint. During his time at Colorado State, the Rams advanced to postseason play twice, including the NCAA Tournament in 2013 where they reached the Round of 32 after defeating Missouri in the first round, 84-72. CSU lost to eventual national champ Louisville.
Hodge joined the Division I coaching ranks when he was hired by Eustachy as an assistant coach at Southern Miss prior to the 2011-12 season. The Golden Eagles posted a 25-9 record and finished second in Conference USA with an 11-5 mark. Southern Miss received an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament as an eighth seed.
From 2006-11 Hodge was one of the nation's top junior college head coaches compiling a 146-24 (.858) overall record with stops at Paris JC and Midland College.
Hodge guided Midland to a 63-7 (.900) overall record in his two seasons at the helm of the Chaparrals (2009-11). Hodge took over the Midland head coaching job after McCasland left to be head coach at Midwestern St. Hodge saw his 2010-11 squad post a 33-4 record while winning the Western Junior College Athletics Conference Title, the Region V Tournament championship and advance to the NJCAA Championship game. In 2009-10 Hodge led Midland College to their best start in program history (26-0) and an appearance in the Region V Tournament title game.
Prior to taking the Midland job, Hodge spent four years at Paris JC with the last three as its head coach. Hodge led the Dragons to a 83-17 (.830) record. The Dragons won two Texas Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season championships and in 2006-07 he was named the conference coach of the year. The following season, Hodge earned Region 14 Coach of the Year honors after his team won the Region 14 Tournament and finished eighth in the NJCAA Tournament.
Between 2003 and 2005 Hodge served as the assistant men's basketball coach at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where he helped the Lions to the 2004-05 Lone Star Conference Championship, and a spot in the NCAA Division II Sweet 16.
Hodge was a two-year starter at Paris Junior College, where he won the Bobby Walters Leadership Award in 2001. He finished his playing career at Texas A&M-Commerce, where he was honored with the Terry Allen Award for leadership and positive representation on and off the court in 2003.
Hodge is a native of Dallas, Texas. He and his wife, Shelly, have two children.