Ross Hodge spent much of his first media session since April’s championship-game win at the College Basketball Crown fielding questions about Javan Buchanan and the rest of the roster, but the West Virginia coach also laid out a few other pieces of the preseason puzzle on Thursday.
The schedule still has some unfinished business. Hodge said the Mountaineers are close to locking in one more game for the 2026-27 slate, a matchup he described as already being out there and “not really a secret.”
He appeared to be pointing to a neutral-site game against North Carolina in Charlotte. After that, there is still one additional game to finalize, and Hodge said the staff is also exploring “creative exhibition games” under the new preseason setup that allows teams to stage three events against four-year schools.
One of those exhibitions is already set. Hodge said West Virginia will travel to Maryland for a full-scale live exhibition on Oct.
- He noted that last season’s meeting was closed door, and said there has also been talk about Maryland coming back to Morgantown next year.
Injury news centered on point guard Amir Jenkins, who had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder before the CBC and then had a similar procedure on his right shoulder at the beginning of this month. Based on that timeline, it sounds unlikely he’ll be ready when the season opens Nov. 2 at home against Niagara.
“He's recovering from that one, making good progress in both of those, and kind of just checking the boxes,” Hodge said. “Range of motion, then you've got to get the strength, and then you can get back out there with some non-contact. Then you eventually can make your way back all the way up to full contact with it.”
Hodge also made it clear that the Mountaineers should look different in tempo this season. West Virginia was among the nation’s slowest teams a year ago, with CBBAnalytics ranking the Mountaineers No. 351 in adjusted pace at 62.9 possessions per 40 minutes. TeamRankings had them at No. 337 with 66.8 total possessions per 40 minutes.
The coach said the change should come naturally, starting with the point guard spot after Jasper Floyd moved on.
“I think naturally the pace of play will pick up more this year, just because of who's at your point guard position,” Hodge said. “It's kind of like your quarterback.
Typically, if that position doesn't want to play fast, then you typically are not going to play fast. So I think naturally it'll pick up with Miles' speed and Finley's speed, and also the length and athleticism in your frontcourt even, with Mo and Amadou and Aliou.
And Joson and Seydou are both really good athletes.
“So naturally, I think the pace of play will pick up without even having to say anything. And then I think for me personally as a coach, I think you're always just trying to generate the best shot that you can on each possession. And sometimes that may only take one pass, and sometimes that could maybe take more of the shot clock.”
The roster also has a strong Bella Vista Prep connection. Freshmen Miles Sadler, Aliou Dioum and Amadou Seini, along with Georgia Tech transfer Mouhamed Sylla, all came from the Arizona school, and Hodge said more players from there could join future recruiting classes.
He pointed to assistant coach Yusuf Ali as a major reason for that pipeline, crediting Ali’s relationships in Canada and beyond.
“Yusuf's done a great job of cultivating relationships that have dated back four, five, six, seven years, and that's what makes a good assistant,” Hodge said. “That's what makes probably anybody that's in a people business.
You don't necessarily always know when your investments and your relationships will be able to help you. And that's what I love about Yusuf.
He's such a connector. He has a unique ability to connect with people from all walks of life.
And he does a really good job of being intentional with how he goes about his relationships.”
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The NCAA is expected to challenge the decision, but even the uncertainty is enough to complicate how West Virginia thinks about next season and beyond. If the injunction stands, the bigger question becomes how roster limits and revenue-sharing rules will be adjusted, and whether the Mountaineers will have to reshuffle plans on the fly while trying to keep their lineups intact. [Read more 🡒]
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WVU Secondary Suddenly Has A Bigger Question Than Fans Expected
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Now the focus shifts to who steps in around him, with the cornerback room suddenly looking thinner than expected. West Virginia still has options to sort through as it builds toward the upcoming season, but the departure changes the picture enough that the staff has to rework its plans and lean on a new lead option in a spot that was supposed to be more settled. [Read more 🡒]