Re-Ranking the Five Best Head Coach Options for West Virginia
Ben McCollum is off to Iowa, Niko Medved is off to Minnesota, and Jerrod Calhoun is staying put with a new contract at Utah State. So, who could West Virginia pursue to replace Darian DeVries? I have five coaches who I believe would be good fits, some of which are heavily connected to the job.
No. 5: Steve Forbes (Wake Forest)
Forbes may not have the flashiest of resumes, but it’s hard to completely ignore the job he’s done turning Wake Forest around. He’s won 20+ games three times there, and for Wake Forest, that’s pretty impressive when you look at what they’ve done this century. Forbes has also won 13 ACC league games twice, which ties the program record. There’s some stuff to like about Forbes, but I’m not sure he’s the best option out there.
No. 4: Richard Pitino (New Mexico)
Pitino’s name has popped up quite a bit here recently, especially since Ben McCollum and Niko Medved made their decisions to go elsewhere. The son of the legendary Rick Pitino has rebounded nicely at New Mexico after an up-and-down stint at Minnesota. Over the last three years, Pitino is 75-30 and has reached the NCAA Tournament twice. I would have him higher on this list, but there would be some concern about him pulling a Darian DeVries if he had early success.
3. Josh Schertz (Saint Louis)
Schertz was a candidate for the job last season and was considered to be among the group of finalists before DeVries was hired. He went 66-40 in three years at Indiana State and led the Sycamores to the NCAA Tournament last year. He made the move to Saint Louis this season, and while the record of 19-15 is nothing to write home about, he had to rebuild his roster and inherited a 13-win team.
No. 2.: Alan Huss (High Point)
Huss’ name hasn’t been mentioned much, but he’s certainly on Wren Baker’s once-long list of potential candidates. Like former WVU head coach Darian DeVries, he served as an assistant for a handful of years on Greg McDermott’s staff at Creighton. This season, he led the Panthers to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. He’s won consecutive regular season titles and has a record of 56-15. I think this would be a really solid hire, but barring some change in the process, it’s unlikely to happen.
No. 1: Ross Hodge (North Texas)
Hodge is the new favorite to land the job, and rightfully so. He and WVU AD Wren Baker spent six years together at North Texas and played a massive part in helping Grant McCasland turn the Mean Green around. In his first two years as the head man, Hodge is 45-23 and has set a program record for most league wins by a coach in his first two seasons with 24.
