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West Virginia Athletic Director Wren Baker has had a hectic few months, needing to fill head coaching positions for the most prominent sports in college athletics. After bringing back a familiar face to lead the football program, Rich Rodriguez, in December, he went a different route for the men's basketball team. West Virginia hired North Texas coach Ross Hodge as a first-time head coach in a power conference. Hodge coached under Grant McCasland, who is now at Texas Tech, at Arkansas State and North Texas before taking over as head coach for McCasland at North Texas two seasons ago.

Hodge, who stayed on to coach North Texas in the NIT, will need to move quickly when he arrives since West Virginia was one of the last power conference schools to secure their head man for next season. The 44-year-old coach is likely to heavily target the college basketball transfer portal like he has in the past. Although the Mountaineers have missed the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons, they still have a notable college basketball brand, making March Madness in 12 of the last 20 seasons. If you love the Mountaineers, or just want to know who will call the shots for West Virginia basketball in the future, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at EerSports, the 247Sports affiliate that covers West Virginia.

The EerSports insiders are providing on-the-ground updates on every development surrounding DeVries' departure and the future of the West Virginia basketball program, including insights from Chris Anderson and Mike Casazza, who have deep-rooted ties inside and around the West Virginia community. Get all the inside scoop on the basketball program, plus VIP intel on WVU football, basketball, recruiting and more. Plus get access to the Country Roads Confidential premium message board where you can connect with other West Virginia fans and insiders. 

And right now, EerSports is offering 50% off annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up. The team at EerSports already has a list out of several potential candidates and there are some surprising names on the list. Head to EerSports now to see them all.

Top West Virginia basketball lineup updates

The Mountaineers have no Class of 2025 or transfer portal commitments for next season for Hodge to rely on, leaving him to work from a completely blank canvas. That could be terrifying, but it also comes with freedom. Even at North Texas, an American Athletic Conference school, Hodge showed the ability to bring in impact transfer portal talent. North Texas leading scorer Atin Wright was a fifth-year senior transfer portal recruit from Drake, so although Wright can't help Hodge next year, it proves his ability to add experienced players.

However, there are players from North Texas who could be appealing options in West Virginia. Brenen Lorient, a 6-foot-9 junior forward, transferred to North Texas from Florida Atlantic and was second in scoring, so he could be a name to watch follow Hodge. Three of North Texas' four leading scorers, the other being Lorient, were senior transfers with one year of eligibility left and it led to a 23-win regular season and an NIT Tournament run, so look for Hodge to try to repeat that formula to build the 2025-26 West Virginia men's basketball roster. See more West Virginia basketball roster news at EerSports.

How to get insider WVU roster news updates 

Following an analytical deep dive, EerSports also says Hodge could also go after several players who fit his system perfectly. You can only see who they are at EerSports.

Who are the top candidates for the West Virginia basketball roster, and which shocking names could be in the mix? Go to EerSports to see the latest West Virginia basketball news, all from a team of West Virginia insiders, and find out. 

And reminder, EerSports is offering 50% off an annual VIP membership, so subscribe now before it's too late.

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