Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland has his focus on Florida after surviving Arkansas last night. But he’s worried about what West Virginia’s going to look like next season.
With the Mountaineers hiring Ross Hodge, McCasland will now face his former assistant at least once a season for as long as they remain in their current jobs, with two and even three matchups a year possible. And that’s something that McCasland really could have lived without.
“As much as I love him, now he’s the biggest pain in my butt.” McCasland said. “I just respect him because I believe that he cares about the right things. If there’s anybody that I believe can win at West Virginia, it’s Ross Hodge. I say that because we’re going to have to play against him, too. But I honestly do believe that.”
Grant McCasland Praises Ross Hodge, Ben McCollum
Perhaps it was just because of the timing, but McCasland went out of his way to talk up both Hodge and new Iowa coach Ben McCollum, whom the Red Raiders beat in the second round of the tournament. McCollum left Drake for Iowa, but long ago, he, Hodge and McCasland were all friends as young coaches starting in the business.
McCollum never coached on the same staff with McCasland and Hodge, but all three quickly became friendly. Unsurprisingly, that matchup wasn’t much fun for McCasland, even with a win. He doesn’t expect any different in facing Hodge, but certainly understands why Iowa and West Virginia made the moves they did.
“I would say the same thing about (Hodge as I would) a guy like Ben McCollum, who we played against,” McCasland said. “If people asked me who I would hire no matter what job was open, those would be the first two guys I would mention for any job in the world.”
Related: West Virginia Hires Ross Hodge
Given that McCasland has tried to hire McCollum before, that’s high praise. Obviously, Hodge worked for McCasland before getting promoted to the head job at North Texas, and McCasland’s going to support his guys. But to do so in this manner is a big plus for Hodge.
McCasland Offers a Blueprint
One of the things that McCasland has done at Texas Tech is show he can be versatile. In his second season in Lubbock, he has the Red Raiders in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019. Texas Tech made the national title game that year and has been a basketball school ever since.
But it’s the way McCasland has won that’s been intriguing. He has not stuck to the same slow tempo that he followed at North Texas. He can play that way, and the Red Raiders won’t hesitate to slow the game down when it benefits them.
Related: What Hiring Ross Hodge Means
But in the Big 12, McCasland has access to better athletes. And that means he can play the game as it comes to him. If Texas Tech needs to push the tempo, he’s been happy to do that when the time comes.
“I think what we’ve shown is we can do both,” McCasland said. “I think that’s an important part of winning when you get into these games. And it’s finding a way. And for us, especially because of limited numbers and our involvement in trying to make sure we play inside/out, it’s really been beneficial for us to control tempo.”
Will Hodge Follow the Blueprint?
Hodge might or might not attempt to try to play faster when he gets to the Big 12. He will have better players at West Virginia than he did at North Texas, but it doesn’t mean that he will necessarily alter his coaching style.
McCasland certainly expects big things from him. With Scott Drew still at Baylor and Jerome Tang at Kansas State, Hodge becomes the third coach he has ties with to join the Big 12 as a head coach.
“Ross Hodge is convicted about loving people, hold them accountable and telling them the truth,” McCasland said. “And I think that is the separator in this time because then you will see he will win in the Big 12. And it will not be what other people think. It will be at the highest level. I’m not looking forward to playing him, but I am looking forward to going on this journey with him because I love him.”
