Penny Hardaway Believes Ross Hodge Will 'Take West Virginia Back to the Glory Days'

A glowing review from one of Ross Hodge's peers.

Mar 7, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Tigers Head Coach Penny Hardaway reacts against the South Florida Bulls during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images / Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Penny Hardaway had a fantastic career in the NBA as a player, making four All-Star appearances, three All-NBA selections, and winning the 1993-94 Rookie of the Year Award. Now, he's one of the best head coaches at the mid-major level, leading the Memphis Tigers.

In seven years as Memphis's head coach, Hardaway has a record of 162-68 and three NCAA Tournament appearances. It's safe to say the man knows what it takes to win, and knows a winner when he sees one.

On Thursday, Hardaway was asked about West Virginia's hire of Ross Hodge, who he's faced twice over the last two years, and gave the new Mountaineer head coach a glowing review.

Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Memphis Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway communicates with the team during the second half against Colorado State Rams at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

“Ross is definitely one of my favorite coaches in the country. He is the next big-time coach to take West Virginia back to the glory days of winning and playing in NCAA Tournaments. He is arguably one of the best in the country defensively and his teams will always be a hard out. They are relentless in their efforts for 40 minutes. It’s one of the hardest teams that I have ever had to coach against because they are so tough.”

Hardaway and Hodge split their two meetings against each other with Hodge and the Mean Green taking the first game 76-66 last season and Memphis getting their revenge this season with a narrow 68-64 victory.

Hardaway isn't the only college head coach who has praised Hodge, either. Michigan's Dusty May, Baylor's Scott Drew, and Texas Tech's Grant McCasland also had great things to say about him, which you can read here.

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