Speaking on the panel as part of a question and answer session for Monday’s WVU Mountaineer Athletic Club Coaches Caravan at Grand Pointe Conference and Reception in Vienna were, from left, women’s basketball coach Mark Kellogg, football coach Rich Rodriguez and men’s basketball coach Ross Hodges. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

VIENNA – The young blood mixed in with the spirited veteran made for an entertaining night on the first stop of the WVU Mountaineer Athletic Club Coaches Caravan.

The Grand Pointe Conference and Reception Center on Monday night welcomed WVU head coaches from football (Rich Rodriguez), men’s basketball (Ross Hodge), women’s basketball (Mark Kellogg), wrestling (Tim Flynn) and women’s volleyball (Jen Greeny).

Voice of the Mountaineers Tony Caridi served as emcee and spent 15 minutes with the school’s Vice President and Director Athletics, Wren Baker, as part of a 15-minute question and answer session in front of the gathering of WVU fans – spending a majority of the time talking about the current state of athletics and where Baker sees it potentially going.

“You have a school like Ohio State with a $240 million budget and they are $40 million in debt while winning the national championship,” Baker said. “That is not sustainable. What we have in place is not sustainable. I do believe the next 18 to 24 months are the most important months for college athletics in history.

“I do want to give a shout out to our coaches. They have faced enormous, enormous challenges. I can’t tell you enough how fast the goal posts are being moved, and they are doing a great job. At WVU, we don’t have one of the bigger budgets – in fact it’s one of the smaller budgets among power conferences and we are 21st in the Director’s Cup.”

WVU women’s basketball coach, right, shows video of his latest recruit to Bob Harris of Vienna during Monday’s Mountaineer Athletic Club Coaches Caravan at Grand Pointe Conference and Reception in Vienna. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

WVU coaches then stepped on stage as part of the panel.

According to Caridi, after being away from the school for 17 years coach Rodriguez hasn’t changed. His charm and ability to keep people in stitches is the reason why he has been welcomed back with open arms as he returns for a second coaching stint in Morgantown.

“I’m really blessed to have the chance to come back – obviously, West Virginia is home for us,” Rodriguez said. “Since being hired, I’ve been almost too busy to have a chance to say hello to all my friends. But we love being back.

“I didn’t worry too much about the kind of reception I would have coming back. There’s always a lot of emotion when coaches leave. It’s been 17 years – there were a lot of emotions, but a lot of that has passed. West Virginia has always been home for us. We’ve got great fans. Obviously, they want to see success. I am humbled to have this job.”

From the moment of hire on Dec. 13, Rodriguez went right to work to put his staff together. Once those roles were in place, personnel had to be addressed. One two starters with significant experience return. With the aid of the transfer portal, the program has brought in 75 new faces – a number similar to how Rodriguez operated as head coach in his most recent stop at Jacksonville State.

WVU men’s basketball coach Ross Hodge, middle, shares a photo opportunity with Mountaineer fans Will Michael of Charleston, far left, and Austin Wickline of Ripley during Monday’s Mountaineer Athletic Club Coaches Caravan at Grand Pointe Conference and Reception in Vienna. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

It’s not out of the realm of possibilities, he could reach 200 wins for his coaching career during the 2025 season. He currently stands at 190 wins.

“We tell our kids the truth,” Rodriguez responded when asked how he creates culture throughout the team. “One place you tell the truth is family. And WVU is one place where you have family. It’s a big family and that’s personal to me.

“At Jacksonville we had that type of culture. Everyone is brutally honest with one another. That’s how you get some really good players.”

Kellogg stressed the impact Rodiguez and his coaching staff made when the women’s basketball team qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. The Mountaineers eventually lost in the second round for the second straight year.

In just two seasons with WVU, Kellogg has put the Mountaineers on the map. His teams have won 25 games both seasons.

WVU football coach Rich Rodriguez, middle, share a photo opportunity with Steve Cunningham, far left, and Kyle Cunningham during Monday’s Mountaineer Athletic Club Coaches Caravan at Grand Pointe Conference and Reception in Vienna. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

“I got to spend some time with Rich and get to know him, and what he and his program are a little bit about,” Kellogg said. “As we were going to the NCAA Tournament, I got a letter from every one of his assistants telling us either good luck or what a heck of a job we have done.

“The pile of letters was this full,” said Kellogg as he created a significant gap between the palms of his hands. “Rich is a first class guy and he is just very vested in West Virginia.”

Kellogg noted during the public forum how he graduated six seniors but is bringing six new seniors through the transfer portal. One of his new arrivals is a girl who stands 6-foot-11.

One particular player whose absence will be prominent is JJ Quinerly, who stayed with the Mountaineer program despite playing under three different coaches. Quinerly was recently drafted by the Dallas Wings of the WNBA.

Last week, she scored 16 points in an exhibition game.

“JJ Quinerly goes on the women’s basketball Mount Rushmore here at WVU,” Kellogg said. “She put our program on the map. It’s that level that this kid has left her legacy. What she did in her WNBA debut was pretty special. Hopefully, she can leave her mark there.”

Wren Baker humored the crowd by saying if only he could be paid by the hiring of coaches, there might be a hefty sum building. In just 2 1/2 years on the job, Baker has hired four different coaches in one sport alone – men’s basketball.

Baker has a connection with the hiring of Hodge in March. Baker served as the athletic director at North Texas when Hodge served as associate head coach. The past two seasons under Hodge, North Texas won 46 games and took the Mean Green to the NIT both years. Last season, North Texas finished 27-9 and advanced to the NIT semifinals.

“Obviously, it’s been non-stop recruiting from the moment I accepted the job,” Hodge said. “We have been trying to build a roster, and that’s been the main focus. Fortunately, I was able to bring some of my staff from North Texas, so we hit the ground running in that regard.

“You are always going to have some little variances in the way you play from year to year, but we are always going to root ourselves in defense. Historically, who has been the best defensive team in the Big 12 is the one who wins. I want guys playing with the connectivity and playing for something bigger than themselves.”

Ironically, the two newer coaches at WVU – Kellogg and Hodge – have a history that extends back to their playing days.

When Kellogg attended Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and Hodge played at Texas a&M Commerce. In the summer, they worked the same basketball camps.

Could the irony play out again in terms of the success of the two WVU basketball programs?

“I’m of the belief a rising tide lifts all boats and we want to do our part, too,” Hodge said.

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com