USF NEW HEAD BASKETBALL COACH
Bryan Hodgson named South Florida head men’s basketball coach
Bryan Hodgson, one of the nation’s top recruiters and a rising head coach, has been named the University of South Florida head men’s basketball coach, Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly announced Monday.
“We are thrilled to welcome Bryan Hodgson as the next head coach of USF men’s basketball,”Kelly said.“Bryan has been a part of winning programs at every level, demonstrating a remarkable ability to recruit top talent, develop players, and build championship-caliber teams. His passion, energy, and vision for USF basketball align perfectly with our commitment to excellence. We believe he is the right leader to take this program to new heights, and we can’t wait to see his impact on our student-athletes and the Tampa Bay community.”
Hodgson, 37, is South Florida’s 12th men’s basketball coach and has coached collegiately for 18 years. He came to Tampa from Arkansas State, where he spent two seasons as head coach. He guided the Red Wolves to two of the most successful seasons in program history, with back-to-back 20-win seasons. During the 2023-24 campaign, after inheriting a team that lost 20 games, he led Arkansas State’s turnaround, which included its first postseason appearance since 1999. The Red Wolves also set program records for scoring (2,019) and field goals made (1,021). Hodgson was also named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award, given to the nation’s top first-year head coach.
In 2024-25, the Red Wolves finished with a 25-11 record, the best in Arkansas State program history. The season featured a top-20 victory, saw the Red Wolves secure the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title, and marked their first National Invitation Tournament appearance in more than 30 years. Their offense led the conference, while their defense ranked second at the end of the regular season. Hodgson’s recruiting classes ranked atop the Sun Belt Conference in both of his seasons at Arkansas State and the incoming recruiting class is currently ranked 35th in the nation, according to 247 Sports.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to be the head coach at the University of South Florida,”Hodgson said.“From my first conversations with Michael Kelly and the USF leadership, it was clear that this place is strongly committed to building a winning culture. We are Tampa Bay’s Home for Hoops, and I can’t wait to work with our student-athletes, staff, and the passionate Bulls fan base, including the SoFlo Rodeo! We will play with energy, toughness, and a relentless drive to compete at the highest level. I can’t wait to get started!”
Before Arkansas State, he served as an assistant under Nate Oats at Alabama from 2019 to 2023 and played a key role in landing top-15 recruiting classes each season. Alabama advanced to the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons during Hodgson’s time there, including two Sweet 16 appearances. During his final season in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide won both the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament championships. Six student-athletes went on to be drafted into the NBA, including two in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft (Brandon Miller, no. 2 overall to the Charlotte Hornets, and Noah Clowney, no. 21 to the Brooklyn Nets). During his career, Hodgson has coached a total of 12 players who went on to compete in the NBA.
From 2015 to 2019, Hodgson played a pivotal role in the University at Buffalo’s rise as a mid-major powerhouse, where he also served under Oats. He assisted in three NCAA Tournament runs, three Mid-American Conference tournament championships, two regular-season conference titles, and the program’s highest-ever national ranking (no. 14). He developed 2019 MAC Player of the Year CJ Massinburg, who finished his career as a three-time All-MAC honoree and second in school history with 1,990 career points, including 273 three-pointers.
Hodgson’s coaching career began at Fredonia State University, where he served as an assistant coach. He then went to Jamestown Community College and Midland College, where he led recruiting efforts and conducted player development workouts and in-season practice sessions.
His exceptional recruiting ability has earned him recognition as one of The Athletic’s top 25 up-and-coming coaches and one of the 50 most impactful high-major assistant coaches. He was also one of 30 assistant coaches named to the 2016 Under Armour 30 Under 30 Team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. 247Sports.com also previously named him the no. 2 recruiter in the country.
Hodgson played collegiately at Jamestown Community College for two seasons and served as team captain both years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management from Fredonia State University in 2011 and a master’s in education from the University of the Southwest in 2015.
A western New York native, Hodgson was placed in foster care as an infant and adopted at age two. He mentors children through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. He is also the founder and president of Coaching Love Inc., which raises awareness for at-risk youth, particularly those in the foster care system or waiting to be adopted, through basketball and other sports.
Hodgson and his fiancée, Jordan, have a son, Jett, who was born in 2024.
Details regarding Coach Hodgson’s introductory press conference will be announced in the coming days.
Bryan Hodgson Coaching History 2025-Present Head Coach, University of South Florida 2023-2025 Head Coach, Arkansas State University 2019-2023 Assistant Coach, University of Alabama 2015-2019 Assistant Coach, University of Buffalo 2014-2015 Assistant Coach, Midland College 2013-2014 Volunteer Assistant, Midland College 2010-2013 Assistant Coach, Jamestown Community College 2007-2010 Assistant Coach, Fredonia State University
About USF Athletics USF Athletics sponsors 21 varsity teams, with 20 competing at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, including the recent additions of women’s lacrosse and women’s beach volleyball. The Bulls’ athletic program, founded in 1965, is in its 59th season.
Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the Tampa General Hospital Athletics District on the east end of USF’s Tampa campus. The Bulls have won 152 conference titles across 16 sports, with 81 men’s championships and 71 women’s championships. Men’s tennis and men’s soccer lead with 20 titles each, while women’s programs have been headlined by women’s tennis (14) and volleyball (13). Since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2013, USF has secured 35 conference team titles.
Academically, USF student-athletes have achieved a program-record 20 consecutive semesters with a combined GPA of 3.0 or above as of fall 2024. Since 2015, more than 750 Bulls have earned their degrees.
Get your tickets today! Call 1-800-GO-BULLS (1-800-462-8557) or email BullsTickets@usf.edu to claim your 2024 season or single-game tickets. You can also download the USF Bulls app on the Android or Apple stores to purchase tickets and parking. Visit USFBullsTix.com for more information.
The Spartans hosted SSC opponents Embry-Riddle (Fla.) and Saint Leo this past week. Tampa swept the Eagles in a weekend series and beat the Lions in a mid-week matchup. They dominated both offensively and on the mound in the four conference games. They outscored their opponents 33-8 in the four games. In game one against Embry-Riddle, the Spartans starting pitcher C.J. Williams tossed eight innings of one-run baseball, and catcher Jhoander Irigoyen was 4-5 with five runs batted in on the night at the plate, including two doubles. In game two against the Eagles, Skylar Gonzalez pitched six innings, giving up one run. Despite Gonzalez‘s efficient outing, the Spartans found themselves down one heading into the ninth before Brayden Woodburn launched a solo shot to tie the game up. J.D. Urso walked it off for the Spartans in the bottom of the tenth with a single. In game three, Jake Stipp picked up his fifth win of the season, improving to 5-0 on the season, tossing seven scoreless in route to a Spartans 10-0 run-rule victory. Jordan Williams, Nico Saladino, Woodburn, and Kevin Karstetter all had multi-hit games, and Santiago Garavito hit his first moonshot of the year. In the mid-week matchup against St. Leo, the Spartans bullpen, Eli Thurmond, Ethan Brown, Jacob Fletcher, and Logan Wash, combined for seven scoreless innings while striking out 12. Jake Griffith hit his first long ball of the season, and J. Williams continues to inch closer to Eddie Cowans‘s single-season Tampa stolen base record (52), stealing four bags on the night. The No. 1 Spartans look to continue their dominance on the mound and at the dish as they take on No. 13 Florida Southern for a three-game series and Valdosta State during a mid-week matchup.
Florida Southern (22-6)
The Mocs are 22-6 on the season and 7-2 in Sunshine State Conference play. They started their season 15-2, including taking two of three from then-ranked No. 14 West Florida, before sweeping Georgia Southwestern State University, taking a mid-week matchup against Eckerd, sweeping USC Beaufort, taking two of three from Florida Tech, sweeping Barry, and taking another mid-week matchup this time against Roosevelt University. The Mocs then dropped a series to No. 25 Carson-Newman before taking two of three from Eckerd, a mid-week matchup from St. Leo, and three of four from Wayne State. The No. 13 Mocs look to make a statement as they host No. 1 Tampa for a three-game series.
Live stats for all games this week can be found at Tampastats.com.
Live broadcasts for all games this week can be found at TampaSpartans.tv.
CBS Sports and TNT Sports announce tip times and commentators for the Regional Finals of the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 29, on TBS and truTV. The games will also stream on NCAA March Madness Live and Max. Florida will take on Texas Tech in the first game at 6:09 PM, ET, followed by Alabama playing Duke in the second game at 8:49 PM, ET.
Kevin Harlan will be on the call for the TBS/truTV broadcast, with Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy as analysts. Lauren Shahdi will serve as the sideline reporter.
The Florida Gators had a strong second half Thursday night, and they defeated the Maryland Terrapins 87-71. There are some concerns about Florida forward Alex Condon’s health. He suffered an apparent ankle injury during the first half, but played in the second half.
Florida is 2-1 all-time against Texas Tech. Both of the wins were in the 1960s, and one of them required two overtimes. The most recent meeting between the two teams came in the second round of the 2018 NCAA tournament, which resulted in a 69-66 loss for the Orange and Blue. Florida was a 6-seed and the underdog that year, but now the Gators are the No. 1 seed in the West Region and are going into the matchup as the favorite.
Both Florida and Texas Tech are looking to return to the Final Four after an absence since 2014. Texas Tech was the national runner-up in that year, while Florida just made it to the Final Four. Florida has the more efficient defense of the two teams, but both teams have top-5 offenses, according to KenPom.
The Nissan NCAA Tip-Off pregame show will begin the night’s action at 5 PM, ET with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Clark Kellogg, Kenny Smith and Jay Wright.
Tampa Bay Rays’ Kameron Misner, second from right, celebrates with Christopher Morel, left, Jonny DeLuca and Junior Caminero after hitting a walk-off home run off Colorado Rockies pitcher Victor Vodnik during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
Tampa, FL – Kameron Misner blasted a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-2 Opening Day victory over the Colorado Rockies. Pete Fairbanks picks up the win while Victor Vodnik takes the loss.
Misner’s became the first major league player to hit his first career homer as a walk-off homer on Opening Day. “That was pretty spectacular.” Manager Kevin Cash said after the game. “He had a little of time to think about it while he was on defense. I think he was pretty committed to swinging, got pitch he could handle and knocked it out.”
A remarkable set of circumstances led to Misner stepping into the batters box Friday afternoon. He had already travelled to Durham after the conclusion of spring training but was summoned back after the injury to Richie Palacios (broken finger). He started the game on the bench but entered the game when Josh Lowe departed with what is being described as a sore oblique. All three Rays runs were driven in by players who started the day on the bench.
The Rays had entered the bottom of the seventh trailing Colorado 2-0. Jonathan Aranda delivered a sacrifice fly to cut the Rockies lead to 2-1 and Jose Caballero who had entered the game as a pinch runner for Josh Lowe and remained in the game in right field singled to score he game tying run.
Ryan Pepiot worked the fist six innings for the Ray and allowed just a pair of runs (one earned0 on six hits while striking out eight and walking one. Hunter Bigge, Mason Montgomery, and Pete Fairbanks each worked a scoreless inning out of the bullpen. After the game Kevin Cash was most impressed with Pepiot’s composure while making his first Opening Day start. “There were some circumstances that didn’t go our way early on and he held it together really well. For his part, Pepiot said after the game that he talked to Shane McClanahan about handling the emotions on Opening Day.
Rockies starter Kyle Freeland stymied the Rays over six innings allowing a pair of runs on two hits while striking out seven and walking none.
UP NEXT FOR RAYS:
The Rays and Rockies play the second of three games on Saturday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. Zack Littell will make his season debut for Tampa Bay while the Rockies will send Antonio Senzatela to the mound.
