Former NC State standout Julius Hodge has only been in college coaching for a few years, but he’s been rising quickly—he began as the director of basketball operations at Buffalo, then took an assistant gig under Herb Sendek at Santa Clara, and now he’s moving on to San Jose State.
“We are extremely excited to have Julius in our program. He played three years in the NBA and he’s well connected around the country. He understands the game of basketball and more importantly, he understands the level of commitment needed to move our program forward. He’s a very well-rounded coach,” said San Jose State head coach Jean Prioleau.
Hodge spent a pair of seasons at Santa Clara before moving on; I just hope he let Herb down gently.
One of the ways to keep moving up in college basketball coaching is by transitioning to better leagues even if you aren’t necessarily getting a promotion. San Jose State is in the Mountain West, which is quite good right now—it was the 8th-toughest conference in the country last season, in the estimation of the Pomeroy Ratings.
The MWC is also a multi-bid league in good years, which provides more opportunities to get noticed for the work you’re doing.
But Hodge and company have some serious work to do in San Jose—the Spartans finished 2018 at just 4-26 overall, with a 1-17 conference record. We wish him the best.