The University of North Texas officially introduced its new basketball coaches in a press conference held Wednesday at the HUB CLUB in Apogee Stadium.
The school has hired Ross Hodge as the men’s basketball coach, while Jason Burton has been picked to lead the women’s team.
“These last couple of weeks, while they’ve been some of the most exciting, they’ve been challenging, too,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Jared Mosley said as he opened the press conference. “We had a little bit on our plate, a lot to juggle as we go through and got to today.”
“But I’m excited and feel that the best days of UNT athletics are ahead of us.”
Many of the qualifications Mosley laid out for his new coaches echoed the requirements he shared when introducing new head football coach Eric Morris in January.
“We wanted to find somebody who had experience as a head coach, somebody who had a building mentality, and somebody with a track record of being able to take programs to another level,” Mosley explained. “We wanted somebody who had an eye toward recruiting the talent in DFW…Someone who has been able to creatively solve challenges and build a culture that’s focused on relationships, which is the heart of what we do in building champions and preparing leaders.”
“Coach Burton’s vision for this place, his excitement about UNT women’s basketball and what we can achieve here, and his alignment with the things that our great university and our athletic program value aspire and inspire and make him the right man for the job.”
Coach Burton was introduced first and explained that he took the job because it felt like a family atmosphere and had the right kind of leaders in place.
“To be here and have the privilege to work for Jared Mosley and under a president that has such a vision for the university, so much momentum is here,” Burton said. “There’s so many great things happening, and we wanted a place where we could sustain a winning team.”
“There’s only a few teams that get a chance to play that late in March,” he continued. “And to know that our men’s team is doing that and are able to do that and have done it for a while, this is a place where you can win.”
Hodge was promoted after serving as an assistant under Grant McCasland and believes that the continuity can help grow the men’s basketball program.
“It’s very rare that you’re standing in this position where you’re merging the past, the present, and then you’re able to do so in the future,” he told the crowd. “I’m so humbled and honored and thankful that Jared Mosley and President Smatresk entrusted me with taking over this program.”
“It’s a very unique situation because we’re not having to resell or we’re not having to instill a culture. We have a championship culture. We don’t have to convince these guys they’re champions. They are champions…We will not run from expectations; we’ll embrace them.”
After both coaches spoke and answered questions from the media, the press conference transitioned to a celebration of the 2023 men’s basketball NIT Championship team.
“This is an incredible day,” UNT President Neal Smatresk said as he stepped up to the podium. “We get to celebrate two new coaches, and we get to celebrate a championship. A championship that was well-earned and hard-fought and something that isn’t an end.”
“It’s a beginning, and the beginning looks pretty good to me…I think we’ve got a solid foundation for the future.”
