Just two days after the college basketball season officially came to an end, the Colorado State men’s basketball program lost two key assistant coaches Wednesday.
As originally reporter by the Rocky Mountain Collegian’s Keegan Pope, and confirmed by BSN, Ross Hodge is leaving CSU for a position on the Arkansas State staff. According to sources, Leonard Perry has also coached his last game on the Ram staff, and will be joining Pacific with recently hired head coach Damon Stoudamire.
Both coaches joined the Colorado State staff in 2012, and have prominent roles within the program. After a frustrating 2015 season that left CSU out of postseason play, this is the last thing Ram fans wanted to hear.
Hodge is a nationally touted recruiter, recognized by multiple publications as one of the best mid-major recruiters in the entire nation. Responsible for the likes of J.J. Avila, Stanton Kidd, Gian Clavell, and Antwawn Scott, Hodge’s impact on the program is undeniable.
With current commits Devocio Butler and Leon Gillmore III, both being signed by Hodge, Ram fans will wait anxiously to see if they keep their commitments to the school.
The loss of Leonard Perry is a little more surprising, considering his deep roots with Larry Eustachy. The Dallas native has spent nearly half of his career on a Eustachy staff, including stints at Utah State, Iowa State, Southern Mississippi, and eventually Colorado State.
Eustachy is not as a hands-on coach, and has been widely criticized by Ram fans for his approach. Perry was often the coach that handled those stereotypical coaching duties, such as fundamentals and running plays. With Perry no longer in the mix, Eustachy will need to find an experienced coach to fill the vacant role.
It is no secret that Eustachy is one of the hardest coaches in all of basketball to play for. His old school and often intense approach is not common in the modern game of basketball. Do not get me wrong, Eustachy is a brilliant coach, and his consistent success everywhere he has been is a testament to both his coaching abilities and system.
However, with a head coach that is as intense as Eustachy, players need coaches they can turn to, that are not as intense. That is a role that Perry and especially Hodge filled for the program, and their losses are monumental. Hours after hours of nothing but intensity can break a player down, and over the years we have seen it happen on occasion.
Former shooting guard Daniel Bejarano famously nearly came to blows with Eustachy during a 2014 road matchup with San Diego State. John Octeus left Colorado State for Purdue, after spending three seasons with Eustachy.
If CSU is going to continue to compete with the powerhouses of Mountain West basketball, filling these coaching vacancies will be huge, both in recruiting and for the overall state of the locker room. Looks like basketball season just became relevant again.
