The lights were still bright over the court at Legacy Arena At The BJCC when Brian Hodgson took his seat at the post game table, the sound of South Florida fans still echoing from the stands. His Bulls had just rolled to an 86–64 win over Charlotte, a victory that pushed them into Championship Sunday and one step away from an American Athletic Conference title.
Yet when asked about his team’s success, Hodgson quickly shifted focus from the moment to the mission. His tone carried both pride and purpose as he turned his attention toward the bigger picture — how the American can return to being a league that consistently sends multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament.
A League-Wide Commitment
Hodgson’s response reflected the voice of a coach who sees the bigger game beyond the scoreboards. “It has to be a concerted effort by every member school to schedule that way in the non-conference,” he said. “I think about three of us did and the rest of us didn’t, just full transparency.”
The coach’s honesty cut through the typical postseason optimism. He wasn’t issuing blame; he was challenging his peers. His conviction was clear, that sustained respect on the national stage requires unity, not isolated excellence.
USF, Memphis, and Temple, he said, had taken the right steps to build strong non-conference schedules. The rest, he implied, must join in. “We scheduled that way; Memphis scheduled that way; Temple was in the mix,” Hodgson said. “You got to, A, schedule those games and win those games.”
Learning from Early Season Challenges
Hodgson’s first season in Tampa has been a blur of quick improvement and tough lessons. From day one, he built a schedule that would stretch his team’s limits. “We’re not innocent here,” he admitted. “We dropped some in the non-conference that could have made us cemented into that conversation, but it’s going to take a concerted effort from everybody in the conference to go out and seek tough non-conference games.”
He believes that true growth comes from walking into the fire, not around it. “You might have to go on the road and play in Big 12 and SEC and Big Ten games,” Hodgson said. “I said it before and I’ll say it again.”
Those aren’t just ideas to Hodgson — they’re lived experiences. “I put these guys through the gauntlet,” he said, recalling a non-conference stretch that tested both his roster’s endurance and belief. “We got great support in South Florida. I didn’t have to go on the road and play Alabama. I didn’t have to go on the road and play Oklahoma State, but we signed up for those and we got better because of those.”
The Battle 4 Atlantis and Beyond
The Bulls’ trip to the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament became a defining moment in their season. The results — a 1–2 finish — didn’t seem impressive on the surface. But Hodgson saw it differently. “Played in a great MT, Battle 4 Atlantic, come home 1–2,” he said. “That’s not a fun trip, but we came back and popped a top 25 team in the country on our home floor.”
The turnaround that followed became a symbol of what he preaches: challenge sharpens confidence. Facing elite competition made the Bulls tougher, smarter, and more prepared when they returned home. That experience, Hodgson believes, is exactly what the American’s teams need to replicate if the league wants national respect.
Raising the Standard Together
Hodgson’s postgame comments weren’t just about scheduling opponents — they were about building a shared identity. The American, long regarded as a strong basketball league, has seen its national influence waver through realignment and shifting perceptions.
To regain its footing, Hodgson says, every program must follow the same blueprint. “Just scheduling those games and finding ways to win those games is what’s going to elevate this league to put us in a position to get more teams in,” he said.
It was part vision statement, part challenge. For a league that once sent multiple programs to the NCAA Tournament, Hodgson’s words represented both a reminder and a rallying cry.
A Vision That Extends Beyond USF
As he stood up from the table, Hodgson sounded less like a coach celebrating a semifinal win and more like a leader speaking to the future of his league. His team’s success, he believes, should be the start of something greater — a model that others can follow.
“That’s what’s going to elevate this league,” he said. “That’s how we’ll put ourselves in position to get more teams in.”
There was belief behind the words, the kind that comes from a coach who has seen the value of taking the hard road and living to tell the story. For Hodgson, elevating the American isn’t just about numbers on Selection Sunday; it’s about reshaping the league’s mentality one non-conference game at a time.
