TAMPA, Fla., November 2, 2025 –Here's how USF men's basketball coach Bryan Hodgson describes his style:
 
"I lead with intensity.''
 
To be sure, Hodgson should have a commanding presence — a burly man with piercing blue eyes and a rumbling voice that snaps everyone to attention — when the Bulls open against the Florida A&M Rattlers on Monday night at the Yuengling Center.
 
But dig a little deeper and you'll find a multi-faceted guy who embraces an analytical approach, a relationship-builder, a passionate hoops junkie, a coach who knows how to deliver a message that resonates.
 
"He brings the same energy every day, and a lot of coaches don't do that,'' said guard Xavier Brown, a transfer from James Madison University. "He's going to push you past your limits. It's a blessing to have him as your coach. On the good days and the bad days, he's going to be in your corner.''
 
"He demands a lot from you,'' said forward Izaiyah Nelson, a transfer from Arkansas State. "But he sees the potential in everybody. He wants everybody to be great and accomplish their dreams. I have his voice locked into my head. There could be 15,000 fans in the stands, but I can always hear his voice. It's the kind of voice you want to follow.''
 
Nelson and guard Joseph Pinion followed Hodgson from Arkansas State, where he was the head coach for two seasons (45-28, Sun Belt Conference regular-season title last season and a National Invitation Tournament bid).
 
When the Bulls looked for a head coach following last season's 13-19 finish, Hodgson, the former lead recruiter for the Nate Oats-led program at Alabama, became the choice.
 
Although the Bulls have 13 new players (eight transfers, five freshmen) to go with holdovers CJ Brown and De'Ante Green, Hodgson doesn't believe the Bulls are in rebuilding mode. Most impartial observers agree: The Bulls were picked second in the American Conference's preseason poll behind Memphis.
 
If anything, Hodgson believes South Florida is positioned to build on the success of 2023-24, when the late Amir Abdur-Rahim guided the Bulls to a 25-8 mark, an American Conference regular-season title, and the first national ranking in program history.
 
"We have a chance to be really, really good,'' CJ Brown said. "We've got a lot of weapons on this team. We will play a fun style, and I guarantee that we'll be a lot of fun to watch.''
 
There was a small sample in USF's 120-63 exhibition victory against the NCAA Division II Saint Leo University Lions. It was an exhibition, yes, but the points, overall depth, and full-court athleticism were difficult to ignore.
 
What will the Bulls produce? If all goes well, probably lots of layups, dunks, and three-pointers. Mid-range jumpers are frowned upon. There will also be a relentless work ethic and a fearless attitude.
 
"We're going to deliver the first punch and the last punch and as many in between as we can,'' Hodgson said. "That's kind of my personality. We recruit guys who can match that energy and really want to play with that kind of tenacity.
 
"I wouldn't use the word 'animated' with me. I try to stay under control on the bench, but I coach our guys hard and build a relationship with them to the point where they know that it's coming from a place of love. You see, coaches too often try to be that stern, yelling, screaming figure. But if the players don't know where it's coming from, then it doesn't work. You've got to build that relationship first.''
 
One of Hodgson's key methods: No BCD allowed.
 
BCD? No blaming, complaining, or defending your own actions. Just keep doing the right thing without explanation — and that's good enough.
 
"When I recruit these young men, I tell them we're going to do two things — we're going to put a (championship) ring on their finger and (they will leave) with a meaningful degree in their hand,'' Hodgson said. "We take a no-nonsense approach in everything we do, so that we can deliver on that.''
 
Hodgson said he believes in clear, consistent communication. That begins during recruiting. It continues in practice and carries over to games.
 
Everything, movement and statistics are charted meticulously because "there's a winner and a loser in everything we do.'' If a player consistently winds up on the winning side of five-on-five drills, the USF staff will notice. Hodgson said he and his staff value practice habits. If a player works hard and has attention to detail in practice, he's often rewarded with a greater role during games. Rotations can change based on practice effort.
 
The goal is to remove "human error'' and assumptions from evaluations. Everything is fact-based. And both sides of the ball are important. If a player is averaging 15 points per game while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range, his role could be diminished if he's a defensive liability.
 
"It's our job as coaches to shrink that gap (of deficiencies in a player's game),'' Hodgson said.
 
That approach has made for a more competitive team, South Florida players said.
 
"Coach B (Hodgson) might not say what you want to hear, but he'll tell you what you need to hear,'' said four-star forward Onyx Nnani, a freshman from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. "He's a winner. I feel like he'll get me to where I want to get to.''
 
"I think it comes back to the energy,'' Xavier Brown said. "I feel like the energy he brings to a basketball game is unmatched by a coach. I genuinely feel like out of a hundred coaches, he will really stand out. All I've ever asked of a coach — all a lot of us have ever asked of a coach — is the accountability piece. And he's going to bring that every day, along with the intensity. That's always the mark of a team that's going to win.''

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About USF Men's Basketball
South Florida men's basketball named Bryan Hodgson, 37, as the program's 12th head coach on March 24, 2025. Hodgson came to Tampa from Arkansas State, where he led the program to back-to-back 20-win seasons and its first postseason appearance since 1999 in his two seasons at the helm.
 
The program, entering its 55^th season in 2025-26, most recently won the American Athletic Conference regular season championship in 2023-24 and has made 13 postseason appearances, including three NCAA Tournaments, nine NITs, and a CBI championship in 2019. Three former Bulls – Chucky Atkins, Charlie Bradley, and Rodenko Dobras – have had their jerseys retired and are members of the USF Athletic Hall of Fame. The Bulls play their home games at the 10,400-seat Yuengling Center on the USF Tampa campus.

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