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BUFFALO, NY – South Florida’s NCAA Tournament opener against Louisville marks a homecoming for first-year coach Bryan Hodgson, who was born in western New York, went to college in western New York and started his coaching career in western New York, eventually working under current Alabama coach Nate Oats at Buffalo from 2015-19.
An Olean, New York native who attended Jamestown Community College and Fredonia State, Hodgson said he’ll have 38 relatives in attendance for the No. 11 Bulls’ matchup with the No. 6 Cardinals. He’s also been texting with a group of college coaches who hail from the region, including Florida assistant Carlin Hartman, Texas assistant Adam Cohen, Army head coach Kevin Kuwik and Rice head coach Rob Lanier, talking Buffalo Bills football and the local food scene.
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“This is home,” he said. “Just icing on the cake to be able to do that back here at home in western New York in front of friends and family, and really looking forward to the opportunity of playing against a very good Louisville team.”
South Florida Bulls coach Bryan Hodgson watches his team during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center.
The area is home — but this is only a visit.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hodgson turned down an offer to be the next coach at Syracuse, according to multiple reports. The Orange fired third-year coach Adrian Autry earlier this month and were attracted to Hodgson’s quick turnaround at 25-win USF, which took home the American Conference regular-season and tournament championships after posting just one winning season since 2019.
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Ironically, the game against the Cardinals makes Hodgson the first coach from western New York to start tournament play in Buffalo since former Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim in 2014.
“When it comes to situations like these, we try to stay away from social media because everything is fake,” said senior forward Izaiyah Nelson. “Everybody goes on social…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bryan-hodgson-back-home-york-222741326.html
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Publish date : 2026-03-18 22:27:00
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