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New Providence basketball coach goes viral for recruiting joke: ‘Just look at my wife’
"If you ever want to question my recruiting abilities, just look at my wife, Jordan."
New Providence men’s basketball head coach Bryan Hodgson made quite the first impression in his introductory press conference with the Friars on Tuesday afternoon.
Hodgson faces a sizable undertaking in rebuilding a Providence program that has struggled in recent years, including two straight sub-.500 campaigns from 2024-26.
One of the key areas that the former South Florida head coach must address is recruiting — with the Friars in need of an influx of talent.
But the 38-year-old Hodgson doesn’t seem too worried about his recruiting abilities.
“If you ever want to question my recruiting abilities, just look at my wife, Jordan,” Hodgson said with a grin during Tuesday’s presser.
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Hodgson’s wife, Jordan, and their son, Jett, were sitting in the front row for Tuesday’s press conference.
This was not the first time that Hodgson used that joke, however, as he made the same quip last year when he was introduced as head coach at South Florida.
Hodgson proposed to Jordan Norris in 2023, marrying the University of Alabama alum the following year.
“I can’t believe how blessed I have been this past year,” Hodgson wrote in his Instagram post announcing their engagement. “This is a long overdue post, but by far the most exciting and best news I could ever share with the world. I found the woman of my dreams, I talked her into marrying me, we bought our dream home together, and we are blessed to share we are pregnant with our first child, a baby boy!!!
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“They said good things come to those who wait…well I wasn’t getting any younger…but I can tell you it was sure worth the wait. My #1 recruit…the woman of my dreams, and a baby boy?!?! Look at GOD!!!! “
It’s been an eventful journey for Hodgson and his family, as Providence will mark the basketball coach’s third team in as many seasons.
During his lone year with the South Florida Bulls in 2025-26, Hodgson led them to a 25-9 record, an NCAA tournament bid, and both American Conference regular-season and postseason titles.
The No. 11 Bulls ultimately fell to No. 6 Louisville in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA tournament on Thursday.
Hodgson spent two seasons as head coach at Arkansas State before moving to Florida, leading the Red Wolves to a pair of 20-win seasons.
A former assistant for Nate Oats at the University of Alabama, Hodgson played a key role as one of the Crimson Tide’s top recruiters during the program’s ascension as a premier college basketball powerhouse.
“In this new revenue share/NIL landscape, I knew we needed a coach with the energy, passion and the skills to get us back to competing for championships and playing in the NCAA tournament,” Providence athletic director Steve Napolillo said in a statement prior to Tuesday’s presser.
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“Over the last three years, Bryan has successfully used analytics, his recruiting skills and coaching to win 70 games. Bryan is a winner and we need a winning culture at Providence College,” Napolillo added.
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