By admin 
There are player coaches and apparently there are buses too.
Arkansas State’s Bryan Hodgson is both.
When the team bus broke down en route to their game against the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide on Thursday, the Red Wolves head coach grabbed a wrench and dug into the engine himself.
The Arkansas State men’s basketball team was about two hours away from Tuscaloosa when the road trip stalled. according to journalist and basketball analyst Jeff Goodman.
The Red Wolves waited two hours while Hodgson began diagnosing the problem – a torn belt – and then making the repairs.
If the highway adventures were the appetizer, Friday’s matchup is the main course.
There will be no time for rusty play, even though Hodgson’s side had to cancel pre-match training on Thursday due to the technical fault.
The Crimson Tide, for their part, will be well rested.
Alabama’s first and only game came Monday, a 110-54 drubbing of UNC Asheville.
Should the Red Wolves remain undefeated in their young season, they will have to beat the team with the fourth-best odds to win the national championship on their home court.
And yet there is reason to believe.
Bryan Hodgson watches during a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Kohl Center on November 6, 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin. Getty Images
Hodgson began his coaching career as a student assistant at Fredonia State while pursuing a degree in sports management.
He worked summers at various basketball camps, paid his dues as an assistant coach at a community college and then as a volunteer coach at a junior college before eventually earning his first Division I opportunity in Buffalo.
After four years as an assistant coach with the Bulls, Hodgson joined Nate Oats at Alabama in 2019.
As lead recruiter for the Crimson Tide, he oversaw multiple classes, including the 2022 cohort, which was ranked fourth in the nation. per 247Sport.
It was here, in Tuscaloosa, that Hodgson earned the nickname.
In 2023, Hodgson got his first ever head coaching gig with the Red Wolves.
And in just one season, he has transformed the program into a true Sun Belt contender.
Bryan Hodgson (left) and his team take on Alabama. AP
In 2022-2023, the Red Wolves managed just 13 wins and went 4-14 in conference play.
A year later, in Hodgson’s first season, the team recorded twenty wins, including eleven against Sun Belt competition.
Arkansas State opened the 2024-2025 season with an 80-75 overtime victory against Akron in the season opener.
Tipoff between the Red Wolves and Crimson Tide is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET.