Bryan Hodgson has been very vocal about the importance of a head coach bringing his staff along every time he changes jobs and looks down on coaches who leave staffs behind as they move up, so it’s no surprise that Hodgson has announced he is bringing all six of his USF staff with him to Providence. The announcement was made on April 6th now that contracts have expired with USF, but all of these coaches were in Rhode Island last week for the press conference and this was always expected to be the staff Hodgson would have in his first season in Friartown. Tobin Anderson, former Iona head coach, was a special assistant to Hodgson last season at USF, but he recently took the head coaching job at Tennessee Tech and will not be joining Hodgson’s staff at Providence as a result.
While all six come directly from his staff at USF, several have ties back to his prior head coaching job at Alabama and one even coached alongside Hodgson on Nate Oats’ staff at the University of Buffalo. The group — which includes four assistant coaches, an associate head coach doubling as general manager, and a director of basketball operations — arrives in Friartown as a fully assembled unit, a structure that signals fast system installation from a program with immediate Big East ambitions.
“I am excited that we were able to keep our staff together and we will have this talented group working in Friartown,” Hodgson said in the announcement. “Tee, Jamie, Derek, Logan, Alex and Tyler all played a key role in our success last season. I am confident that they will work tirelessly to help us build one of the top programs in the BIG EAST. The passion and dedication they bring every day will be reflected in our team and how we compete on and off the court.”
The success Hodgson references includes the Bulls’ 25-9 record, winning both the American Conference Regular Season and Conference Tournament titles, and earn the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012. Let’s break down each coach:
Tee Butters — Associate Head Coach / General Manager
Butters arrives as Hodgson’s right hand, carrying the title of associate head coach and general manager. He held the same associate head coach role at USF last season after two seasons under Hodgson at Arkansas State, including one as associate head coach. Before his time in Jonesboro, Butters spent nine seasons at Charleston Southern with four of them as associate head coach. At Charleston Southern his responsibilities centered on player development, recruiting, and game strategy. He is the staff’s senior voice and a direct extension of Hodgson’s program-building philosophy. Butters was a student manager and grad assistant under Oliver Purnell and Brad Brownell at Clemson and his grandfather, Tom Butters, was the Athletic Director at Duke who hired Mike Krzyzewski in 1980. Having a dual-role of associate head coach and general manager isn’t entirely unique, but does make it likely Hodgson isn’t adding a separate GM.
Jamie Quarles — Assistant Coach
Quarles comes to Providence like Butters by way of USF and Arkansas State, where he was promoted to associate head coach ahead of the 2024-25 season. His most substantive stop, however, was six seasons at Buffalo, where the Bulls went 129-62 overall and 76-32 in MAC play. The program claimed two MAC regular-season titles, two conference tournament championships, and two NCAA Tournament bids during his tenure. Their 2018-19 squad went 32-4 — still the best season in program history and their first top-25 ranking. Quarles, who stayed at Buffalo for three years after Oats and Hodgson left for Alabama, carries proven program-building experience from a conference environment that demanded consistent winning. He also has playing and coaching experience at Division II and was the head coach at famed prep school Oak Hill Academy prior to making the jump to college coaching.
Derek Rongstad — Assistant Coach
Before joining Hodgson at Arkansas State and USF, Rongstad spent four seasons on Oats’ staff at Alabama, where the Crimson Tide went 92-42, won four championships, and made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances including two trips to the Sweet 16. His role focuses on opponent scouting, talent evaluation, and recruiting. That Alabama background adds a high-major evaluator’s eye to a staff that will need to identify and land talent capable of competing in the Big East.
Logan Ingram — Assistant Coach
Ingram joined the staff at USF after two seasons at Arkansas State, where he served as video coordinator before being elevated to director of scouting and analytics. His analytical responsibilities included preliminary scouting, practice and game video management, and recruiting support. During his second season with the Red Wolves, Arkansas State won the 2025 Sun Belt regular-season championship and posted 25 wins which is the most in program history. He also spent four seasons as a manager at Alabama. Ingram is the staff’s analytics and systems specialist.
Alex Harris — Assistant Coach
At USF, Harris served as director of player development and was credited with the development of Izaiyah Nelson, who became the first player in American Conference history to win Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year in the same season. Harris also worked with Wes Enis and Joseph Pinion, both of whom earned All-Conference honors. He previously spent two seasons under Hodgson at Arkansas State in a player development role. Harris also has a background in grassroots basketball working with Team Loaded on the Adidas 3SSB circuit and was also a high school assistant coach in North Carolina.
Tyler Pacheco — Director of Basketball Operations
Pacheco rounds out the group, joining Providence after serving as Hodgson’s director of operations at USF. Before USF, he spent two seasons at the University of Texas and had a brief stint at Cal State Fullerton for a few months before returning to Texas.
Collectively, this staff brings championship pedigree from the American, a deep well of program-building experience at Arkansas State, and Alabama-level scouting and evaluation credentials. They have a varied background but also a lot of cohesion and continuity going back years. The work of actually building a roster at Providence has already begun, but things will kick into hyperdrive starting on April 7th when the transfer portal officially opens. Expect to hear about some visits and Zoom calls coming up as the week goes on once the 7-day Final Four dead period ends on April 9th.
Ryan Mela announced his intention to return to Providence for next season on Thursday last week but everyone else from the 2025-26 Providence roster with remaining eligibility has announced intentions to enter the portal, including Oswin Erhumwunse and Jamier Jones on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Stefan Vaaks was the first Friar to declare intentions for leaving followed by Daquan Davis, Rich Barron and Jaylen Harrell. Peteris Pinnis’ plans aren’t known at this time, but he could also pursue going back to Eastern Europe if he didn’t want to remain in college in the US. Several USF players have also announced intentions to enter the portal, notably leading scorer Wes Enis. I’d expect to see at least a couple Bulls on the Providence roster for Hodgson’s first year in Friartown with Enis likely the main priority. A source close to Enis told pcbb1917.com last week that Enis doesn’t have a timetable for a commitment, though he did enter the portal with a “do-not-contact” tag which often signals a destination is in mind.
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