“I Will Find You”: USF coach Bryan Hodgson warns rivals over DMs to his players

Recruiting in college basketball often is a cutthroat business, but USF head coach Bryan Hodgson has a blunt message to anyone from another program who tries to poach his players.

"We have a good job with our guys and I've got a very close relationship with them. Any of these clowns that think they’re gonna reach out to my guys before the season ends and start sending DMs… I will find you. I’m not like the rest of these coaches. We will have a face-to-face conversation ... It may work with other people. It doesn’t work with me. I will find you," he said on the Field of 68 podcast.

In his first season at USF, Hodgson guided the Bulls to the regular-season American Conference championship; They enter the conference tournament this weekend in Birmingham as the top seed.

Among the different sides to his personality Hodgson has shown this year, his penchant for getting his point across in a forceful way stands out. That's true whether he's coaching his players, assessing how they played in a given game, or reacting to what opponents do.

If he had his personal walk up music, Toim Petty's "I won't back down" would be appropriate.

After Hodgson's warning to would-be roster thieves, one of the podcast hosts said, "You know we're clipping this and putting it out there for everyone to see."

"I want it out there," Hodgson said. "There are some real clowns out there. It may work with other people but it doesn't work with me. We're all going to be in Indianaqpolis (for the Final Four). I will find you. Should I repeat -- what's the movie with Liam Neeson, Taken? I've got a particular set of skills that make me a nightmare for people like that."

Hodgson is noted for being a ferocious and highly successful recruiter.

As such, his message to other programs: Recruit your own players. Stay away from mine.