The little boy did as he was told and the video ended.

It surely won’t be the last time that Hodgson finds himself in the media spotlight this week. When you’re one of the hottest coaching names in the college game and your 11th-seeded team is set to face No. 6 Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center, it comes with the territory, a landing spot made possible by a victory over Wichita State in the American Conference championship game.

“It’s great for our players,” said Hodgson of the welcome the team received upon returning to its Tampa, Florida campus. “I enjoyed it. Our staff enjoyed it, too, to kind of get that warm welcome after punching our ticket. It was big. It meant a lot to all of us.”

The Bulls’ tournament berth has added significance for the Jamestown High School, Jamestown Community College and SUNY Fredonia graduate.

University of South Florida men’s basketball coach Bryan Hodgson cuts down the nets at Legacy Arena. Photo courtesy of University of South Florida Athletics

In fact, it hits very close to home.

Literally.

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Molly Swanson met Hodgson at Jamestown CC two decades ago. Molly worked in the business office back then and Hodgson was a student and also a member of the basketball team.

“I really liked him a lot and he would stop by to see me sometimes to say hello,” she wrote in an email to me earlier this week. “One game he was hurt badly and the injury required a lot of time and surgery.”

University of South Florida head coach Bryan Hodgson raises the trophy after the Bulls won the American Conference Tournament on Sunday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala. Photo courtesy of University of South Florida Athletics

That also meant dealing with a lot of insurance issues, which Molly — as part of her job — helped Hodgson navigate.

“I just remember him as a young man who was always sweet and polite,” she wrote. “He was a big guy who filled the doorway! Medically, it was a long process. Poor Bryan had quite a bad injury.”

Fast-forward to a couple days ago when Molly read a Post-Journal story about Hodgson that detailed his harrowing infancy, his time spent in the foster-care system and his life-changing adoption by Larry and Rebecca Hodgson.

Learning of that journey left Molly with tears in her eyes as she read about Hodgson’s early years.

“I never knew he had been adopted and was in foster care,” Molly said. “This article is special and makes a difference.”

Notice that Molly made no mention of the fact that the 25-8 Bulls will tip off against the 23-10 Cardinals at 1:30 Thursday afternoon. With Hodgson’s story — on and off the court — it’s hard to know which side of it is more compelling.

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Speaking during a press conference at the South Florida campus Monday, Hodgson estimated there will be hundreds of his family and friends in attendance at tomorrow afternoon’s game in Buffalo.

One of them will be Larry Hodgson.

Suffering from dementia, Larry has never seen his son perform as a head coach because it’s so hard for the former to travel. Hodgson, who revealed that information after Sunday’s conference tournament title game victory, said his dad means “everything” to him.

“I mean he took me in as a foster child, adopted me, gave me a second chance at life, believed in me, instilled important values, like discipline, hard work and the things that got me here,” Hodgson said. “He allowed me to chase my dreams, and is the most loving, caring, selfless man I’ve ever known. I just can’t wait to see him here in a couple days.”

The father-son reunion won’t affect Hodgson’s focus on the task at hand, however.

“I kind of zone out during the game, to be honest with you,” he said. “I don’t know who’s there or who’s not. (My focus) is in between those lines.”

In recent weeks, there has been plenty of off-the-court “noise” as Hodgson’s name has been mentioned as a possible replacement at several high-level programs that currently have head-coaching vacancies.

Basketball analyst Jeff Goodman, who is the co-founder of “The Field of 68” on X, posted to his social media last night that Hodgson “has turned down the Syracuse job.”

Added Goodman: “It’s likely that Hodgson will decide between Providence and staying with the Bulls, who have put together a lucrative financial package similar to what Josh Schertz received at Saint Louis in an attempt to get him to stay in Tampa.”

Addressing the Syracuse rumors at Monday’s press conference, Hodgson was diplomatic.

“It’s great to be wanted,” he said. “Those opportunities come with success. I’m the head basketball coach at the University of South Florida and I have a job to do and that job is not done yet. We’re looking forward to an opportunity on Thursday.

“This athletic department is the front porch to the university here,” he continued, “and so to be able to bring national, even worldwide, attention to the University of South Florida (is great). South Florida basketball is going to be a brand that’s talked about across the country for the next several days and, hopefully, longer.”

At the rate he’s going, Hodgson’s name will be talked about well beyond March Madness, too.

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South Florida enters the matchup with Louisville with one of the nation’s most productive offenses, ranking No. 8 in the NCAA in scoring at a program-record 87.7 points per game, while the Cardinals rank No. 20 at 84.7 points per contest.

It’s a brand of basketball that has come to define Hodgson’s teams.

But there’s more to the coach-player relationship than style of play.

“I try to coach them the way that (Larry Hodgson) raised me,” Hodgson said. “A little bit of tough love, but also there’s never any doubt in my mind about the way that my dad felt about me, and that was just genuine, unconditional love. I love every single one of those young men in that locker room. I’m tough on them, because I want to be great and I know what they’re capable of. … The goal is when they leave here that they feel impacted in a very positive way.”