BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — From tears, to praise, to a touch of anger.
South Florida’s Brian Hodgson ran the gamut of emotions in making his NCAA Tournament head coaching debut not far from where he grew up, and following an 83-79 first-round loss to Louisville on Thursday.
The Bulls' first-year coach’s eyes began to well when senior forward Izaiyah Nelson referred to Hodgson as a father figure.
“Really right now I’m just honestly struggling to picture myself coaching this game without him,” Hodgson said of Nelson, who followed the coach to South Florida this year after spending two seasons together at Arkansas State. “Just to hear what he said about me, I feel the same way about him times a million.”
Hodgson also paid tribute to his parents, Rebecca and Larry Hodgson, who adopted and raised him in Jamestown, New York.
The game marked the first time Hodgson’s parents got to see him in person in three seasons as a head coach. His father has dementia, making it difficult for him to travel to Florida and Arkansas. Buffalo, meantime, is only a 60-mile drive from Jamestown.
“Someone sent me a picture of my mom and dad with a big smile on their face,” Hodgson said, before crediting his players for clinching the program’s fourth tournament berth, and first since 2012.
“I’ll never be able to repay these young men, because I didn’t know if or when that would happen for my dad to be able to be here and see me in person and how excited he was,” he added.
Hodgson was abused as a child and placed in foster care at the age of 2 before being adopted. He wasn’t the only one taken in by his parents, who also fostered more than 100 children.
“They never did that to get recognition, but they deserved it because they’re phenomenal human beings,” Hodgson said. “I’m very fortunate to have them as my parents.”
As for the anger, Hodgson’s ire was raised upon hearing Louisville coach Pat Kelsey question South Florida players for apparently disrespecting the Cardinals.
“Our guys heard what they said,” Kelsey said, following the win. “It was definitely something we heard. We internalized. We don’t have a bunch of guys that are like, but I could tell it was simmering in them and it bothered them. But I do have a lot of respect for (South Florida).”
Kelsey didn’t specify what was said or when, except refer to a Bulls player saying: “We’re going to pop them and something, something.”
Hodgson was in the interview waiting area and didn’t like what he overheard.
“I’ve heard all the nonsense about how our young men spoke heading into the game. What are we even talking about? Do you want these young men to not talk confidently about how they’re going to play against their opponent?” Hodgson said.
He then defended guard Wes Enis, who caused a stir among Louisville fans by saying he believed South Florida — the East Region’s No. 11 seed — was the better team after the matchup was announced on Sunday.
“I don’t really care,” Enis said, referring to the seedings. “I wouldn’t really call it an upset.”
Hodgson didn’t consider his player’s comment as a swipe.
“Did we want Wes Enis to sit in that press conference and say, ‘No, we can’t beat Louisville?’ No,” Hodgson said.
“We instill that in these young men to carry themselves with confidence every day,” he added. “We could have won this game. Louisville won the game today. I wouldn’t mind playing Louisville again."
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
FILE - South Florida head coach Bryan Hodgson works with his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Dec. 17, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)
HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.
The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.
But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.
“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”
U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.
The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.
Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.
Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.
Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”
About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.
The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.
But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.
At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.
Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.
Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”
Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
