Mike Hopkins has spent two seasons out of the college game, but he could be on his way back.
After hearing he was a candidate for the Siena University head coaching job on Wednesday, it now appears that former University of Washington head men's basketball coach Mike Hopkins is the favorite for the position.
That report comes from Mid-Major Madness's Sam Federman:
BREAKING: Former Washington head coach Mike Hopkins has emerged as the favorite in Siena’s coaching search. Sources told @mid_madness. Hopkins went 118-106 (62-72 in P12 play) as the UW head coach. Is currently a Pelicans assistant. Longtime Cuse assistant. @AdamZagoria first
The Siena job is open because former head coach Gerry McNamara left to take the job at Syracuse University earlier this week. Siena reached the NCAA Tournament this season under McNamara, losing against top-seeded Duke in the first round.
About Hopkins
Like McNamara, Hopkins is a Syracuse grad who played for the legendary Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim (1989-93). Billed as the 'Coach of the Future' for the Orange, his time never came because Boeheim didn't step down until after the 2022-23 season. Hopkins joined the Syracuse staff in 1995 and stayed through the end of the 2016-17 season.
He got the Washington job in 2017, staying for seven seasons.
He's spent the last two campaigns still in the game, working for the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans of the NBA.
Hopkins at Washington
Hopkins spent those seven years in Seattle, getting let go right before the program joined the Big Ten Conference and Danny Sprinkle took over.
He went 21-13 in his first season, getting ranked as high as No. 25 in the nation before going 27-9 and reaching No. 20 in year two. That Huskies team (2018-19) advanced to the NCAA Tournament, losing in the second round.
He was a two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
About the possibilities at Siena
Siena had a nice run as a mid-major program, getting to the tournament a handful of times between 2005-10 and even getting a No. 9 seed in the 2008 event. The Saints didn't make the tournament for 16 years until this campaign, but the framework is there for success.
It will be interesting to see if McNamara leaves any of the staff at Siena for Hopkins to (potentially) work with. He could take them all to Syracuse if he wants.
Washington Huskies head coach Mike Hopkins talks with guard Koren Johnson (0) during a free throw against the California Golden Bears during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Joe Nicholson-Imagn ImagesAbout the questions for Hopkins
How can Hopkins handle the NIL questions that exist at a mid-major? Often times, players are looking to move on and seek bigger deals from bigger programs. As a result, the transfer portal is tough to navigate there as well.
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