Syracuse head coach-designate Mike Hopkins, who has been on Jim Boeheim‘s staff since 1996, will be the next head coach at Washington. Hopkins is a California-native, spending his collegiate playing and coaching days entirely at Syracuse.
In a statement, Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen had this to say: “His resume and reputation within the basketball community made him stand out to us, but ultimately it was his vision for Washington, his passion for teaching and developing student-athletes and his close alignment with the core values of our institution and department that made it more than clear that he was the right fit for us.”
Hopkins was interim head coach for nine games during Syracuse’s 2015-16 season while Boeheim was serving a suspension. The Orange went 4-5 (0-3 ACC) during that span.
Washington fired Lorenzo Romar last week after 15 seasons with the program. The first big decision for Hopkins will likely be whether or not to retain assistant coach Michael Porter; his son, Michael Jr., is one of the top prospects in the 2017 high school class and is currently signed with UW.
