Washington basketball to fire head coach Mike Hopkins
Mike Hopkins will no longer be the head coach of Washington basketball when the season concludes as announced in a statement by Washington's athletic director Troy Dannen.
Hopkins will remain the head coach through the Pac-12 tournament and any potential post-season play. He had one year left on his contract and will be owed a $3.1 million buyout by Washington.
Sources: Washington has informed coach Mike Hopkins he will not return next season. He will coach in the Pac-12 Tournament and any postseason in 2024 but will not return for the 2024-25. He had one year left on his deal and they buyout in his contract is nearly $3.1 million. pic.twitter.com/B7GhDR8Z84
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 8, 2024
Washington basketball to fire head coach Mike Hopkins when the season concludes
Hopkins joined Washington in 2017 after spending over 20 years as an assistant and interim head coach at his alma mater Syracuse. He led the Huskies to one NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019 where they went 1-1 and finished the year at 27-9. Hopkins was also named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in his first two seasons with the Huskies.
However, Hopkins and Co. haven't had any luck since then and he's gone 118-105 in seven seasons.
While at the UW, Hopkins coached several NBA talents in Isaiah Stewart (Pistons), Jaden McDaniels (Timberwolves), and Matisse Thybulle (Trail Blazers), and will have at least another one in Keion Brooks Jr, who was the Pac-12's leading scorer this season.
After making a crucial decision earlier this year on who the next head football coach would be, Athletic Director Troy Dannen will have another tough coaching decision ahead of him for the basketball team. Washington will be transitioning to the Big 10 conference next season and it won't be easy facing teams like Purdue (No. 3) and Illinois (No. 12).