Jimmy Confirms Hop's interview with USC

[Zelda Zonk]

No thank you. You go hire someone with coaching experience. We only kind of bought in to Mike because there has been a clear improvement in recruiting, he has kept it going for 10 years now without let up, and our performance has gotten better in the last decade than it was in the decade before.

JB didn't have head coaching experience.
Just read the wiki to refresh my memory, and was amused to see that Danforth left SU to coach Tulane. Funny that Tulane was a 'better job' than SU at the time... Also, the implication that JB was given the job as a 'last resort.' Does anyone have any actual memory of that?

Agreed, though, that if it's not Hopkins, it should be someone with HC experience. Stakes are higher now than they were in 76. Who will be interesting.

I kinda like Hopkins. If he were given the keys after JB, i'd have no complaints, but it would be interesting to see what he does with the defense — whether or not he is a firm JB/zone disciple or whether he's got different designs on the program. If not Hopkins, jeez — it would be quite odd to see an 'outsider' on the sidelines. Hopefully, though, the rest of the alums would keep positions on the staff.

 

[AZOrange]

I think JB is feeling pressured by Mike by this situation. Maybe this had something to do with that Pulitzer Prize blow up out of nowhere after that game last week.

I also notice that he called him "Coach Hopkins" in that article rather than Mike - seems almost stiffly formal out of JB. I don't think he's pleased by this. Bad timing if he only intends to coach a year or two more, but Mike is probably tired of hearing "a year or two more" after 5 years or so.

"He's interested in the job. It's up to him, it's his decision.
When asked if he’d like Hopkins to succeed him:
“We’d like that to happen, it’s just a question of what he wants,” Boeheim said. “What I want is not important. It’s what coach Hopkins wants to do is that’s important.”

Does jb really strike you as a guy that feels "pressured" by antsy assistants Matt? Really?

 

[pfister1]

Here's a name to chew on. While I believe the time has passed by with him being out of coaching for awhile, I am reminded of his father saying at a bar during the BET several years ago that his kid someday wanted to be SU HC.

Tim Welsh.

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I think that would be a mistake. Then again I thought the Yankees were making a mistake when they hired Joe Torre, so what do I know?

 

[IthacaMatt]

Do we really think JB cares about staying to get 1,000? I mean...it's just a number. He's already racked up an incredible amount of wins. 930, 1,000, whatever. You don't stick around for records, you stick around because you're still into it and still great at it, in my opinion. I have a hard time thinking Boeheim would stick around to get to 1,000 wins.

I think when you're this close, 1,000 can mean an awful lot. I think one more championship means even more, especially after Calhoun got his 3rd. Calhoun will always have that over JB. We have damn few Final Fours for a program with all our success. We really could have used those runs in 2010 and 2012 to cement our stature as a program as much as Jim's legacy as an elite coach.

 

[rrlbees]

I like Tim Welsh and have followed his career pretty close. However, Tim Welsh is not the next HC of Syracuse basketball. I can see someone like Fran McCaffery (who would be a stretch) long before Tim Welsh's name came up.

Like I said, his time has passed but he absolutely looked at the SU job as his proverbial "dream job". He always speaks very highly of JB and SU as they are good friends. While I agree it won't happen it wouldn't surprise me if his name came up. But I never say never.


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[IthacaMatt]

Does jb really strike you as a guy that feels "pressured" by antsy assistants Matt? Really?

As in Mike is applying the pressure. Not that the pressure is getting to him. JB is annoyed, if you ask me - like, Mike, I thought we had a deal. I get to leave when I choose, not when you choose. If you don't want to wait, and if you think that's really a better opportunity than this, then fine, go.

That's how I read that interview and recent media interactions, coupled with the eligibility crap again, and this team coming up short, and maybe Brandon not getting over the hump emotionally.

I think he's disappointed, and let's be honest, you don't always have Championship level teams, and we've had 2 in the past 3 years with not a single Final Four to show for it.

I look at next year's roster, and I don't see an alpha dog offensive scorer. Maybe Ennis, but I think it's asking a lot just to get a frosh PG to run a team well, let alone have to be its leading scorer.

We will have lost a lot of very good players and although we have recruited well, we are off just a bit and have missed about 3 or 4 elite players, a couple of whom I thought we were going to get.

Now, sure, you can't win 'em all, but this class is the foundation class - they still need a couple big time scorers to add to the mix. 2014 is a huge class. We must keep McCullough and add scorers at the SF and 2G. We have let a window pass. Now we're reloading again.

 

[Hoboken Cuse]

I can't wait to see the... Wait til Hitler Finds Out Hopkins is going to USC Video.

 

[cusetown1]

I wish Hop the best and hope he stays BUT USC is a circus and nobody is turning that place around. Right when we thought Timmy Floyd was doing it, the Circus reeled him in. It's Lala land nobody cares about basketball, well maybe 1 out of every 8 or 10 years they do. Unless you're the Lakers.

 

[pfister1]

I wish Hop the best and hope he stays BUT USC is a circus and nobody is turning that place around. Right when we thought Timmy Floyd was doing it, the Circus reeled him in. It's Lala land nobody cares about basketball, well maybe 1 out of every 8 or 10 years they do. Unless you're the Lakers.

At best you are the 4th show in town behind the Lakers, Clippers and UCLA. If you have an extraordinary season people will get excited, but if not, people won't really care. I think that is the cross you bear playing in a town with professional teams.

I wonder if JB has rebuked Mike a bit over performance this year either on the recruiting misses, or the failure of the big men to develop and his reaction was to go interview. Totally supposition on my part, but that is often how things work in the real work world...employee gets a bit of a negative review, gets angry, feels underappreciated and looks for other opportunities (either seriously or just to make himself feel a bit bettter).

 

[ForeverOrange]

This might be best for Mike from an unselfish standpoint. How long is he going to wait around without a definite date of when someone is leaving so that he can start making his mark? I wish him well if he goes, you don't get opportunities like that everyday, sometimes you just have to make your move.

Tim Welsh as a successor...YUCK. Why not someone young and up and coming like a Shaka Smart?

 

[RoysRunts]

His kid plays lacrosse Hopkins isn't going to go to Southern California if his kid plays lacrosse

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USC woman have at team, http://scla-online.clubsetup.com/

 

[PeteCalvin]

If Hop leaves for USC, GMAC is gone too. They are attached at the hip. No good can come from Hop leaving right now. We are playing like crap, our next recruiting class isn't even on campus yet, we are moving to the ACC. A+B+C = chaos when we don't need it.

 

[SoBeCuse]

I wish Hop the best and hope he stays BUT USC is a circus and nobody is turning that place around. Right when we thought Timmy Floyd was doing it, the Circus reeled him in. It's Lala land nobody cares about basketball, well maybe 1 out of every 8 or 10 years they do. Unless you're the Lakers.

You sure seem like you know quite a bit about LA and USC. Again, I went there. When they are good people show up. In 1999-2002 they had some good teams playing with Bibby coaching. I went to a couple of the Wooden Classics in Anaheim. USC, Duke, Oklahoma St, Stanford, Auburn, Utah were some of the teams that participated and the place was packed. USC and UCLA both struggling now definitely hurts things but when they are good the city absolutely follows. USC is not a circus anymore with Haden. Never really was one. I don't see why it can't get back to a solid basketball town which it has been at times. Before Kobe starting winning titles Baron Davis owned the city when he was at UCLA for a few years. Mater Dei, Crenshaw, Inglewood, Dominguez, Centennial, North Hollywood, Loyola, Westchester. Basketball does matter there.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

If Hop leaves for USC, GMAC is gone too. They are attached at the hip. No good can come from Hop leaving right now. We are playing like crap, our next recruiting class isn't even on campus yet, we are moving to the ACC. A+B+C = chaos when we don't need it.

You think GMac goes with Hop? GMac hasn't been here long, was just promoted to full time during the Bernie fiasco less than 2 years ago.

Anyway, I think you are being too alarmist. There is some good that can come from it. First, losing GMac is kind of addition by subtraction, if that were true. He seems to be a redundant piece of the staff. JB could then bring in either another coach-in-waiting candidate or big time recruiter along with a bigs coach. Secondly, it would probably serve as motiviation for JB to hang in there a little longer. JB strikes me as the kind that bleeds Orange, he wants this program to continue to succeed.

 

[pfister1]

If Hop leaves for USC, GMAC is gone too. They are attached at the hip. No good can come from Hop leaving right now. We are playing like crap, our next recruiting class isn't even on campus yet, we are moving to the ACC. A+B+C = chaos when we don't need it.

Hop + GMac isn't really a recipe for success. Is USC going to recruit the east coast? I wouldn't think GMac has any contacts that would help USC in its natural recruiting territories. Assistant coaching is probably more about recruiting than basketball bona fides.

 

[cytolliver]

i'd welcome scoop as an addition to the coaching staff

 

[Oakland]

His kid plays lacrosse Hopkins isn't going to go to Southern California if his kid plays lacrosse

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I don't know about SoCal, but HS lacrosse is very popular in the SF Bay Area

 

[Hoboken Cuse]

i'd welcome scoop as an addition to the coaching staff

I'd welcome Allen Griffin (more coaching experience and Brooklyn roots) and/or Herman Harried - one of the most respected high school coaches with Team USA experience and strong roots in Baltimore which will be a battleground city when we join the ACC.

 

[Frozen]

Do people realize that SU is allowed to hire non-alumni to the coaching staff?

 

[cytolliver]

Do people realize that SU is allowed to hire non-alumni to the coaching staff?

no

 

[midloviking]

Hop + GMac isn't really a recipe for success. Is USC going to recruit the east coast? I wouldn't think GMac has any contacts that would help USC in its natural recruiting territories. Assistant coaching is probably more about recruiting than basketball bona fides.

Duh, he's GMac!

 

[Hoboken Cuse]

Do people realize that SU is allowed to hire non-alumni to the coaching staff?

I know but that is not the recent trend since Wayne Morgan. I look at the younger Assistant's (Gmac say) as being crucial in giving players pep talks when things such as playing time are not going well. In order to do that its critical that you have to experienced playing hoops at SU. A mid assiastant - like Red - has more recruiting experience and the top assistant (Hop) runs the daily practices along with the senior recruiting role. If I were to look outside of the program, I would go after Chris Collins at Duke to fill Hops role just an opinion but I have not seen his name mentioned.

 

[HarrisonJBounel]

I didn't go through the whole thread, so apologies if this has been brought up.

Have we given thought to hiring Sherman Douglas as an asst coach? The one thing General Sherman could bring is that swag that he had. JB doesn't have it, and doesn't seem to instill it in his players.

Douglas has an excellent resume for an SU asst coach. Just get someone else to coach shooting threes - not his strong suit, IIRC.

 

[pfister1]

I didn't go through the whole thread, so apologies if this has been brought up.

Have we given thought to hiring Sherman Douglas as an asst coach? The one thing General Sherman could bring is that swag that he had. JB doesn't have it, and doesn't seem to instill it in his players.

Douglas has an excellent resume for an SU asst coach. Just get someone else to coach shooting threes - not his strong suit, IIRC.

As long as we're going with Alums who have no real coaching experience, and haven't necessarily shown an interest in coaching, I'm voting for Danny Schayes. He's tall, he played basketball at SU, played a long time in the NBA, he's the son of an NBA All-time great and he went to J.D. what else could we want in a coach?

 

[Frozen]

SU did pretty well with non-alum assistants Weaver and Murphy.