So how about that Fox story?

[DomeStranger]

Could be true for Hop but...If SU can only afford to pay Hop half as much as UW then i would say SU has some very serious problems moving forward trying to compete in the ACC, huge problems...as in better hope JB stays till hes 100 ;-)

No one said SU can't afford to pay. UW just made him a great offer, now. You pay much more when your going after someone as opposed to promoting within. Similar to why Dino is making about double what Shafer was.

 

[dasher]

bullsheet. JB will soon retire. Hop was pushed out by higher ups that wanted to put their own mark on the program. JB would not put himself above the program. Pure BS!

Hop wasn't pushed out.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

The contract is for 5 years. but I expect JB will walk away after 2 or 3. The sanctions will have expired, and he will have the flexibility at that time to walk away on his own terms, at a time that works best for him and SU.

It's 'funny' that they're saying it's a "5 year contract." Hasn't Boeheim been saying for the past ten years that he's on a year to year thing? Changing that now is purely a matter of optics to recruits. I don't think the kids/parents of kids/competing recruiters are going to take any of this at face value. It's just Limbo Time.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Again, sanctions have NOTHING to do with this. The program decline is 95% on the staff - a combination of recruiting incompetence, lame duck status, and a lackluster brand that is turning off some of the elite guys we'd like to pursue. Some fans just assume that because the timelines overlap then they MUST be related. Kevin huerter is the only guy that we lost due to sanctions.

 

[llandz]

Here is my take.
1) Hop would have hard shoes to fill at SU. It would never completely be his program or at least not for many years. He would always be compared to JB. What would Boeheim do, etc.
2) He would have been fine with the head coaching job at SU next year if this job had not come up.
3) This job came up
4) Did no one hear in the press conference that his father went to the University of Washington? That may make a difference, and something special he can share with his aging father.
5) Parents are on the west coast and aging. I moved to the west coast years ago for the same reason. People do that...They can see him coach in LA, and can fly up to Washington or other games..
6) Seattle versus Syracuse...Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, Just a much larger city with more to offer his growing kids as far as museums, culture, etc.
7) This is his, and his alone. Once again circling back to #1, as happy as he would have been to coach at Syracuse we all know how hard that would be for him. We would have made it hard. If he ever read this forum, well...

 

[OrangePA]

sez you, and you're biased
SU is a small private university located in a small, shrinking, aging city hundreds of miles from any major urban area. The basketball program was largely built by the current coach & is synonymous with his name. The fan base is rabid, considers themselves a blue blood program near peer with Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, etc and has very high expectations. Finish outside the top 4 in the conference, miss the tournament 3 out of 6 years & get to the second weekend only one of those times and you're considered a failure & run out of town.

U-Dub is the flagship state university, with deeper pockets, located in a large, growing, younger major city. It is more of a football school, has little basketball history to live up to and has reasonable expectations for the new coach. Finish in the top half of the conference, make the NCAAs 3 times in the next 6 years & the Sweet 16 once and he'll be considered a home run hire.

no brainer

I disagree with this conclusion.

The ACC, the Carrier Dome, the major league status of the program in CNY (as opposed to a dormant college program in a professional sports town) the very strong history of the program and the proximity to recruiting grounds such as Philly, NYC, Baltimore, DC et al make Syracuse University Basketball a much better job than the UW job.

I also disagree with the "pressure" to win notion.

From what I have read and from what my UW cousin tells me, UW fans are a bit dumbfounded by the hire - they are concerned that Hopkins has never been a HC and are very worried that he will lose a truly great recruiting class including Porter who I think is the HS player of the year.

There will be a lot of pressure on Hopkins to win quickly.

Furthermore, great jobs come with pressure. You don't turn down Alabama Football because of the intense pressure to win.

From his presser today we learned the following from JB: (1) the three-year deal two years ago was not his idea but the Chancellor's idea; (2) the three-year deal had nothing to do with the NCAA sanctions; (3) he is very happy now because he wants to continue to coach; (4) he feels better physically now than he ever has; (5) a guy should be able to coach into his eighties if he wants to and can do the job; and (6) he is more enthusiastic and excited about the program now than he ever has been.

Does any of this sound like a guy who relished retirement? Or was really prepared to leave next year?

Why would Mike Hopkins give up a job he has coveted for years while on the brink of actually getting it?

Why didn't SU try to match the UW deal?

Why didn't JB step down now and allow Hopkins to take over now? Or why didn't the University make the change now?

And, why did the Chancellor insist upon a three-year deal two years ago if it had nothing to do with the sanctions?

Why would Boeheim "agree" to the three-year deal if he wanted to continue to coach and the deal had nothing to do with the sanctions?

A lot of this doesn't really add up. But it certainly is interesting.

 

[RF2044]

A very good friend of mine talked to Hop today. A person that Hop wouldn't lie to (at least that is what we both think) He would have no reason to lie to this person. He says at the end of the day, he left because the deal to washington was just too good to pass up. He could build the program like Jb built the program here. He didn't leave because of all of this other talk. After all, he made no secret of the fact that he would have left for the USC job just two years ago, if he had been fortunate enough to get that job.

And there you have it.

So much for the conspiracy theories. Looks like Wildhack was fully transparent yesterday.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Why don't you give us your take?
Do you think it wasn't true that Boeheim wanted to stay past next year?
You don't think it hurt Boeheim's pride that the NCAA was forcing him to retire "when I didn't do anything wrong"?
Do you think Mike believed that Boeheim was going to willingly hand over the keys after next year?
Isn't it a miracle that Boeheim is now staying past his NCAA imposed deadline?

The NCAA didn't force any retirement.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Im not saying this guy is right. But where is he so wrong:
1) which job is better, SU or UW? Clearly SU is. So why did Hop pass on this job?
2) do you believe for one sec JB wanted to leave after next year? Clearly by accepting this extension he never did.
3) so when Hop took the UW job, why was JB the only option? After Hop took UW job, you truly believe SU couldnt have hired somebody of greater stature/reputation than Hop? Of course they could.

It seems very clear JB never wanted to retire, and in fact resented the whole thing. Lets get past this whole charade. I personally am very happy JB is here longer and it is a complete no brainer that he goes out on his own terms. Hope JB gets Title #2!! Go Cuse!!

Who can you hire to come sit a year, before being HC? Who?

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

You make many good points, and may wind up being correct! But you say now is not the time, could be but when would be a good time? 1-2 years should do it. If JB gets a contract extension thru 2021-22 then i would say emphatically your take is incorrrect. We shall see.

And in terms of those people saying UW is the better job over SU : they havent made the ncaas since 2011; they havent made an elite 8 since 1953. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?? Go Cuse!!

What does your last point have to do with the future?

Hop gets:
More money
Longer honeymoon
Easier to bring his own style
Better city
More resources
Better surrounding recruiting area
Closer to his aging parents
No annual 150" of snow
No shadow

It's also clear, from his run at USC, that going west was of interest to him.

No brainer.

 

[pfister1]

haven't you had your fill of H0T Takes?

this clown is a glorified blogger whose CV is filled with nothing but click whoring takes . . . but it suits your preferred version then enjoy yourself

Not to mention; Pete Thamel wrote the exact same "story" the day before. Since neither story contains facts or attribution that makes them opinion and that makes this a rip off of Thamel's BS opinion.

 

[PhatOrange]

What does your last point have to do with the future?

Hop gets:
More money
Longer honeymoon
Easier to bring his own style
Better city
More resources
Better surrounding recruiting area
Closer to his aging parents
No annual 150" of snow
No shadow

It's also clear, from his run at USC, that going west was of interest to him.

No brainer.

Better recruiting area, is that true? Within five/six hours of Syracuse is buffalo Albany New York city New England Corridor Philly Baltimore Washington DC New Jersey Lower PA. There is no better recruiting area than that

The weather isn't all that great in Seattle, I mean if you like it rainy maybe. To each their own I guess. I would hate Seattle.

 

[PhatOrange]

Surprised that this hasn't gotten its own thread. I believe this was posted after Tomcat did today's news, otherwise I would think this would have been in there.

How a manipulative Jim Boeheim got Syracuse to cave and give him back his job | FOX Sports

This sounds like it's going to be the prevailing take on what just happened, once the dust settles.

And you wonder why JB doesn't like the press.

 

[realorange]

You make many good points, and may wind up being correct! But you say now is not the time, could be but when would be a good time? 1-2 years should do it. If JB gets a contract extension thru 2021-22 then i would say emphatically your take is incorrrect. We shall see.

And in terms of those people saying UW is the better job over SU : they havent made the ncaas since 2011; they havent made an elite 8 since 1953. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?? Go Cuse!!

Can't you understand that Hop now has the opportunity to chart his own course with an excellent situation at UW and without the pressure that SU brings with it if he stayed.

 

[realorange]

The contract is for 5 years. but I expect JB will walk away after 2 or 3. The sanctions will have expired, and he will have the flexibility at that time to walk away on his own terms, at a time that works best for him and SU.

There has been no mention of the length or content of the contract. Both JB and Wildhack made that clear. In fact JB said he has never talked about what his contract has been for the entire time he has been at SU.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Better recruiting area, is that true? Within five/six hours of Syracuse is buffalo Albany New York city New England Corridor Philly Baltimore Washington DC New Jersey Lower PA. There is no better recruiting area than that

The weather isn't all that great in Seattle, I mean if you like it rainy maybe. To each their own I guess. I would hate Seattle.

Seattle has good local high school hoops, you also have Portland a couple hours away. Seattle is a huge hoop town great city, ton of growth, money, wealthy UW alumni, etc. It's an absolutely fantastic opportunity for Hop and there is no disputing that.

Wonder when the Sonics will be back??

 

[PhatOrange]

Seattle has good local high school hoops, you also have Portland a couple hours away. Seattle is a huge hoop town great city, ton of growth, money, wealthy UW alumni, etc. It's an absolutely fantastic opportunity for Hop and there is no disputing that.

Wonder when the Sonics will be back??

I don't dispute that it's a fantastic opportunity for Hop it is. And I am giddy that he took the job.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Again, sanctions have NOTHING to do with this. The program decline is 95% on the staff - a combination of recruiting incompetence, lame duck status, and a lackluster brand that is turning off some of the elite guys we'd like to pursue. Some fans just assume that because the timelines overlap then they MUST be related. Kevin huerter is the only guy that we lost due to sanctions.

Just like sanctions (and the threat of sanctions) had nothing to do with scaring off Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall in the 90's.

Riiiiight.

 

[elimunelson]

Two questions that haven't been answered about this whole situation (which i find weirder by the day):

1. Did Washington suddenly reach out to Hopkins in a vacuum or did Hopkins reach out to Washington?
2. Why didn't Washington ask for Syracuse's permission to speak to a guy who has a contract to be a HC next year?

Both these questions would answer more about the intentions of Mike than all the spin so far. I have no doubt all parties are happier today than last week with some clarity about where they will be for next 3-5 years now.

 

[Lucid]

This "article" is patently ridiculous and presents absolutely nothing as fact. Not one source is quoted, anonymous or otherwise. The use of the word "guess" in one of the paragraphs is appropriate.

Serious fans would do well to ignore it.

 

[heresjohnny88]

This isn't how it happened, at all.

 

[pfister1]

Two questions that haven't been answered about this whole situation (which i find weirder by the day):

1. Did Washington suddenly reach out to Hopkins in a vacuum or did Hopkins reach out to Washington?
2. Why didn't Washington ask for Syracuse's permission to speak to a guy who has a contract to be a HC next year?

Both these questions would answer more about the intentions of Mike than all the spin so far. I have no doubt all parties are happier today than last week with some clarity about where they will be for next 3-5 years now.

In response to #2, has anyone said that they didn't ask for Syracuse's permission. I haven't gotten the impression that Hop was secretly sneaking off to Seattle to interview.

 

[Alsacs]

Just like sanctions (and the threat of sanctions) had nothing to do with scaring off Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall in the 90's.

Riiiiight.

Jalen Rose loved us but he wanted to stay home at Michigan. Sanctions hit us in 1993. Rose was a freshman in 1992. Where is fact sanctions cost us Jalen?
Marshall I agree.

 

[elimunelson]

In response to #2, has anyone said that they didn't ask for Syracuse's permission. I haven't gotten the impression that Hop was secretly sneaking off to Seattle to interview.

Wildhack said no one from Wash reached out to him.

 

[longtimefan]

Jalen Rose loved us but he wanted to stay home at Michigan. Sanctions hit us in 1993. Rose was a freshman in 1992. Where is fact sanctions cost us Jalen?
Marshall I agree.

But, SU was in limbo long before the sanctions were announced.

I don't know what, if any, effect the sanctions had on Jalen Rose's decision. I do know that the dark cloud that was hanging over the program after the Post Standard series was published negatively affected recruiting for 2 or 3 years.