Mike Hopkins and UW | Page 23 | Syracusefan.com

Mike Hopkins and UW

Not what he said. he said someone has to tell them.

When I watch them play, the defense is really bad. It looks like most of the players do not know how to play the 2-3 zone. Always out of position, slow to rotate. Lots of confusion.

Green has more turnovers than assists and is not shooting it well. And he is by far the best player on the team. Hop has 11 players averaging over 10 minutes a game. He probably needs to tighten up the player rotations and get 7 or 8 guys who are all on the same page.

But a lot of this is just talent, or lack thereof. Hop didn’t forget how to coach. He may have made some bad decisions on who to bring in, and missed on some most get type players, but I am not concerned with his in game coaching or ability to run practices.

The biggest issue is, I think, that Hop has not been able to recruit successfully on the West Coast. It is a very different environment there. He doesn’t have the contacts or the history there that he does on the East Coast and his assistants, some of whom do, are not getting it done for him. I think he needs a Jason Hart or a Tony Bland...those types of coaches who have been on the west coast recruiting for years, to get things turned around.
 

When I watch them play, the defense is really bad. It looks like most of the players do not know how to play the 2-3 zone. Always out of position, slow to rotate. Lots of confusion.

Green has more turnovers than assists and is not shooting it well. And he is by far the best player on the team. Hop has 11 players averaging over 10 minutes a game. He probably needs to tighten up the player rotations and get 7 or 8 guys who are all on the same page.

But a lot of this is just talent, or lack thereof. Hop didn’t forget how to coach. He may have made some bad decisions on who to bring in, and missed on some most get type players, but I am not concerned with his in game coaching or ability to run practices.

The biggest issue is, I think, that Hop has not been able to recruit successfully on the West Coast. It is a very different environment there. He doesn’t have the contacts or the history there that he does on the East Coast and his assistants, some of whom do, are not getting it done for him. I think he needs a Jason Hart or a Tony Bland...those types of coaches who have been on the west coast recruiting for years, to get things turned around.
He needs to get his arse back to SU
 

When I watch them play, the defense is really bad. It looks like most of the players do not know how to play the 2-3 zone. Always out of position, slow to rotate. Lots of confusion.

Green has more turnovers than assists and is not shooting it well. And he is by far the best player on the team. Hop has 11 players averaging over 10 minutes a game. He probably needs to tighten up the player rotations and get 7 or 8 guys who are all on the same page.

But a lot of this is just talent, or lack thereof. Hop didn’t forget how to coach. He may have made some bad decisions on who to bring in, and missed on some most get type players, but I am not concerned with his in game coaching or ability to run practices.

The biggest issue is, I think, that Hop has not been able to recruit successfully on the West Coast. It is a very different environment there. He doesn’t have the contacts or the history there that he does on the East Coast and his assistants, some of whom do, are not getting it done for him. I think he needs a Jason Hart or a Tony Bland...those types of coaches who have been on the west coast recruiting for years, to get things turned around.

Wasn’t Hart supposed to be on staff here if he took over?
 

When I watch them play, the defense is really bad. It looks like most of the players do not know how to play the 2-3 zone. Always out of position, slow to rotate. Lots of confusion.

Green has more turnovers than assists and is not shooting it well. And he is by far the best player on the team. Hop has 11 players averaging over 10 minutes a game. He probably needs to tighten up the player rotations and get 7 or 8 guys who are all on the same page.

But a lot of this is just talent, or lack thereof. Hop didn’t forget how to coach. He may have made some bad decisions on who to bring in, and missed on some most get type players, but I am not concerned with his in game coaching or ability to run practices.

The biggest issue is, I think, that Hop has not been able to recruit successfully on the West Coast. It is a very different environment there. He doesn’t have the contacts or the history there that he does on the East Coast and his assistants, some of whom do, are not getting it done for him. I think he needs a Jason Hart or a Tony Bland...those types of coaches who have been on the west coast recruiting for years, to get things turned around.

Okay perfect. Hopkins comes back to be the heir at HC. Brings Hart and Bland with him as Assistants keep Autry (Griffin has had feelers at other places for assistant jobs so he might leave anyway) reassign Gmac. We got the West Coast covered with Hart and Bland, and the East coast with Autry and Hopkins re-establishes those former east coast recruiting ties.
 
Okay perfect. Hopkins comes back to be the heir at HC. Brings Hart and Bland with him as Assistants keep Autry (Griffin has had feelers at other places for assistant jobs so he might leave anyway) reassign Gmac. We got the West Coast covered with Hart and Bland, and the East coast with Autry and Hopkins re-establishes those former east coast recruiting ties.

Recruiting the West Coast should be a focus of SU b-ball in 2021 and beyond?
 
Recruiting the West Coast should be a focus of SU b-ball in 2021 and beyond?

Yes of course. Why limit ourselves to the same pipelines of NYC/Philly/DC/Greater Canada for the most parts or prep schools in New England and Florida.

Let's go out West. California (LA), Arizona, Seattle (Greater Washington State)
 
Yes of course. Why limit ourselves to the same pipelines of NYC/Philly/DC/Greater Canada for the most parts or prep schools in New England and Florida.

Let's go out West. California (LA), Arizona, Seattle (Greater Washington State)

Why would they want to come here at this point?
 
You do realize we used to recruit and get players from the west coast right ?
That was a different era. The Big East and the Dome were new and shiny and BADASS. Now, we have no shine. We could pull some kids from the west coast, but it wouldn’t be like the old days.
 
Yes. When you were very young.

We were one of the “cool” programs at the time.

Let's start first F4 year 1986-1987.

Stephen Thompson (CA)
Rich Manning (CA)
LeRon Ellis (Transfer but CA)
Mike Hopkins (CA)
Luke Jackson (TX)
Jason Hart (CA)
Tony Bland (CA)

There were others but well started to go dry least consistent West Coast recruiting wise late 90's early 2000s.
 
You do realize we used to recruit and get players from the west coast right ?

Yes and you do realize this was in the 80’s and 90’s when the Big East was really the first conference to be nationally broadcasted on Big Monday and such. Our games were watched by kids on the west coast when they got out of school because of the groundbreaking deal the Big East made with ESPN. Times are different now with conferences and TV deals, especially with most conferences having their own networks.
 
Let's start first F4 year 1986-1987.

Stephen Thompson (CA)
Rich Manning (CA)
LeRon Ellis (Transfer but CA)
Mike Hopkins (CA)
Luke Jackson (TX)
Jason Hart (CA)
Tony Bland (CA)

There were others but well started to go dry least consistent West Coast recruiting wise late 90's early 2000s.

Yes, I know. And?? Why would they want to come way out here now?
 
Let's start first F4 year 1986-1987.

Stephen Thompson (CA)
Rich Manning (CA)
LeRon Ellis (Transfer but CA)
Mike Hopkins (CA)
Luke Jackson (TX)
Jason Hart (CA)
Tony Bland (CA)

There were others but well started to go dry least consistent West Coast recruiting wise late 90's early 2000s.
You forgot the legend Scotty McCorkle.
 
The well is not going to spring over night. It's going to take time spring again.
Would the return ever justify the expense? I am sure it has been determined that we have to focus our efforts in a smaller perimeter, with a few exceptions.
 
Would the return ever justify the expense? I am sure it has been determined that we have to focus our efforts in a smaller perimeter, with a few exceptions.

Hope Steve or Pat see this maybe they will ask. It's a good fair question.
 
The well is not going to spring over night. It's going to take time spring again.

Sorry, but recruiting the west doesn’t seem like the ticket to bringing the program back at this point.

Plenty of talent within a 5-6 hour drive of campus that we could be a national contender with, if we would recruit better.

Pulling in top Cali recruits would seem to be more of a “cherry on top” situation for an already really good program than a strategy to focus on for building the foundation of the program.
 

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