Mike Hopkins hired a new

[Ringostar57]

Lorenzo got fired last Wednesday. Probably contacted Hopkins last Wednesday he said he is very interested, saw him Friday and offered on the spot. Hop says yes period end of story! Who knew what and when after that, who cares. And yes...per Syverud, the clown who left for Minnesota and Wildhack Boeheim there was a written deal for Boeheim to retire done in part to satisfy Emmert and the NCAA quacks. To think otherwise would make everybody, thats right everybody, a bunch of liars.

 

[Toga]

All is well, people. Gerry has built some great relationships on the AAU circuit with Team KIA.

But you can't sleep on JB.

 

[Townie72]

agent and agency last year to get him a new job. It was clear that JB & JW refused to put in writing that JB would leave next season and MH would be guaranteed to take over. The beginning of the end was the beginning of the season this year as this was definitely MH's last year assuming his new agent would find him a new job at a P5 level school or equivalent. This was also the beginning of the fallout between MH & JB and MH also stopped recruiting this year as well.

The UW job was decided awhile ago. It takes more than 6 days for a University to fire one coach and hire a new one. It also takes more than 1 or 2 days for a new coach to have his complete coaching staff in place. Nuff said here too.

Finally, things like this typically do not end well and I am hopefully proven wrong here. Why do I think the odds are against us? We are already at a disadvantage because our HC doesn't like to leave CNY not only for away games but also for recruiting purposes. High school & AAU HCs like to mix and mingle with the HCs of P5 schools or equivalents. This was left up to MH for quite some time. Even Calapari still recruits and actively works the system. We just lost our best long time recruiter who had all of these established relationships and now we have a huge void here not only with a non-recruiting HC but also the assistant HC who had much better connections than anyone else on staff remaining.

Nuff said.

Nuff said? Hardly.

You wrote, "It was clear that JB & JW refused to put in writing that JB would leave next season and MH would be guaranteed to take over."

This statement is in direct conflict with what JB and Wildhack said in the Presser multiple times.

Either you and your source or JB and Wildhack are being untruthful.

Which is it?

 

[rrlbees]

That got a laugh. I have no problem with his source. As I said above, his source might be from say the Athletic dept and their take. My source couldn't be from a batter source with regards to what Hop was thinking.

Peoples sources, if they do have a source, can come from different "factions". JB, Hop and the AD. They all may have a different, or even slightly different, spin on things that would best serve them. I don't believe anyone here, regardless of source, has the full story. And that's NOT a knock at all on anyone here.

 

[Townie72]

Peoples sources, if they do have a source, can come from different "factions". JB, Hop and the AD. They all may have a different, or even slightly different, spin on things that would best serve them. I don't believe anyone here, regardless of source, has the full story. And that's NOT a knock at all on anyone here.

Either there was a signed agreement (Chancellor and Boeheim and Hopkins) or there was not.

Chaaka says there was not and that is what drove Hopkins.

There's no opportunity for "spin" here. There either was or there was not. And if there was not, JB and Wildhack just publically laed and lied repeatedly.

 

[chakka3421]

None of that is true. I don't even know where to start. first, Hopkins interview with Washington was in Syracuse last FRIDAY. hop did have the guarantee that he would be the Head coach after next season. that was in writing. There were large penalties to the University if Hop wasn't the coach after next season. Let's remember, Hop was going to take the USC job just two years ago. He wanted that job badly. Hop considers the Washington job better. He got more years and more $$. Throw in that Hop didn't want to push JB out knowing that Jb wanted to stay. Throw in that the current A.D. inherited the Hop deal and Hop knew it. how much job security did Hop have with Wildhack? He got a whiff of that with the 4-5 record last year. Hop was very surprised at the reaction he got from Syracuse fans over that. He realized he didn't have as much good will as he thought he did. That is what it came down to. Hop wasn't forced out. In the end, he just got a better deal. The last guy had to miss the NCAA tournament 6 straight years to get fired. He went 4-5 here and people wanted someone different. What would you have done if you were Hop?

I know I don't post much on the bball side so I have too little familiarity (or credibility) here for validation purposes so you can choose whatever you would like to believe. I do like reading Townie's posts from a legal perspective but I refuse to go down that road tit for tat with either you or Townie. It is what it is and you and everyone else can choose to believe in whatever you would like.

This is exactly why I post less and less anymore and typically just inform certain admins about stuff like this and can and have provided them proof over time on various subjects. Again nuff said and admins know I debated over past few days on whether or not to post in the first place.

Finally it's over with and regardless of what you believe (and by the way UW was not the only one in the hunt for MH), the more important point of my initial post is the recruiting impact of MH on the program. That element is key moving forward.

 

[Lucid]

You hit the nail on the head here Chakka. JB wants to keep coaching and says he's energized but for years he has had MH do the heavy lifting in recruiting. Now Hop is gone, and JB is even older, and less wanting of the actual grind. I hope he doesn't think he can just phone it in and get the players he needs to beat Duke and UNC. Now more than ever he needs to bust his butt, and I doubt he will want to do that. K is out there with no working legs, Huggins is recruiting the night he wins to go to the sweet 16. If JB won't actually get out there, he's done. Competition is far too steep.

MH not recruiting this year, if that's true, and it sure seems so, truly showed that he was doing a bulk of the work, because as Francis said, we weren't visible at all in our prime regions. Including NJ where we have 3 top recruits we want.

I just think we are in for mediocrity at best until JB retires and we start fresh. I don't feel like he or the staff has a firm handle on how to re-organize after this huge change.

It sounds like you are saying JB is both stupid AND unmotivated to finish his career well.

I find that patently ridiculous.

 

[rrlbees]

Either there was a signed agreement (Chancellor and Boeheim and Hopkins) or there was not.

Chaaka says there was not and that is what drove Hopkins.

There's no opportunity for "spin" here. There either was or there was not. And if there was not, JB and Wildhack just publically laed and lied repeatedly.

there was.

but I'm just talking in general. you're poking at one specific thing.

 

[dasher]

I know I don't post much on the bball side so I have too little familiarity here for validation purposes so you can choose whatever you would like to believe. I do like reading Townie's posts from a legal perspective but I refuse to go down that road tit for tat with either you or Townie. It is what it is and you and everyone else can choose to believe in whatever you would like.

This is exactly why I post less and less anymore and typically just inform certain admins about stuff like this and can and have provided them proof over time on various subjects. Again nuff said and admins know I debated over past few days on whether or not to post in the first place.

Finally it's over with and regardless of what you believe (and by the way UW was not the only one in the hunt), the more important point of my initial post is the recruiting impact of MH on the program. That element is key moving forward.

You have sources that have their point of view of the facts. So do I. You also can believe what you want.

 

[jr4750]

It sounds like you are saying JB is both stupid AND unmotivated to finish his career well.

I find that patently ridiculous.

Stupid? Where did I say that. He's 72. He had his self appointed successor taking over the bulk of the responsibilities and was mentally prepared to step down in 2018, despite him not wanting too. Said that exactly at the presser. Now all of a sudden, the guy who in everything but title was co-captaining the ship is gone. Motivation is great, but actually doing the work is another thing. No question JB isn't out hustling like his HOF peers are. That's a fact. So will that change now that he can't use Hop, I hope so. Perhaps even GMAC and RED become great recruiters, I'd take that too. That said, in no way was I calling JB stupid, and I am positive he still wants to win. I do question his ability to do so, especially if he doesn't really put the work in. If he's sending GMAC out one on one against Calipari, he's gonna lose those battles. However, I would say that about any D1 coach that isn't personally out there grinding for talent.

Read Francis03 last post in the Hameir Wright thread. Class of 2018 - F Hameir Wright (NY) Offered by Syracuse

 

[realorange]

If you combine what JB and Wildhack said along with the article Donnie wrote about the weekend with JB and his family, you'd have to believe that this happened quickly and with no noticeable animosity.

 

[Toga]

If you combine what JB and Wildhack said along with the article Donnie wrote about the weekend with JB and his family, you'd have to believe that this happened quickly and with no noticeable animosity.

I don't think there was animosity towards JB from MH. Now MH and administration may be another thing.

 

[TinyManInside]

Finally, things like this typically do not end well and I am hopefully proven wrong here. Why do I think the odds are against us? We are already at a disadvantage because our HC doesn't like to leave CNY not only for away games but also for recruiting purposes. High school & AAU HCs like to mix and mingle with the HCs of P5 schools or equivalents. This was left up to MH for quite some time. Even Calapari still recruits and actively works the system. We just lost our best long time recruiter who had all of these established relationships and now we have a huge void here not only with a non-recruiting HC but also the assistant HC who had much better connections than anyone else on staff remaining.

Nuff said.

Not going to debate the earlier stuff in this post because people around here love to kill the messenger if they read things they don't want to hear, but you do raise quite a few valid points in your second paragraph. I'm not sure many people realize how important Hopkins has been to Boeheim's success over the last 20 years.

Everything you raise about recruiting is true, but I'll take it a step further and point out that from an organizational standpoint Mike has had an inordinately large proportion of the day-to-day responsibilities of running the program compared to what most #2 guys have. He has also been instrumental to keeping the team running by being the guy in charge of the off court stuff. Boeheim has a completely laissez-faire approach to what his players do off the court and I worry about what will happen without Mike around. Mike was no disciplinarian, but he sure cleaned up a lot of messes over the years.

Mason

 

[Lucid]

Stupid? Where did I say that. He's 72. He had his self appointed successor taking over the bulk of the responsibilities and was mentally prepared to step down in 2018, despite him not wanting too. Said that exactly at the presser. Now all of a sudden, the guy who in everything but title was co-captaining the ship is gone. Motivation is great, but actually doing the work is another thing. No question JB isn't out hustling like his HOF peers are. That's a fact. So will that change now that he can't use Hop, I hope so. Perhaps even GMAC and RED become great recruiters, I'd take that too. That said, in no way was I calling JB stupid, and I am positive he still wants to win. I do question his ability to do so, especially if he doesn't really put the work in. If he's sending GMAC out one on one against Calipari, he's gonna lose those battles. However, I would say that about any D1 coach that isn't personally out there grinding for talent.

When I read the words "I hope he doesn't think he can just phone it in and get the players he needs to beat Duke and UNC," it sounds for sure like you're saying he's stupid, delusional, or suffering dementia.

After all, for a 40 year coach with his pedigree to think like that, he would need to have lost his coaching marbles.

I thinks it's safe to say he knows better.

 

[sutomcat]

Peoples sources, if they do have a source, can come from different "factions". JB, Hop and the AD. They all may have a different, or even slightly different, spin on things that would best serve them. I don't believe anyone here, regardless of source, has the full story. And that's NOT a knock at all on anyone here.

Agree. While some of the details are not the same, they come from very different perspectives and it is possible for both sides of this to be legit from that perspective.

It must have been very hard to be in Mike's shoes and I wouldn't want to be in JW's either. Change is tough, everyone has great respect for JB and what he has accomplished.

 

[jr4750]

When I read the words "I hope he doesn't think he can just phone it in and get the players he needs to beat Duke and UNC," it sounds for sure like you're saying he's stupid, delusional, or suffering dementia.

After all, for a 40 year coach with his pedigree to think like that, he would need to have lost his coaching marbles.

I thinks it's safe to say he knows better.

Fair enough. The impetus for me saying that was the idea that he has let his assistants do a bulk of the recruiting for many years. I think that may go back all the way to the Louie Orr, Bernie Fine days, which he rightfully saw as a problem and as such, brought in Troy Weaver. Our best recruiter, who he relied on heavily is now gone. I am positive JB has a big ego, (I was a walkon many many years ago) and has shied away from kids who he needs to coddle to. I don't think he wants any part of doing that anymore, hence letting his assistants do that legwork, and bringing him in last minute to close the deal. That just became even harder without Hop. I don't think that strategy gets the top 20 kids, and I do believe you need at least a couple of those guys to beat Duke, UNC, UL. I think we are capable, but it would involve JB being more proactive. I think we can phone it in and be 10-8, 11-7 in the ACC, but that's not what he wants, nor do I think most of us. I also don't think 72 year olds, who have done something one way for 40 years, suddenly change, and get re-energized to deal with crazy over demanding parents. That's all I got.

 

[ForCuseSake]

Not going to debate the earlier stuff in this post because people around here love to kill the messenger if they read things they don't want to hear, but you do raise quite a few valid points in your second paragraph. I'm not sure many people realize how important Hopkins has been to Boeheim's success over the last 20 years.

Everything you raise about recruiting is true, but I'll take it a step further and point out that from an organizational standpoint Mike has had an inordinately large proportion of the day-to-day responsibilities of running the program compared to what most #2 guys have. He has also been instrumental to keeping the team running by being the guy in charge of the off court stuff. Boeheim has a completely laissez-faire approach to what his players do off the court and I worry about what will happen without Mike around. Mike was no disciplinarian, but he sure cleaned up a lot of messes over the years.

Mason

Like driving to Niagara Falls when Chuck Norris, aka Paul Harris, couldn't take it anymore?

Hop was JB's Winston Wolfe for certain.

 

[Day2]

He interviewed Friday. Washington flew to Syracuse.

They fit an entire state on a plane?

 

[Toga]

Not going to debate the earlier stuff in this post because people around here love to kill the messenger if they read things they don't want to hear, but you do raise quite a few valid points in your second paragraph. I'm not sure many people realize how important Hopkins has been to Boeheim's success over the last 20 years.

Everything you raise about recruiting is true, but I'll take it a step further and point out that from an organizational standpoint Mike has had an inordinately large proportion of the day-to-day responsibilities of running the program compared to what most #2 guys have. He has also been instrumental to keeping the team running by being the guy in charge of the off court stuff. Boeheim has a completely laissez-faire approach to what his players do off the court and I worry about what will happen without Mike around. Mike was no disciplinarian, but he sure cleaned up a lot of messes over the years.

Mason

Right. And now we are expecting improvement because JB will be really gung ho to send out his assistants to recruit? (not directed at you) Listen, I hope he goes out with title but I'm not seeing the logic of why his staying is better than his leaving if his activity level is not on a par with his peers.

 

[elimunelson]

Not going to debate the earlier stuff in this post because people around here love to kill the messenger if they read things they don't want to hear, but you do raise quite a few valid points in your second paragraph. I'm not sure many people realize how important Hopkins has been to Boeheim's success over the last 20 years.

Everything you raise about recruiting is true, but I'll take it a step further and point out that from an organizational standpoint Mike has had an inordinately large proportion of the day-to-day responsibilities of running the program compared to what most #2 guys have. He has also been instrumental to keeping the team running by being the guy in charge of the off court stuff. Boeheim has a completely laissez-faire approach to what his players do off the court and I worry about what will happen without Mike around. Mike was no disciplinarian, but he sure cleaned up a lot of messes over the years.

Mason

Not to be THAT guy, but has the guy who has been handling the off the court stuff been doing a bang up job? I actually think that guy could do a much better job since the guy who was doing it just saw the program through a probation period (however you want to perceive that time frame, etc).

Mike Hopkins, quality guy, deserves to see if he's the real deal now. I would bet with all the years of experience he has now, Gerry will fill these shoes not to shabbily now. Time will tell.

I would lastly say that the real battlefront seems to be MH and the admin because if he didn't alert them he was going to interview with Wash U and give them the proper deference, u get the narrative that MH wasn't happy with SU the school and not Jim Boeheim, his mentor

 

[Lucid]

Fair enough. The impetus for me saying that was the idea that he has let his assistants do a bulk of the recruiting for many years. I think that may go back all the way to the Louie Orr, Bernie Fine days, which he rightfully saw as a problem and as such, brought in Troy Weaver. Our best recruiter, who he relied on heavily is now gone. I am positive JB has a big ego, (I was a walkon many many years ago) and has shied away from kids who he needs to coddle to. I don't think he wants any part of doing that anymore, hence letting his assistants do that legwork, and bringing him in last minute to close the deal. That just became even harder without Hop. I don't think that strategy gets the top 20 kids, and I do believe you need at least a couple of those guys to beat Duke, UNC, UL. I think we are capable, but it would involve JB being more proactive. I think we can phone it in and be 10-8, 11-7 in the ACC, but that's not what he wants, nor do I think most of us. I also don't think 72 year olds, who have done something one way for 40 years, suddenly change, and get re-energized to deal with crazy over demanding parents. That's all I got.

All of which makes sense. I take exception only with your last sentence. I may not be 72, but I think I'm old enough to know that SOME 72 years-olds are capable of that kind of change, if it means they can end well. I think JB wants to end REALLY well, and he's got the coaching chops to do it. At least, that's what I hear when I listen carefully to his recent pressers... he sounds CONFIDENT.

At least, if I'm being honest, it's what I HOPE.

 

[TinyManInside]

Not to be THAT guy, but has the guy who has been handling the off the court stuff been doing a bang up job? I actually think that guy could do a much better job since the guy who was doing it just saw the program through a probation period (however you want to perceive that time frame, etc).

Mike Hopkins, quality guy, deserves to see if he's the real deal now. I would bet with all the years of experience he has now, Gerry will fill these shoes not to shabbily now. Time will tell.

I would lastly say that the real battlefront seems to be MH and the admin because if he didn't alert them he was going to interview with Wash U and give them the proper deference, u get the narrative that MH wasn't happy with SU the school and not Jim Boeheim, his mentor

Hop has handled a boatload of stuff that never made it into the public sphere. For every incident that hits the media, there are many more that don't.

 

[TinyManInside]

Like driving to Niagara Falls when Chuck Norris, aka Paul Harris, couldn't take it anymore?

Hop was JB's Winston Wolfe for certain.

One example out of many, yes.

 

[AlpharettaCuse]

It was clear that JB & JW refused to put in writing that JB would leave next season and MH would be guaranteed to take over.

Right. It was already in writing when Wildhack got here.

 

[TinyManInside]

Not to be THAT guy, but has the guy who has been handling the off the court stuff been doing a bang up job? I actually think that guy could do a much better job since the guy who was doing it just saw the program through a probation period (however you want to perceive that time frame, etc).

Mike Hopkins, quality guy, deserves to see if he's the real deal now. I would bet with all the years of experience he has now, Gerry will fill these shoes not to shabbily now. Time will tell.

I would lastly say that the real battlefront seems to be MH and the admin because if he didn't alert them he was going to interview with Wash U and give them the proper deference, u get the narrative that MH wasn't happy with SU the school and not Jim Boeheim, his mentor

Autry will most likely be the guy inheriting Mike's responsibilities, not Gerry.