Mike Hopkins to the Phoenix Suns

[HoustonCuse]

I get the hesitation but none of the other candidates have any experience at all. So I’m making the risk based argument that ahopkins has had a rough time but has learned lessons the other never have. I wonder how much of his issue has been accepting the best recruit regardless of head-case status. JB avoided that.

 

[orangedave]

I get the hesitation but none of the other candidates have any experience at all. So I’m making the risk based argument that ahopkins has had a rough time but has learned lessons the other never have. I wonder how much of his issue has been accepting the best recruit regardless of head-case status. JB avoided that.

Do we even know who the other candidates are? Other than speculations on this and other sites.

 

[RF2044]

I still say he’s the best option (among the realistic options) to replace Boeheim. He is undoubtedly learning a lot through this experience at UW, things our other candidates will have to learn while at the helm of our own ship.

If we restrict the candidate pool to only in-house candidates, then I agree that he is the "best option" out of a trio of awful candidates. But only because he's actually been a head coach, unlike Red / Gerry.

But that's like saying that he's the skinniest elephant in the pen. Because compared to other candidates out there, he would most definitely NOT be the "best option" by any evaluative criteria that goes beyond the superficial requirement of having ties to the program.

We are not a program that has to artificially restrict ourselves to such an unqualified group of candidates, and we won't.

 

[KaiserUEO]

Do we even know who the other candidates are? Other than speculations on this and other sites.

dont care as long as we know Hop is not 1.

sucks, but true.

 

[kjb120]

If we restrict the candidate pool to only in-house candidates, then I agree that he is the "best option" out of a trio of awful candidates. But only because he's actually been a head coach, unlike Red / Gerry.

But that's like saying that he's the skinniest elephant in the pen. Because compared to other candidates out there, he would most definitely NOT be the "best option" by any evaluative criteria that goes beyond the superficial requirement of having ties to the program.

We are not a program that has to artificially restrict ourselves to such an unqualified group of candidates, and we won't.

I couldn’t agree with you more, we are historically a top program why are we limited to assistants and ex assistants? I’m not saying we can go and get Jay Wright but I think we can do better then our assistants.

 

[Cusefan0307]

No way can we hire him after what has happened the past 3 seasons at Washington. Autry and Gmac have a better shot.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Yes…..but not much longer IMHo

It will probably take the AD with him.

 

[hoopsupstate]

I get the hesitation but none of the other candidates have any experience at all. So I’m making the risk based argument that ahopkins has had a rough time but has learned lessons the other never have. I wonder how much of his issue has been accepting the best recruit regardless of head-case status. JB avoided that.

JB had no experience when he got hired and it turned out ok.

 

[RF2044]

JB had no experience when he got hired and it turned out ok.

That was nearly 5 decades ago, when SU was a regional program, before we were part of a major conference, and well before college basketball became big business.

We shouldn't be following a template that is nearly 50 years old, as an analogy for what we should do today.

 

[HoustonCuse]

If we restrict the candidate pool to only in-house candidates, then I agree that he is the "best option" out of a trio of awful candidates. But only because he's actually been a head coach, unlike Red / Gerry.

But that's like saying that he's the skinniest elephant in the pen. Because compared to other candidates out there, he would most definitely NOT be the "best option" by any evaluative criteria that goes beyond the superficial requirement of having ties to the program.

We are not a program that has to artificially restrict ourselves to such an unqualified group of candidates, and we won't.

I’m making the assumption that the hire will be an alum. I think it is fairly safe to assume that.

 

[hoopsupstate]

That was nearly 5 decades ago, when SU was a regional program, before we were part of a major conference, and well before college basketball became big business.

We shouldn't be following a template that is nearly 50 years old, as an analogy for what we should do today.

I think if it’s ok with Duke and Carolina, it should be ok with SU. They are two of the top five programs in America. They didn’t feel the need to do a national search and they hired two coaches with no experience.

 

[kjb120]

I think if it’s ok with Duke and Carolina, it should be ok with SU. They are two of the top five programs in America. They didn’t feel the need to do a national search and they hired two coaches with no experience.

Right now Duke is on a whole other level then Syracuse in terms of recruiting and continuity was a smart choice, we are a struggling program whose peers are passing us by, call me crazy but I think this program needs a bit of a change and injection of new blood.

 

[SWC75]

That was nearly 5 decades ago, when SU was a regional program, before we were part of a major conference, and well before college basketball became big business.

We shouldn't be following a template that is nearly 50 years old, as an analogy for what we should do today.

Yeah, nobody's hired an assistant and had him win in 5 decades.

I'd prefer a guy with head coach experience over one that doesn't but that's not an absolute requirement. And I think they'll promote from within and this kind of speculation will be relevant to the guy next guy, if we need a next guy

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Nah, he’s clearly a bad coach who can’t build a program. I can’t imagine how the alumni and boosters would react if you bring in a guy who had 3-4 straight losing seasons to replace a coach who has never even had 1. He’s an assistant and recruiting lead at best. Syracuse needs to look outside the family for the next hire.

Bill Belichick was kind of a joke as a head coach for the Cleveland Browns. Just sayin’. Maybe Mike rules the world in his second opportunity?

 

[Cuse12]

Nah, he’s clearly a bad coach who can’t build a program. I can’t imagine how the alumni and boosters would react if you bring in a guy who had 3-4 straight losing seasons to replace a coach who has never even had 1. He’s an assistant and recruiting lead at best. Syracuse needs to look outside the family for the next hire.

Not happening, the next HC is sitting on the bench already

 

[hoopsupstate]

Not happening, the next HC is sitting on the bench already

You’re correct and it doesn’t matter what the fans think.

 

[RF2044]

I think if it’s ok with Duke and Carolina, it should be ok with SU. They are two of the top five programs in America. They didn’t feel the need to do a national search and they hired two coaches with no experience.

It's okay for them -- especially Duke -- because they were recruiting at the highest level and have been playing top 10 caliber ball. So they have a REASON to seek continuity.

What's our reason? To continue the streak of double-digit loss seasons? To perpetually remain on the NCAA tournament bubble? To preserve our lackluster recruiting? To maintain the mediocrity?

My god -- it is shocking to see how much a segment of the fanbase's expectations have lowered.

 

[RF2044]

Yeah, nobody's hired an assistant and had him win in 5 decades.

I'd prefer a guy with head coach experience over one that doesn't but that's not an absolute requirement. And I think they'll promote from within and this kind of speculation will be relevant to the guy next guy, if we need a next guy

Your first sentence is straw man BS.

The rest is your unsubstantiated opinion. Based on logic, but unsupported.

My unsubstantiated opinion is that the AD will do due diligence.

We'll see who's correct when the time comes.

 

[SWC75]

That's your unsubstantiated opinion. Based on logic, but unsupported.

My unsubstantiated opinion is that the AD will do due diligence.

We'll see who's correct when the time comes.

All of our opinions are. (Except that the next guy is likely to have a worse record than JB.)

What if he does due diligence and appoints Autry?

 

[RF2044]

Not happening, the next HC is sitting on the bench already

Just think about what you're suggesting.

Mike Hopkins was EXPONENTIALLY more qualified to take over than either Red or Gerry are. He'd been groomed for more than a decade to be the successor -- had in fact been NAMED the head-coach-in-waiting. He was considered a rising superstar as an assistant coach.

And when he jumped to a P5 head coaching position, he's flopped. Miserably. Promising start, but it is impossible at this point to consider his time at Washington as anything but an abject failure, given the three year run of impossibly bad performance. All due respect to Mike for his contributions as both a player and an AC, but he's literally coached himself out of being a viable candidate to return here.

And that's a guy who is, was, and always will be exponentially more qualified than the two guys "sitting on the bench already" -- both of whom combined have had ZERO offers to be a head coach of a D1 program at any level. That should tell you a lot about their qualifications, but it clearly doesn't.

Which is why I'm glad that we have an AD who isn't going to settle for such a lousy candidate pool, or artificially limit the search only to in-house candidates. He'd be an idiot if he did.

 

[RF2044]

All of our opinions are. (Except that the next guy is likely to have a worse record than JB.)

What if he does due diligence and appoints Autry?

If the AD actually does due diligence, then it is virtually impossible to envision that Autry would emerge as the best, most qualified candidate at the end of the process.

 

[RF2044]

Right now Duke is on a whole other level then Syracuse in terms of recruiting and continuity was a smart choice, we are a struggling program whose peers are passing us by, call me crazy but I think this program needs a bit of a change and injection of new blood.

Right?

I mean... do people even understand why the comparison is absurd?

 

[cliftonparksufan]

That was nearly 5 decades ago, when SU was a regional program, before we were part of a major conference, and well before college basketball became big business.

We shouldn't be following a template that is nearly 50 years old, as an analogy for what we should do today.

And if it was up to JAB, we never would have moved to the Carrier Dome and probably never would have been part of the Big East. As great as JAB has been, foresight is probably not one of his big strengths. Occasionally he needs an Athletic Director to succeed.

 

[Sherman20]

Right now Duke is on a whole other level then Syracuse in terms of recruiting and continuity was a smart choice, we are a struggling program whose peers are passing us by, call me crazy but I think this program needs a bit of a change and injection of new blood.

very fair argument about hiring current Cuse assistants and probably the right call not to. But I wonder if the AD will make that move. JB is gonna advocate for Gmac or Autry.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Just think about what you're suggesting.

Mike Hopkins was EXPONENTIALLY more qualified to take over than either Red or Gerry are. He'd been groomed for more than a decade to be the successor -- had in fact been NAMED the head-coach-in-waiting. He was considered a rising superstar as an assistant coach.

And when he jumped to a P5 head coaching position, he's flopped. Miserably. Promising start, but it is impossible at this point to consider his time at Washington as anything but an abject failure, given the three year run of impossibly bad performance. All due respect to Mike for his contributions as both a player and an AC, but he's literally coached himself out of being a viable candidate to return here.

And that's a guy who is, was, and always will be exponentially more qualified than the two guys "sitting on the bench already" -- both of whom combined have had ZERO offers to be a head coach of a D1 program at any level. That should tell you a lot about their qualifications, but it clearly doesn't.

Which is why I'm glad that we have an AD who isn't going to settle for such a lousy candidate pool, or artificially limit the search only to in-house candidates. He'd be an idiot if he did.

I don't think it's Hop but overall, I think he would do better here recruiting than at UW just because of all of his East Coast contacts. In fact, one could argue, that Hop as HC here with the same staff would attract better recruits than the current regime. However, I think the jury is still out regarding his game coaching and prep work. It's unfortunate the last couple years haven't gone very well for Hop.