Syracuse chancellor on Mike Hopkins: Now is not the time to say whether he'll succeed Jim Boeheim

[Lawrinson14]

I feel like I have always been in the minority when it comes to Coach B's successor. Hop has absolutely no head coaching experience. If he is the next head coach, great. If not, who cares? We will then be able to hire a proven commodity.

 

[CuseHulk]

I feel like I have always been in the minority when it comes to Coach B's successor. Hop has absolutely no head coaching experience. If he is the next head coach, great. If not, who cares? We will then be able to hire a proven commodity.

You are in the minority for a reason. Coach B had no experience, you have to start from somewhere.

 

[RandygoCuse]

I think Hop is the leading candidate right now - by far. But he's free to interview with other teams, and he's done so. If SU makes a good faith decision that he's not the best guy for the job, I'm fine with it.

 

[Lawrinson14]

You are in the minority for a reason. Coach B had no experience, you have to start from somewhere.

That was 40 years ago. Totally different environment. There is no time for a learning curve in today's sporting world.

 

[Millhouse]

SU lets Boeheim call the shots!
These SERIOUS infractions were an institutional problem from top to bottom!
CHANGE IS NEEDED
SU needs to allow Boeheim to hand pick his successor in order to have continuity in their highly respected and successful program!
Cognitive dissonance? What's that? Remember, I went to a j school!

 

[orange79]

In my opinion we hired a Georgetown lawyer and one who has failed to impress the NCAA. From everything I have read, SU's appeals fell flat, with a THUD, did more harm than good, and worse, some say we have very little grounds for appeal, based on past arguments we have made. I admit that I am an Su sports fan, and really don't care about the biology department or if a math professor is upset about Univ. priorities.
Plus, again, it has been said in the past, that Hopkins would be the next coach. So I don't think the Eggheaded Georgetown lawyer is handling this well by leaving Hopkins twisting in the wind.

 

[NoXcuse99]

A Georgetown grad, has nudged JB out the door, and now holds the future of SU's hoops program in his hands. Somewhere John Thompson is laughing his azz off.

 

[Lawrinson14]

You are in the minority for a reason. Coach B had no experience, you have to start from somewhere.

I'd prefer hop to take a smaller job now, then come back in 3 years.

 

[br801]

My opinion is that Mike Hopkins will be the guy but that the chancellor is following the proper chain of command here, leaving that decision to the new AD, which is where it belongs.

I hope to hell you're right. Hop has been a good and loyal soldier, and has done nothing but look and and sound like someone who will be a tremendous coach for his university when that day arrives. I will be pissed if he doesn't get the chance. And I can't imagine how disappointed he would be.

 

[Delmar]

As a Georgetown grad, Syverud has just been biding his time and waiting for the right moment to destroy SU basketball. My guess is that he will bring in Patrick Ewing as the new HC. Ewing has been looking for a coaching job. The team will be renamed the Orange Hoyas. I'm pretty sure this is going to happen.

 

[Brooky03]

Hopkins has to be the next coach. Anything else would be a real scumbag move by the University. The guy has waited long enough with the belief that he has the potential for upward mobility within the program. To take a career altering promise away from him, regardless of who promised it, is not okay.

I think there are a few factors in play here. If we're using Gross' resignation and Boeheim's retirement as leverage in the appeal, we don't want it to seem like Boeheim's successor will continue "a culture of non-compliance" like the NCAA thinks Boeheim did. Making it seem like a former player and long time assistant under Boeheim isn't a lock for the position might help our argument that the right changes are being made. This doesn't mean Hop won't get hired; it means we have to make it look like he might not get hired.

We also need to entice a good Athletic Director to come here. This is a little more sketchy, though. You don't want to start a relationship with a new AD based on a false pretense that he can hire whomever he wants as the new Head Coach when it's already predetermined to be Hop. However, if the new AD is interested at all in public opinion and goodwill from the fanbase, he would be best served to give the position to Hop.

Luckily, Boeheim has all of the leverage here. Even though he announced a deadline for his retirement, he can do what he wants. The University has no clean way to force him out without serious ill-will from the community and bad press in the national media. The University's stance against the sanctions so far eliminates the possible argument that he was running a dirty program or loose ship and needed to be let go. So, when the 3 years are over, Jim could say, "Announce Hop as the Head Coach or I'm not going anywhere." If it comes to it, I hope Boeheim does exactly this.

 

[CraigForth]

FWIW all the chancellor said was that now is not the time to discuss JBs successor. He's right, we are about to appeal the ruling of the COI, telling them we are going with a successor that was a part of the program during the infractions is not smart. I believe hiring Hop is the right thing to do and I think they will. So far the school has done everything right in dealing with the fallout, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt

 

[DoctorBombay]

SU lets Boeheim call the shots!
These SERIOUS infractions were an institutional problem from top to bottom!
CHANGE IS NEEDED
SU needs to allow Boeheim to hand pick his successor in order to have continuity in their highly respected and successful program!
Cognitive dissonance? What's that? Remember, I went to a j school!

NOTHING in the report implicated Hop in any way.
LOYALTY is not a catch-phrase to be tossed around and taken lightly.
INTEGRITY and HONESTY are important no matter what field you're in.
Tossing Hop by the wayside, due to no fault of his own, is a bad PR move and leaves the program with a sense of uncertainty until JB retires.
Hop doesn't deserve that, and neither does the SU basketball program. One's WORD should mean something...

*PS- I can use caps lock too!!!

 

[VaBeachOrFan]

I may be naive, but I take his words at face value. I think Boeheim leaves in 3 years and Hopkins takes over.

Agree wholeheartedly. The SU basketball program has been built upon a foundation of stability provided by Jim Boeheim over four decades (probably the main reason I've been a fan for that long). So think, for a minute. . . if that is JB's prime directive, what would be his preferred tactic to give his program, staff, and current and promised players the best chance to survive this turmoil? Maintain the helm while riding out the storm (a captain doesn't abandon his ship) and don't stick Mike with the worst three years to get his coaching feet under him. Give Mike a fighting chance to succeed with the players Mike has recruited by staying to provide them the coaching from JB they expected when they signed their letters.

Success in real estate may be location, location, location, but success in SU Basketball is continuity, continuity, continuity. There's a reason JB's name is on the court.-VBOF

P.S.: New AD or not, it would be sheer stupidity for the university not to give Mike first shot at succeeding JB.

P.P.S.: Hope JB challenges the NCAA and gets some of his victories back . . . Fab Melo wasn't a determining factor in many of them.

 

[Millhouse]

NOTHING in the report implicated Hop in any way.
LOYALTY is not a catch-phrase to be tossed around and taken lightly.
INTEGRITY and HONESTY are important no matter what field you're in.
Tossing Hop by the wayside, due to no fault of his own, is a bad PR move and leaves the program with a sense of uncertainty until JB retires.
Hop doesn't deserve that, and neither does the SU basketball program. One's WORD should mean something...

*PS- I can use caps lock too!!!

just to be clear, none of that stuff was my opinion. just pointing out how contradictory the media is

i don't care if hopkins is the coach or not. maybe he should've gotten more involved to protect himself from kissel and melo

 

[AZOrange]

I think this is merely a case of Syverud not wanting to muddle the JB news...

 

[rosconey]

Syverud is a pox upon the program- he has infested jimmy's arm pits with the flea's of a thousand camels-
hell must have frozen over because we have a hoya running syracuse

 

[dasher]

Syverud needs to follow Gross's ass right out the door. Mr. Egghead can't be trusted. He has no SU ties. No SU history. He has no sports background and has shown no love of sport. He has no SU loyalties. To date we know that Mr. Egghead meets with Professor's who call for people to be fired and guess what? The next day Gross and JB are out. Not a great sign of thing to come for the athletic department.
But to throw Hopkins under the bus? That is OUTRIGHT DIRTY DEALING. It has long been established he would be the next head coach. I think FANS are going to be upset and I think RECRUITS will be headed elsewhere.

Calm down.

 

[OttoMets]

...when the 3 years are over, Jim could say, "Announce Hop as the Head Coach or I'm not going anywhere." If it comes to it, I hope Boeheim does exactly this.

If Boeheim has an inkling that this might happen, he'll wait until September and do exactly that - put them in the position Carolina was in when Guthridge became the coach.

But this is really a tempest in a teapot. With "sanctions" looking like a prefix to Syracuse in every news story, Syverud can't step up there and say that Hopkins is definitely going to succeed Boeheim. All is well.

 

[OttoMets]

FWIW all the chancellor said was that now is not the time to discuss JBs successor. He's right, we are about to appeal the ruling of the COI, telling them we are going with a successor that was a part of the program during the infractions is not smart. ...

Exactly.

 

[NYCorange]

Has anyone thought about the fact that Hopkins himself may not want public assurances? This could all be a giagantic charade on the part of SU and Hopkins. What better way to signal to other schools that he's not tied to coming back to coach Syracuse in 3 years than to have your chancellor and HC essentially refuse to give assurances themselves? Now Hopkins can go out, get 3 years experience with USC or George Mason, or what-have-you, and then come back to Syracuse when JB retires.

 

[NYCorange]

oops, I didn't see the thread directly below this one...

 

[NoXcuse99]

Calm down.

I'm calm, but again, just after meeting with the academic side, Chancellor Egghead starts swinging the axe. The latest to go, Joe Giansante. Whacked today. Who is next? If I were a staffer in the athletic department I'd be polishing my resume today.

 

[Millhouse]

it would be a little darkly funny if hop didn't get promoted knowing that shafer did

 

[cusetown1]

Hops not in the dark on this.