Who honestly has confidence in Mike Hopkins as the next HC

[kcsu]

would be curious to hear your take on why

Seattle vs Syracuse for one. It is one of the leading cities in the world.
Family. His is west coast based and he wont be moving his kids again easily.
Syracuse will never be his program.
Lets face it. Unless SU is willing to throw serious money at hop we cant compete.

 

[kcsu]

B

We? If the AD was following the situation close enough he would’ve recognized that Hop and JB had something really awkward going on. That’s where a competent leader steps in to protect his assets, tells JB to cut the horseshoes and secure a smooth transition strategy.

Not sure why the AD isn’t taking more heat for how this played out. This is dumpster fire bad.

Because JB forced Hop into a horrible position.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

B

Because JB forced Hop into a horrible position.

He sure did and Wildhack let it happen. There's no way he was going to be the guy that told JB to retire. So we got what "everyone" wanted...JB for as long as he wants.

 

[kcsu]

He sure did and Wildhack let it happen. There's no way he was going to be the guy that told JB to retire. So we got what "everyone" wanted...JB for as long as he wants.

Wildhack didnt make the call hop did.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

Wildhack didnt make the call hop did.

That's crap. Mike made the call he made because he knew in his heart of hearts that SU would never make JB leave and he didn't want to be the bad guy that forced his mentor out. That's entirely on the athletic department. From where I sit, Wildhack leads that department. And he did nothing to make it easy on Mike to stay. Mike was forced into a complete no-win situation...His only move was to leave!

 

[kcsu]

That's crap. Mike made the call he made because he knew in his heart of hearts that SU would never make JB leave and he didn't want to be the bad guy that forced his mentor out. That's entirely on the athletic department. From where I sit, Wildhack leads that department. And he did nothing to make it easy on Mike to stay. Mike was forced into a complete no-win situation...His only move was to leave!

My point is that this is on JB.

 

[FrancoPizza]

My point is that this is on JB.

Yes it’s mostly JB but Wildhack could’ve taken the heat to be the “bad guy” but he chose to do nothing.

 

[OrangeFoo]

The reality is I think either JB had to step down on his volition or Hop had to leave. The AD forcing JB out for Hop would have been a disaster for Hop... he would have been labeled as the guy who forced out a HOFer and he would have been reminded of that every time he stepped on the court. I don’t think that would have been a teneable situation for Hop and he knew that so he bailed. At the end of the day the consequences of this are on JB, which is fair because he built the program and his legacy so I guess he deserves the chance to tarnish both. I think a) he’s too competitive and b) not self aware enough to hang em up on his own so we are going to be stuck in limbo for more years. We should all just hope that next year is a great one because the alternative will be really really ugly.

The unfortunate part is Hop was forced in this position by JB so he won’t come back.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

My point is that this is on JB.

I respectfully disagree. This is on the athletic department. JB's selfishness sure didn't help any though.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

Yes it’s mostly JB but Wildhack could’ve taken the heat to be the “bad guy” but he chose to do nothing.

The reality is I think either JB had to step down on his volition or Hop had to leave. The AD forcing JB out for Hop would have been a disaster for Hop... he would have been labeled as the guy who forced out a HOFer and he would have been reminded of that every time he stepped on the court. I don’t think that would have been a teneable situation for Hop and he knew that so he bailed. At the end of the day the consequences of this are on JB, which is fair because he built the program and his legacy so I guess he deserves the chance to tarnish both. I think a) he’s too competitive and b) not self aware enough to hang em up on his own so we are going to be stuck in limbo for more years. We should all just hope that next year is a great one because the alternative will be really really ugly.

The unfortunate part is Hop was forced in this position by JB so he won’t come back.

Great post!

 

[PhatOrange]

Can anyone imagine how nasty the locals would be turning on Hop right now if he were coaching this train wreck of a sanction riddled team; with 5 freshman and little scoring?

Hop’s starting 4 juniors and a sophomore. 1st guy off the bench is a junior. Then he goes to 3 freshman for token minutes.

The turnaround hes making this year for them is wonderful but there is no way he would be having the same success with this SU team, or heck neither would Coach K or Calipair or Jay Wright for that matter.

I anxiously await to see what Hop does in year three and and 4 when it’s solely his team.

 

[NKR1978]

I respectfully disagree. This is on the athletic department. JB's selfishness sure didn't help any though.

How is not retiring when you aren’t ready to, being selfish?

I hate the last two years as much as everyone, but we’ve had two final fours in the last 5 tournaments. Before that we had gaudy regular seasons with mixed tournament results and fans were still angry over the underachieving come tournament time.

 

[CousCuse]

What if Boeheim had left and Hopkins took over and the season still went the same? Hopkins would already be under attack and his chances of having a successful go as HC of Syracuse would be fading. People on this board would already be starting threads as to who would replace Hopkins because they "know" he doesn't have what it takes and shouldn't get more than 2 years to prove it. He should count his luck that Boeheim stayed and he is on a no lose job in a weaker conference where he has no pressure to succeed for several years.

 

[Alsacs]

Can anyone imagine how nasty the locals would be turning on Hop right now if he were coaching this train wreck of a sanction riddled team; with 5 freshman and little scoring?

Hop’s starting 4 juniors and a sophomore. 1st guy off the bench is a junior. Then he goes to 3 freshman for token minutes.

The turnaround hes making this year for them is wonderful but there is no way he would be having the same success with this SU team, or heck neither would Coach K or Calipair or Jay Wright for that matter.

I anxiously await to see what Hop dose in year three and and 4 when it’s solely his team.

JB should have timed his retirement with a team that was stocked up with talent. If he wanted Hop to succeed.

The problem was JB didn’t want to leave and Hop didn’t want to force him out.
I am not a local I was worried about Hop because I didn’t he would change from what JB did. He has shown he can. I wanted him to leave 5 years ago and prove what he has done now.

The problem is Hop was burned and for that he isn’t likely to come back.

This cluster bleep is on JB and his laziness in recruiting and roster management.

We have more talent next year but let’s see if recruiting stays the same the following years and we actually cast a wider net for players.
The negligence in the EJ Montgomery case is so frustrating.
We didn’t start recruiting him he wanted us to make contact and after we did he was pissed off at how long it took.

 

[Alsacs]

What if Boeheim had left and Hopkins took over and the season still went the same? Hopkins would already be under attack and his chances of having a successful go as HC of Syracuse would be fading. People on this board would already be starting threads as to who would replace Hopkins because they "know" he doesn't have what it takes and shouldn't get more than 2 years to prove it. He should count his luck that Boeheim stayed and he is on a no lose job in a weaker conference where he has no pressure to succeed for several years.

I know Hop should have taken the UMass job can you say Refuse to Lose part II.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

How is not retiring when you aren’t ready to, being selfish?

I hate the last two years as much as everyone, but we’ve had two final fours in the last 5 tournaments. Before that we had gaudy regular seasons with mixed tournament results and fans were still angry over the underachieving come tournament time.

This is about short term vs long term. SU took the easy, short term, answer. I sure hope next year is better then this year.

 

[NKR1978]

This is about short term vs long term. SU took the easy, short term, answer. I sure hope next year is better then this year.

It’s hard to push out a coach coming off two Final Fours in a short period of time.

 

[CousCuse]

I know Hop should have taken the UMass job can you say Refuse to Lose part II.

Looks like I hit the bullseye.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Can anyone imagine how nasty the locals would be turning on Hop right now if he were coaching this train wreck of a sanction riddled team; with 5 freshman and little scoring?

Hop’s starting 4 juniors and a sophomore. 1st guy off the bench is a junior. Then he goes to 3 freshman for token minutes.

The turnaround hes making this year for them is wonderful but there is no way he would be having the same success with this SU team, or heck neither would Coach K or Calipair or Jay Wright for that matter.

I anxiously await to see what Hop dose in year three and and 4 when it’s solely his team.

The players he’s coaching won 11 games last year with the number one draft pick. He’s got them contending for the PAC 12 title.
I’m tired of hearing about talent when we are starting 5 4 star recruits.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

It’s hard to push out a coach coming off two Final Fours in a short period of time.

The athletic department screwed up on succession management. They assumed that all our success was because of JB and allowed him to set the terms for his leaving (after making a deal with Mike). They contradicted themselves. What was Mike to do? He did the only thing he could do..

 

[Stern]

 

[NKR1978]

The athletic department screwed up on succession management. They assumed that all our success was because of JB and allowed him to set the terms for his leaving (after making a deal with Mike). They contradicted themselves. What was Mike to do? He did the only thing he could do..

I don’t think Mike owed SU anything, but I also don’t think SU or JB owed Mike anything.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

I don’t think Mike owed SU anything, but I also don’t think SU or JB owed Mike anything.

As far as I understand it, and correct me if I'm wrong, didn't Mike have a contract with SU that stated when he'd take over? If so, then SU sure did owe him something.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Seattle vs Syracuse for one. It is one of the leading cities in the world.
Family. His is west coast based and he wont be moving his kids again easily.
Syracuse will never be his program.
Lets face it. Unless SU is willing to throw serious money at hop we cant compete.

I think SU would pony up but I doubt $ alone would be enough to persuade him. Maybe when his kids are off to college and his wife wants to be closer to her family?

 

[OttoMets]

I respectfully disagree. This is on the athletic department. JB's selfishness sure didn't help any though.

I think the chancellor should get some blame, too. The three-year phased retirement after sanctions came from his office, so for him to wash his hands of that and leave Wildhack with the blame for the nonsense last March is weak, in my opinion.

This was an abdication of leadership and I'm concerned it's going to be remembered for years to come.