Wildhack speaks...

[OrangeXtreme]

Hop called Wildhack on Saturday afternoon. Wildhack was in Storrs with the Women's team this weekend.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Syracuse AD John Wildhack told ESPN he found out about Mike Hopkins leaving for Washington mid-afternoon on Saturday. "There was a signed contract in place for Mike to assume the head coaching position after next year -- and one in place for Jim's deal to expire." Wildhack said he went to Jim Boeheim after Hopkins told him he was leaving. "Once I knew Mike was leaving, there was a head coaching vacancy after next year. I wanted to get the best person to fill it, and decided Jim was the best person. That was my recommendation to the chancellor. I wanted to move fast, to make sure there was continuity in place."

 

[two3zone]

I love a good conspiracy theory but something sounds really odd with all of this.

Hop escentially chose Washington over Syracuse and that doesn't make any sense to me at all.

 

[Oráiste]

I love a good conspiracy theory but something sounds really odd with all of this.

Hop escentially chose Washington over Syracuse and that doesn't make any sense to me at all.

$$$

Occam's razor

 

[Madbiker]

So that's the official cover-up for this fiasco? Who is going to believe that? But then again, they don't need us to believe it.

 

[Ringostar57]

Blame it on the Russians

 

[Day2]

So that's the official cover-up for this fiasco? Who is going to believe that? But then again, they don't need us to believe it.

It's only a fiasco if you choose to read into that way.

 

[Ward]

If SU knew on Saturday and it went public Sunday morning it makes it even weirder that they didn't send out any sort of acknowledgement or congratulations until Sunday night.

This whole thing just seems more and more strange.

 

[AlpharettaCuse]

I love a good conspiracy theory but something sounds really odd with all of this.

Hop escentially chose Washington over Syracuse and that doesn't make any sense to me at all.

Hop chose Washington now over Syracuse 5 years from now, essentially. Can't blame him.

 

[AlpharettaCuse]

Syracuse AD John Wildhack told ESPN he found out about Mike Hopkins leaving for Washington mid-afternoon on Saturday. "There was a signed contract in place for Mike to assume the head coaching position after next year -- and one in place for Jim's deal to expire." Wildhack said he went to Jim Boeheim after Hopkins told him he was leaving. "Once I knew Mike was leaving, there was a head coaching vacancy after next year. I wanted to get the best person to fill it, and decided Jim was the best person. That was my recommendation to the chancellor. I wanted to move fast, to make sure there was continuity in place."

"There was a signed contract in place for Mike to assume the head coaching position after next year -- and one in place for Jim's deal to expire." Wildhack said

I don't understand why some refused to believe this.

 

[kuethstheman]

Hop chose Washington now over Syracuse 5 years from now, essentially. Can't blame him.

Yes but the point is that Wildhack's story differs from that.

 

[two3zone]

Hop chose Washington now over Syracuse 5 years from now, essentially. Can't blame him.

As the AD stated, there's a contract in place for Hop to take over after next season.

 

[Madbiker]

I love a good conspiracy theory but something sounds really odd with all of this.

Hop escentially chose Washington over Syracuse and that doesn't make any sense to me at all.

Hop wasn't getting a situation where JB was enthusiastically retiring and happily turning the reigns over to his protege. He was at best getting a situation where JB was vocal about not wanting to retire, wanting to continue as HC, and Hop would be branded by many as the ingrate who forced his mentor out. At worst, JB was going to wage public war on him and the AD. So he took the high road, found another HC job (probably was in the works for a couple months) and left on his own terms.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

I love a good conspiracy theory but something sounds really odd with all of this.

Hop escentially chose Washington over Syracuse and that doesn't make any sense to me at all.

Agreed 1000%.

Guy waits 20+ years to coach his alma mater and, on the verge of getting his dream job, he decides to go elsewhere???

Be like leading the Olympic marathon coming into the stadium and saying, " it. I quit and I'm switching to the 400M Hurdles. See you in four years."

 

[two3zone]

Hop wasn't getting a situation where JB was enthusiastically retiring and happily turning the reigns over to his protege. He was at best getting a situation where JB was vocal about not wanting to retire, wanting to continue as HC, and Hop would be branded by many as the ingrate who forced his mentor out. At worst, JB was going to wage public war on him and the AD. So he took the high road, found another HC job (probably was in the works for a couple months) and left on his own terms.

What does that tell you about JB then? If this is the case then that's disgusting.

Dude has PATIENTLY waited for two decade and waited his turn only for JB to pull shenanigans?

 

[AlpharettaCuse]

As the AD stated, there's a contract in place for Hop to take over after next season.

I told you what happened, right? JB wasn't retiring. He asked for an extention.

 

[AlpharettaCuse]

Yes but the point is that Wildhack's story differs from that.

It's all spin.

 

[AlpharettaCuse]

What does that tell you about JB then? If this is the case then that's disgusting.

Dude has PATIENTLY waited for two decade and waited his turn only for JB to pull shenanigans?

Tells me JB wants to continue coaching and Hop knew it. Hop wanted to start his head coaching career and didn't want to be the one to push out Boehiem.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Hop called Wildhack on Saturday afternoon. Wildhack was in Storrs with the Women's team this weekend.

I wanna see McCarthy as JB and Baldwin as Wildhack...

 

[kuethstheman]

It's all spin.

Exactly.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Hop wasn't getting a situation where JB was enthusiastically retiring and happily turning the reigns over to his protege. He was at best getting a situation where JB was vocal about not wanting to retire, wanting to continue as HC, and Hop would be branded by many as the ingrate who forced his mentor out. At worst, JB was going to wage public war on him and the AD. So he took the high road, found another HC job (probably was in the works for a couple months) and left on his own terms.

Basically that reads as JB indirectly forced him out. Horrible and dishonorable if true. He strung Hop along for the last 10 years. Kept dangling that carrot to keep Hop on board and then decided to be an Indian giver when it was time to own up.

Someone with reputable sources - please tell me this is incorrect.

 

[Day2]

Or hey, maybe Hop regrets passing on the USC job and doesn't want to wait until he's in his 50s to coach SU.

 

[RF2044]

Tells me JB wants to continue coaching and Hop knew it. Hop wanted to start his head coaching career and didn't want to be the one to push out Boehiem.

Right, but a couple of things don't add up with this entire situation as presented.

1. If a contract was in place with Hopkins that the AD intended to honor, why would JB be granted an extension under any circumstances? Why did the administration change their minds? I don't think that anybody disputes that JB wanted to stick around, but that doesn't mean that the University / Wildhack needed to comply with those wishes. So even if JB made overtures about staying, if the AD was committed to the succession plan, then no matter how big of a stink JB made they would have stuck to the plan.
2. It is hard to accept Wildhack's info at face value that the first he knew about this was on Saturday, and that he wasn't clued in beforehand that Hop would depart. If that is really true, then maybe Hopkins surprised them instead of the conspiracy theory about Wildhack granting JB permission to stay on longer, and Hopkins's departure being the consequence of that. Because the alternative is that Wildhack had decided to allow JB to stay, and that this was a decision that was known internally.
3. Was Wildhack not committed to Hopkins as the next guy? As we discussed at length mid-season, new AD's tend to want to put their own stamp on important hires, not be locked into a deal put in place by the previous AD. Maybe part of why Hopkins left was because Wildhack wasn't committed to him behind closed doors.

Will be interesting to learn the details when they eventually come out.

 

[Ish88888]

Hop chose Washington now over Syracuse 5 years from now, essentially. Can't blame him.

Agree, Hop owes Cuse nothing. He's 48 and has been sitting around waiting for jb to retire for years. He gets to become a head coach without ever coaching a mid major. I believe Hop knew JB was gonna resign and that was motivation.

 

[AlpharettaCuse]

Right, but a couple of things don't add up with this entire situation as presented.

1. They did say no, but $ talks.
2. Agree, its hard to accept JW's word at face value.
3. Yes, they absolutely were.

Will be interesting to learn the details when they eventually come out.