 Hopkins in 2019 | |
| New Orleans Pelicans | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant Coach/ Head of Player Development |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1969-08-06)August 6, 1969 (age 56) |
| Career information | |
| College | Syracuse |
| Coaching career | 1995–present |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 1995–2015 | Syracuse (assistant) |
| 2015–2016 | Syracuse (Interim HC) |
| 2016–2017 | Syracuse (assistant) |
| 2017–2024 | Washington |
| 2024–2025 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
| 2025–present | New Orleans Pelicans (assistant/ head of player development) |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Michael Griffith Hopkins (born August 6, 1969) is an Americanbasketballassistant coach & head of player development for theNew Orleans Pelicans of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Previously, he was a longtime assistant atSyracuse University before taking over as acollege basketballhead coach forUniversity of Washington from 2017 until 2024. He spent one season as an assistant coach for thePhoenix Suns from 2024 to 2025.
The 6-foot-5 Hopkins, fromLaguna Hills, California, was a fan favorite during his playing days atSyracuse, known for his all-out hustle and general scrappy play.[1]
Born in the Northern California city ofSan Mateo and raised in the Southern California city ofLaguna Hills, Hopkins was a member of the 1987 California state championship team atMater Dei High School inSanta Ana, California that also featured futureNBA playerLeRon Ellis.[2] Having graduated from Mater Dei in 1988, Hopkins enrolled at Syracuse while Ellis went on to a two-year career at theUniversity of Kentucky. After Kentucky was placed on probation, Hopkins would play an instrumental role in convincing his high school teammate to transfer to Syracuse.[3]
| Mike Hopkins College Career | |||||
| Season | G | FG% | FT% | Reb | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | 20 | .556 | .750 | 1.2 | 2.9 |
| 1990–91 | 31 | .514 | .548 | 1.9 | 3.3 |
| 1991–92 | 31 | .448 | .629 | 3.9 | 6.5 |
| 1992–93 | 29 | .438 | .738 | 3.7 | 9.2 |
| Totals | 111 | .462 | .670 | 2.8 | 5.7 |
Hopkins played sparingly in his first two seasons at Syracuse before becoming the team's starting shooting guard in his junior year. That year, Hopkins hit the game-winning free throws with three seconds remaining againstConnecticut to propel the Orange to the 1992Big East Championship.[3]
Hopkins was named captain in his senior season and posted a career high of 9.2 points and added 3.7 rebounds per game. He also had a flair for the clutch, heaving a three-quarter court pass to Conrad McRae for a buzzer-beating, game-winning shot againstVillanova. In his final game in theCarrier Dome, Hopkins scored a game-high 20 points and tallied six rebounds and five assists in a 78–74 win overPittsburgh.[3]
Hopkins played 111 games throughout his four-year career spanning from 1989 to 1993. He finished with averages of 5.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Hopkins spent time in theContinental Basketball Association with the Minnesota-basedRochester Renegade as well as the Atlantic Basketball Association'sHazleton Hawks. He also played inEurope with teams in theNetherlands andTurkey.[citation needed]
Hopkins returned to Syracuse in 1995 and was primarily involved with recruiting and the development of guards. Hopkins played a large role in developing future NBA playerJason Hart and SU standout Allen Griffin. He has also been credited for recruitingGerry McNamara andBilly Edelin.[3]
In May 2007, it was reported that Hopkins was picked to beJim Boeheim's successor, even though there was no timetable for Boeheim to retire.[4] However, in October, Athletic DirectorDaryl Gross refuted that story, saying that his quote was taken out of context.[5]
Away from Syracuse, Hopkins was the Court Coach for Team USA in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2010, and 2012.[citation needed]
In March 2010, Hopkins' name surfaced in connection with the head coaching vacancy atCharlotte.[6] Hopkins was reported to be a finalist for theOregon State University head coaching vacancy in May 2014.[7]
On June 25, 2015, Hopkins was formally named Men's Basketball Head Coach-Designate by Syracuse University.[8]
Hopkins served as Head Coach duringJim Boeheim's controversial nine-game suspension from December 5, 2015, to January 5, 2016.[9] Hopkins would later receive credit as coach for the nine games he served while Boeheim was suspended.
On March 19, 2017, it was announced that Hopkins had been hired as head basketball coach at the University of Washington for the 2017–18 season.[10] Hopkins signed a six-year deal worth $12.3 million. He will earn $1.8 million in his first year and an additional $100,000 each subsequent year of the deal.[11]
Coach Hopkins earned the Pac-12's Coach of the Year award in each of his first two seasons at the University of Washington, while also leading the Huskies to a regular season conference title in the 2018–19 season.
On March 8, 2024, the University of Washington announced that Hopkins would not be returning for the 2024–25 season. However he would finish the season with the Huskies.[12]
On June 11, 2024, thePhoenix Suns were reported to have Hopkins sign up as a new assistant coach hiring under new head coachMike Budenholzer's coaching staff.[13] His addition to the team would be made official on August 6.[14]
On August 5, 2025, Hopkins was hired by theNew Orleans Pelicans to serve as the team's head of player development / assistant coach under head coachWillie Green.[15]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse Orange(Atlantic Coast Conference)(2015–2016) | |||||||||
| 2015–16 | Syracuse | 4–5 | 0–3 | T–9th* | NCAA Division I Final Four* | ||||
| Syracuse: | 4–5 (.444) | 0–3 (.000) | |||||||
| Washington Huskies(Pac-12 Conference)(2017–2024) | |||||||||
| 2017–18 | Washington | 21–13 | 10–8 | T–6th | NIT second round | ||||
| 2018–19 | Washington | 27–9 | 15–3 | 1st | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Washington | 15–17 | 5–13 | 12th | |||||
| 2020–21 | Washington | 5–21 | 4–16 | 11th | |||||
| 2021–22 | Washington | 17–15 | 11–9 | T–5th | |||||
| 2022–23 | Washington | 16–16 | 8–12 | T–8th | |||||
| 2023–24 | Washington | 17–15 | 9–11 | T–6th | |||||
| Washington: | 118–106 (.527) | 62–72 (.463) | |||||||
| Total: | 122–111 (.524) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
* Syracuse head coachJim Boeheim was suspended for nine games, during which Hopkins served as the interim head coach and was credited for those games.
