Washington is bringing back Mike Hopkins next season to coach the men’s basketball team.
Here’s a Q&A from a Sunday morning interview with Hopkins, who returns for his seventh season.
(What were the conversations like with UW AD Jen Cohen this week?) “They were great. Obviously, everyone is disappointed with the results. I said it in my news conference, I want to give a great team to the fans, the administration and to our alumni. I was probably more disappointed than anybody, but also in the process of evaluating the program and going through it trying to figure out ways to fix it in all areas of the program. That’s what the conversations were. Just grateful for her support. Our family loves Seattle. We love our fans. Obviously, we’re disappointed for them because they deserve better. I’m looking forward to giving them a team that they are really proud of.”
(You’ve been doing this now for six years and I can’t remember a year when you had to announce you were coming back. How do you process that?) “My whole thing is always forward thinking. Look forward. Our focus is just getting better in the offseason. Evaluating the program has already been underway. The first part of the evaluation starts with me then going through every aspect of the program and then making the changes necessary. The biggest thing is we’ve been there before at the top. We got some work to do, but there’s also some really good prospects. The most important thing is putting together a great team to win games.”
(I read Jen’s statement and she made it pretty clear that she expects UW to compete for a Pac-12 championship and be back in the NCAA tournament next year. That sounds like a mandate to me, either do those things or there will not be an eighth season for you.) “The biggest thing for me is you don’t focus on those things. Our standard is to be in the NCAA tournament every year. That’s what we think. That’s what we believe this program to be and that’s why we’re disappointed with the results that we got this last season. The important thing is that’s our standard. That’s what we focus on day to day. We focused on it all preseason and last season unfortunately we didn’t make it. We’re looking forward to the future for sure.”
(I want to talk about next season, but first wanted to get your take on this season. It’s been three days since the Pac-12 tournament first round loss. Y’all finished 16-16, what went wrong for you guys this season?) “There’s a lot of things that went wrong. New lineups due to certain circumstances. New teams are always difficult to get to play together. That’s always the big challenge. What you realize in college basketball is it’s a fine line between 20-12 compared to being 12-20. It’s a fine line. We need to make some changes offensively. Our offense struggled. We need to be way more efficient in assist-to-turnover ratio and shooting the ball better. That starts with better player movement and being better in the half court. That’s one of the changes we need to make. Defensively, we need to make changes, too.”
(In past years we’ve talked more and more about roster construction. Do you think more about that now than before?) “It’s just a bigger challenge with the NIL and transfer portal. But we’ve been very good. We were really good in the portal last year. The best recruits you have are the players on your roster. That’s what is exciting about the potential of this year’s roster. On this year’s roster we had a (Pac-12) All-Freshman, All-Defensive player and we had an All-League player and they all have the potential to return. That would be the first time that we’ve had some continuity and that type of roster return since our first year going into the second year when we won the league.
(It’s early for y’all in the offseason, but Braxton Meah and Langston Wilson announced decisions about next year and Cole Bajema told me he wants to return. Do you know what the other guys are going to do?) “Right now, they have finals next week. I spoke to the team when we got back. Talked about we’re going to have conversations in the future. But right now I told them to focus on doing well in your finals and when your finals are we’ll have meetings. I think the biggest thing is there is only one player on this roster that can not return and that’s Jamal Bey because of is eligibility. We’ll have conversations moving forward probably the middle of the week next week when finals start to finish.”
(I wrote about this the other day, I think it’s essential for y’all to bring in another post player. Do you think bringing in another big is important?) “Potentially yes. … Obviously depth at that position is huge and injuries are unpredictable. You have to make sure the program is in good shape and you have those roster spots still. It goes back to evaluating the program and build the best roster possible to go out there and have a chance to win a championship.”
(You talked about the changes for next season. Can you expand on that a bit?) “The big thing is offensively we struggled. We played with the second fastest tempo behind Arizona so it wasn’t speed. It was more execution and ball movement. When you pass the ball and it’s more connected, it’s more team. We got to get better with player movement and ball movement. Just that more connected part of it on the offensive end. Our assist to turnover ratio wasn’t where it needs to be. Great offensive teams have great assist-to-turnover ratios. That just means players are being put in positions to make other better. That’s where we got to really improve and we’re really excited for that challenge.”
(What do you want your freshman guards doing this offseason?) “Well, if they decide to return I think the biggest thing is they started getting really good. Keion Menifiled had the best assist-to-turnover ratio on our team. I think Koren (Johnson) has the potential to do that. That’s going to make everyone else better. Obviously, getting stronger from the conditioning part of it. Reading and watching a lot of film. Seeing where their reads can be. As you see in college basketball, (improving) their three-point shot. They both have the ability to get in the lane and make plays. Now it’s being really efficient and consistent from the three-point line, which both of them can be. Both of them had, I thought, high-level freshmen years.”
(Any update with Franck Kepnang’s injury and rehab and do you expect him to return next season to UW?) “We expect him to return. He’s been working really hard. He’s ahead of schedule. I don’t want to get into dates because those things become very … you just don’t know. They’re a little unpredictable. But we’re preparing that we’re having him for the season for sure.”
(So, that’s Franck and Braxton coming back. That’s got feel good to build around those two.) “Listen, at the beginning of the year, we believed we had the best two-headed monster not just in our league but in the country. Defensively, offensively, size, energy, the way they compete and talent. To have them full strength would be a blessing for sure.”
(Typically, in situations like you’re in, some concessions are made. Are you planning on changes with your coaching staff?) “I’m just evaluating the program. It’s underway. We’re looking at all aspects of the program and wherever changes need to be made to make us the best program in the Pac-12, then that’s what we’re going to do. But we’re definitely in the process of going through that right now.”
(It’s a little early, but any headway into next season’s schedule) “Obviously, we have a couple of games that we have contracts with Seattle U and Gonzaga. And we’re working on a preseason tournament so we’re really excited with the schedule construction. We’re not obviously finished, but we’re in the process of putting together a great schedule that gives us the best chance.”