Washington Huskies Basketball rough 2020-21 could be the end of Mike Hopkins
The Washington Huskies basketball team is 3-16 this year. How long does head coach Mike Hopkins have left at UW?
Things went south for Washington Huskies basketball coach Mike Hopkins quickly after winning 27 games in the 2018-19 season. Last year, despite having two first-round draft picks on the team, UW went 15-17. This season is worse with only three wins in 19 games.
Of the Huskies’ three wins this year, two came in Pac-12 play. They beat Colorado and Utah in back-to-back home games at the end of January. Aside from that good week, Washington hasn’t been competitive.
UW averages 66.6 points a game while their opponents score 77.3 per game, a difference of 10.6. If you toss out their 73-41 win over Seattle in Game 4, the differential climbs to 13 points per game. University administration can’t be happy with what they see on the court. Is Hopkins on the hot seat? Not as of yet.
He’s their man
On Friday, February 5, University of Washington Athletic Director Jen Cohen gave Hopkins a vote of confidence, a day before an 86-74 road loss to the Oregon Ducks 86-74. In an interview with the Seattle Times, Cohen was asked if Hopkins job was in jeopardy. Her response was “absolutely not.”
Cohen made additional remarks stating that she will work with Hopkins on a plan to put the program back in the right direction. If the Huskies lose all seven of these remaining games, will she still want to put together the plan?
Hameir Wright is the only departing senior. He has been a starter for most of his four years. Offensively Wright hasn’t been an offensive force. However, he has rebounded and played good defense. Much of what the forward does isn’t always shown on the stat sheet.
Building from the bottom up
Hopkins has to start with recruiting the right players coming in as freshmen. They can add a player via transfer for a position of need. But for the most part, they need to build from the bottom up with a good freshmen class. In 2020 the Huskies added no impact freshmen, just transfers.
Right now, the Huskies have one commit in center Jackson Grant from Olympia. Grant is considered a four-star prospect. He’ll likely take over the vacant starting spot from Wright. Another possible big recruit is combo-guard Jaden Hardy. He’s a five-star prospect from Henderson, Nevada. It will be important for Hopkins and his staff to bring Hardy into the fold. Some of college basketball’s elite are courting the 18-year-old in addition to UW, so Grant is far from a guarantee.
Mike Hopkins contract runs through 2024-25 season. He seems like a great guy, who Huskies Nation would like to root for. However, he has to get things done to stay at UW.
Related: 2021 Washington Huskies football recruiting class
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