He doesn't have at all the same CV as Dan Hurley, and he wasn't expected to be a head coach, but Mike Hopkins decided to leave the NCAA to join the NBA. According to ESPN, the former University of Washington coach has accepted an assistant position with the Suns, and he will work under Mike Budenholzer. He joins Chaisson Allen, Chad Forcier, Vince Legarza and David Fizdale.
Trained in Syracuse with the legendary Jim Boeheim, Hopkins made a name for himself in coaching at Washington with two trophies for best coach in the Pac-12. That was in 2018 and 2019 with a second round of the NIT, then qualifying for the NCAA tournament after winning the conference title.
But the rest will be less glorious, and despite a six-year extension in 2019, its management chose to part ways last March, and Hopkins will therefore have his first experience in the NBA. At 54 years old, he will have his first experience in the NBA after 29 years on the university benches.
