He was lazy, hired shitty assistants, and had very little organization. He might be a good guy, but the program was a mess with him and was not going to get better. Hopkins is/was a goofy dufus, but Romar needed to go.
So what's up with UWs basketball team?
- Thread starter RoadTrip
- Start date
I don't trust a UW basketball team until proven otherwise. Even when they have been good they've always underachieved.
houseofpain247
Active poster
moving on from LoRo wasn't the problem. Hopkins miraculously winning P12 COTY with Romar's players and getting a a huge expensive extension was the problem. Should have waited another year before extending him and it owuld have saved us millions
I think Sprinkle MIGHT be the real deal. LIPO
There seems to be a lot of excitement for this years team, but at this point its kind of like the Christmas present under the tree. It looks tantalizing but once you rip the gift wrap off it could very well be a lifetime supply of plain white socks from KMart. They hold up at first, but slowly slide down your leg in a clump just above your shoes.
If we're gonna start bashing plain white socks from KMart, I'm out!
I think I watched three games last year.
It just doesn't move the needle.
It just doesn't move the needle.
Hopkins and his 2/3 Zone are the main reason things faded for him. That was a great defense for college until Steph Curry changed basketball. All five guys on the floor can shoot these days. You can’t sit in a zone anymore and let shooters shoot. Even Hops mentor stopped winning at Syracuse about the same time he did. His last team at UW was good enough to play in the NCAA tournament and didn’t come close. Hopkins just didnt have the chops to coach a different defense and his offense was awful his entire time at UW.
I don’t think there's a hoop board anymore. I could be wrong. I tried;-)
That's Harambe on the cover of an album titled Egomaniac.Why is your photo a gorilla?Found this having to do with the nation's top teams to add talent this year.
2021-24 average net score: +2.5
2025 ranked players added: +10
No. 13 http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4869737/wesley-yates-iii via USC (+4)
No. 39 http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/5105606/desmond-claude via USC (+3)
No. 58 http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4897465/quimari-peterson via East Tennessee State (+2)
No. 86 http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4703983/jacob-ognacevic via Lipscomb (+1)
2025 ranked players lost: 0
Washington broke even on star transfers during Mike Hopkins' tenure as coach, adding some well-ranked names -- think No. 30 Keion Brooks Jr. (via Kentucky) in 2022 -- while seeing few exits. Since Danny Sprinkle's arrival from Utah State, though, the Huskies have been more active. Some of that was just by virtue of former Aggies players to follow him, as was the case with No. 6 Great Osobor in 2024. But this year's class of additions is deeper, and it would not be surprising to see USC transfers Claude and Yates III lead the Huskies in scoring during their first season in Seattle, as Washington looks to make its first NCAA tournament since 2019.
With all the built in advantages at UW for basketball it's almost criminal how consistently the team can't make a tournament with almost 70 teams.
Doubly so with all the NBA level talent that's walked through the door in spite of being losers.
Its REALLY hard apparently.
Doubly so with all the NBA level talent that's walked through the door in spite of being losers.
Its REALLY hard apparently.
SonnyShackelford
Member
this is a GOOD UW team
Steinbach is the real deal. Great touch inside, makes quick passes from the post to ready shooters. Yates is a fine player. Played tight defense, had a few steals, high end athlete. Petersen played for the first time ina month last night and was a bulldog. Tough defender, high motor, good shooter. Zoom was a little sloppy with the ball but can get to the rim almost any time he wants. Missed some bunnies, could have scored 18 had he made them. Sommerville is a thick dude. Great, tall body to rotate in. Has surprising touch at the FT line. Mandaquitt will be a great guard by the end of the year. He had 8 assists but missed almost all his shots. That won’t happen all year. Bryson Tucker, the former 5* transfer from Indiana was great. High energy, 10 points10 rebounds. Kid can really jump. Sprinkle getting him to play with that much effort is impressive. I think that was the knock on him at Indiana. Team had 53 rebounds and 21 assists. Still playing without Claude and Ognacevic. Nitu was a healthy scratch. Sounds like he has decided to redshirt himself, Sprink sounded pissed after the game. Odd decision. Good start overall. This is the type of game in the past where UW wins by 7 with a late run and deep down you already know they’ll struggle the rest of the year. They dominated from the tip.
The early sentiment seems to be 99% that the people want a separate but equal UW hoops board.
houseofpain247
Active poster
And Hop's star started to fade exactly when Matisse Thybulle, a once in a generation college zone defense player graduated.
CrispyEaterson
New Fish
I had to do a double take, but Thybulle has made nearly $50M by being a defensive specialist which is both absurd and awesome.
So great for him!
Buys a lot of camera equipment.
He is in the twilight of his career and once he left UW he was coaching more to coach than earn a living. He’s a teacher and doesn’t need the $ but I’m not surprised he’s just coaching especially in the climate with NIL and the transfer portal. He went the Chip Kelly route being a coach rather than the CEO, although fired from his last two gigs. I’ll always appreciate Romar while our football program was in the wilderness, those Roy and IT years were pretty damn fun!
If that's too much effort, I liked Knowledge's idea of a megathread.