Tag: Mike Hopkins

Ex-Washington coach Mike Hopkins lands with Suns

Mike Hopkins gets a new job.

The coaching carousel continues to shift in the wild offseason with the former Pac-12 Conference teams.

Former Washington Huskies head basketball coach Mike Hopkins has joined the Phoenix Suns coaching staff alongside new coach Mike Budenholzer, as Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

Budenholzer came to the Suns this offseason to become the new head coach. Hopkins left the Huskies at the end of the 2023-2024 season as they shifted and hired Danny Sprinkle amid their move to the Big Ten Conference.

However, it didn’t take long for Hopkins to land a new deal and he now heads for the NBA to coach Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

Hopkins compiled a 122-110 record during his days with the Huskies, but it felt best for both sides to change it up amid the flurry of Big Ten Conference additions.

The Suns staff gets a veteran face alongside Budenholzer as they try and make an NBA Finals run after a disappointing year.

Report: Franck Kepnang transfers to Washington Huskies

Former Oregon center Franck Kepnang will reportedly be transferring to Washington for next season.

According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, former Oregon Ducks center Franck Kepnang has transferred to none other than Washington.

Oregon had an overabundance of centers in 2021-22 with N’Faly Dante the only one getting significant playing time. Of those four, two have transferred out with Isaac Johnson going to Utah State.

In his two years at Oregon, Kepnang averaged 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds a game. But he quickly became a fan favorite with his size and excitable attitude. When the big 7-foot, 280-pounder made a great play, everyone knew it, especially when it came to him blocking the ball that went into the fourth row.

It’s a big blow to lose his kind of talent. The four-star recruit had reclassified before coming to Oregon, so he’s still on the younger side. Kepnang is just coming into his own. But it’s even a bigger blow to see him go to the rival Huskies. He should be a good fit for coach Mike Hopkins’ patented 2-3 zone.

The Dawgs went 17-15 last season and missed the post-season entirely.

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