Men's Basketball
Hopkins, Mike
Mike Hopkins
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- (206) 543-5260
Mike Hopkins took over the helm of the University of Washington men’s basketball program prior to the 2017-18 season and immediately made his mark. He not only led the Huskies to back-to-back 20 win seasons in his first two years, but was also named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year both years capping his second campaign with the Huskies’ first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011.
In six years with the Huskies, Hopkins has led the Huskies to an NCAA Tournament, an NIT berth, a Pac-12 regular season title, coached four McDonald's All-Americans, and has mentored five players that have been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
On February 18, 2023 he became the sixth coach in program history to win 100 games with the Huskies following a win over Oregon State.
In his third season, Hopkins returned just two players who had seen significant minutes the previous season as all four seniors (Matisse Thybulle, David Crisp, Noah Dickerson and Dominic Green) graduated and Jaylen Nowell entered the NBA Draft early. The Huskies welcomed a heralded recruiting class bringing two McDonald’s All-Americans to Montlake in Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels and added Kentucky transfer Quade Green to the mix.
The Huskies opened the season with a come-from-behind victory over No. 16 Baylor in the Armed Forces Classic at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. During non-conference play which saw the Huskies travel over 12,000 miles to Alaska, Hawaii and Toronto, Washington re-entered the national rankings, reaching a high of No. 21. UW finished the year with a 15-17 record. Freshman standout Isaiah Stewart earned Pac-12 All-First Team and All-Freshman honors, was on the Naismith Trophy Midseason Watch List and picked up All-District honors following the season. Prior to the season, In August of 2019, Hopkins and the Dawgs took on a foreign tour in Italy, facing four teams earning four wins while visiting Rome, Florence and Tuscany.
Washington continued to improve during year two of the Hopkins’ era this most recent season finishing with an overall record of 27-9 after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies posted a 15-3 mark in league action earning them the Pac-12 Regular Season Championship, which they claimed in February with games still to be played. Washington also saw Matisse Thybulle and Jaylen Nowell get picked in the first two rounds of the 2019 NBA Draft going eighth and 43rd, respectively.
Hopkins’ Huskies earned numerous awards and recognition throughout the season as they entered the national rankings and saw sell out crowds return to Alaska Airlines Arena. The Dawgs picked up seven conference road wins, their most since the 1956-57 season. From an award standpoint alongside his Pac-12 Coach of the Year honor, Hop mentored the 2019 Pac-12 Player of the Year in Jaylen Nowell, just the third Husky to earn the honor and the 2019 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in Matisse Thybulle. Thybulle would also go on to win the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year award after setting the Pac-12 Career and Single Season steals record.
In his first year, Hop was also named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year becoming just the sixth coach in league history to earn the honor in their first year at their institution and first since 2006-07. He also picked up NABC District 21 Coach of the Year honors.
Hopkins led a team that went from 9-22 to 21-13 with almost entirely the same roster and helped guide Matisse Thybulle to Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors, the first Dawg to earn the award. Noah Dickerson was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team while freshman Jaylen Nowell picked up All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman Team accolades. Thybulle was also named to the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team.
Washington made history in Hopkins’ first year as the Huskies defeated No. 2 Kansas in Kansas City marking their first-ever win over a top-2 team away from Seattle in program history. Additionally, it was the sixth win over a top-2 opponent in UW history, regardless of place. During the season, Washington also picked up a road win at USC, its first since 2012.
On the weekend of Feb 1-3, Washington knocked off back-to-back ranked opponents in No. 25 Arizona State and No. 9 Arizona at home, making it the first time since the 2006-07 season that the Dawgs defeated ranked teams at home in back-to-back games.
The Huskies also started Pac-12 play at 7-3 after going 2-16 in 2016-17. Over the last 40 seasons, only two league schools began its conference slate 7-3 or better the season after having no more than two conference victories. Stanford started 1993-94 with a 6-3 record after going 2-16 in 1992-93.
In year one for Hop, Washington also saw two student-athletes reach 1,000 career points in Noah Dickerson and David Crisp and witnessed Matisse Thybulle set the single-season and career record for steals.
Hopkins came to Washington from Syracuse University, where he spent 22 seasons alongside Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim. In 2015 Syracuse named him head coach designate, set to take over the Orange program after Boeheim’s retirement following the 2017-18 season.
Hopkins had been a member of the Syracuse Orange coaching staff since 1995 and is the 19th head coach in Washington Basketball history.
“The University of Washington is such a unique place, with a world-class University, an exciting basketball history and unbelievable fan support,” Hopkins said. “Together, I believe we can build something very special in Seattle, and I can’t wait to get started.”
During his time in New York, Syracuse advanced to postseason play in all but one year. He was a part of 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2003 National Championship, four Final Fours, five Elite Eights and 10 Sweet 16s, along with four NIT berths. Additionally, Syracuse never dipped below a .550 record while Hopkins was on staff.
“I can’t express enough thanks to Coach Boeheim for so many years of mentorship and guidance,” Hopkins said. “The timing is right for me and my family to make this move.”
With the Orange, Hopkins spent his time in New York heavily involved in recruiting and overseeing the development of the SU guards before switching to overseeing the posts during the last four years. He played a key role in the recruitment and success of Carmelo Anthony, Rakeem Christmas, Johnny Flynn, Jason Hart, Gerry McNamara, Andy Rautins and many more who all were able to pursue professional basketball careers either in the NBA or overseas. Additionally, six players earned consensus All-American honors while Hopkins was on staff.
The Syracuse alum not only made an impact with the Orange, but he also played a major role in the success of Team USA Basketball. Hopkins has been a court coach for nine various Team USA staffs which have gone on to win six championships.
He first started with the 21-and-under team in 2000 and 2001 helping with player evaluation for the club that went on to win gold. In 2006, he was with the Senior Men’s team before rejoining the staff in 2010 where he travelled with the team en route to their World Championship Title in Turkey.
Hopkins was named the co-coach of the USA Basketball Select Team in 2012 and helped the squad prepare for the Olympics in London, where he served as a court coach as USA won gold. Most recently he played a role in gold medal finishes at the 2014 World Championships and the 2016 Summer Olympics.
As a student-athlete himself, Hopkins became the Orange’s starting shooting guard his junior year en route to the team winning the 1992 Big East Championship. Outside of playing 111 career games in the Carrier Dome, he was also named team captain as a senior en route to averaging 9.2 points and 3.7 rebounds.
Hopkins went on to play in the Continental Basketball Association before ending his professional career after stints in the Netherlands and Turkey. Prior to his collegiate experience. The San Mateo, California native, was a member of the 1987 California State Championship team with Mater Dei High School where he played alongside LeRon Ellis.
Hopkins earned his undergraduate degree in speech communications from Syracuse in 1993. He is joined in Seattle by his wife Tricia, and their sons, Michael Griffith Jr. and Grant Richard, and their daughter, Ella Grace.
Head Coaching Record
In six years with the Huskies, Hopkins has led the Huskies to an NCAA Tournament, an NIT berth, a Pac-12 regular season title, coached four McDonald's All-Americans, and has mentored five players that have been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
On February 18, 2023 he became the sixth coach in program history to win 100 games with the Huskies following a win over Oregon State.
In his third season, Hopkins returned just two players who had seen significant minutes the previous season as all four seniors (Matisse Thybulle, David Crisp, Noah Dickerson and Dominic Green) graduated and Jaylen Nowell entered the NBA Draft early. The Huskies welcomed a heralded recruiting class bringing two McDonald’s All-Americans to Montlake in Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels and added Kentucky transfer Quade Green to the mix.
The Huskies opened the season with a come-from-behind victory over No. 16 Baylor in the Armed Forces Classic at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. During non-conference play which saw the Huskies travel over 12,000 miles to Alaska, Hawaii and Toronto, Washington re-entered the national rankings, reaching a high of No. 21. UW finished the year with a 15-17 record. Freshman standout Isaiah Stewart earned Pac-12 All-First Team and All-Freshman honors, was on the Naismith Trophy Midseason Watch List and picked up All-District honors following the season. Prior to the season, In August of 2019, Hopkins and the Dawgs took on a foreign tour in Italy, facing four teams earning four wins while visiting Rome, Florence and Tuscany.
Washington continued to improve during year two of the Hopkins’ era this most recent season finishing with an overall record of 27-9 after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies posted a 15-3 mark in league action earning them the Pac-12 Regular Season Championship, which they claimed in February with games still to be played. Washington also saw Matisse Thybulle and Jaylen Nowell get picked in the first two rounds of the 2019 NBA Draft going eighth and 43rd, respectively.
Hopkins’ Huskies earned numerous awards and recognition throughout the season as they entered the national rankings and saw sell out crowds return to Alaska Airlines Arena. The Dawgs picked up seven conference road wins, their most since the 1956-57 season. From an award standpoint alongside his Pac-12 Coach of the Year honor, Hop mentored the 2019 Pac-12 Player of the Year in Jaylen Nowell, just the third Husky to earn the honor and the 2019 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in Matisse Thybulle. Thybulle would also go on to win the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year award after setting the Pac-12 Career and Single Season steals record.
In his first year, Hop was also named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year becoming just the sixth coach in league history to earn the honor in their first year at their institution and first since 2006-07. He also picked up NABC District 21 Coach of the Year honors.
Hopkins led a team that went from 9-22 to 21-13 with almost entirely the same roster and helped guide Matisse Thybulle to Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors, the first Dawg to earn the award. Noah Dickerson was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team while freshman Jaylen Nowell picked up All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman Team accolades. Thybulle was also named to the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team.
Washington made history in Hopkins’ first year as the Huskies defeated No. 2 Kansas in Kansas City marking their first-ever win over a top-2 team away from Seattle in program history. Additionally, it was the sixth win over a top-2 opponent in UW history, regardless of place. During the season, Washington also picked up a road win at USC, its first since 2012.
On the weekend of Feb 1-3, Washington knocked off back-to-back ranked opponents in No. 25 Arizona State and No. 9 Arizona at home, making it the first time since the 2006-07 season that the Dawgs defeated ranked teams at home in back-to-back games.
The Huskies also started Pac-12 play at 7-3 after going 2-16 in 2016-17. Over the last 40 seasons, only two league schools began its conference slate 7-3 or better the season after having no more than two conference victories. Stanford started 1993-94 with a 6-3 record after going 2-16 in 1992-93.
In year one for Hop, Washington also saw two student-athletes reach 1,000 career points in Noah Dickerson and David Crisp and witnessed Matisse Thybulle set the single-season and career record for steals.
Hopkins came to Washington from Syracuse University, where he spent 22 seasons alongside Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim. In 2015 Syracuse named him head coach designate, set to take over the Orange program after Boeheim’s retirement following the 2017-18 season.
Hopkins had been a member of the Syracuse Orange coaching staff since 1995 and is the 19th head coach in Washington Basketball history.
“The University of Washington is such a unique place, with a world-class University, an exciting basketball history and unbelievable fan support,” Hopkins said. “Together, I believe we can build something very special in Seattle, and I can’t wait to get started.”
During his time in New York, Syracuse advanced to postseason play in all but one year. He was a part of 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2003 National Championship, four Final Fours, five Elite Eights and 10 Sweet 16s, along with four NIT berths. Additionally, Syracuse never dipped below a .550 record while Hopkins was on staff.
“I can’t express enough thanks to Coach Boeheim for so many years of mentorship and guidance,” Hopkins said. “The timing is right for me and my family to make this move.”
With the Orange, Hopkins spent his time in New York heavily involved in recruiting and overseeing the development of the SU guards before switching to overseeing the posts during the last four years. He played a key role in the recruitment and success of Carmelo Anthony, Rakeem Christmas, Johnny Flynn, Jason Hart, Gerry McNamara, Andy Rautins and many more who all were able to pursue professional basketball careers either in the NBA or overseas. Additionally, six players earned consensus All-American honors while Hopkins was on staff.
The Syracuse alum not only made an impact with the Orange, but he also played a major role in the success of Team USA Basketball. Hopkins has been a court coach for nine various Team USA staffs which have gone on to win six championships.
He first started with the 21-and-under team in 2000 and 2001 helping with player evaluation for the club that went on to win gold. In 2006, he was with the Senior Men’s team before rejoining the staff in 2010 where he travelled with the team en route to their World Championship Title in Turkey.
Hopkins was named the co-coach of the USA Basketball Select Team in 2012 and helped the squad prepare for the Olympics in London, where he served as a court coach as USA won gold. Most recently he played a role in gold medal finishes at the 2014 World Championships and the 2016 Summer Olympics.
As a student-athlete himself, Hopkins became the Orange’s starting shooting guard his junior year en route to the team winning the 1992 Big East Championship. Outside of playing 111 career games in the Carrier Dome, he was also named team captain as a senior en route to averaging 9.2 points and 3.7 rebounds.
Hopkins went on to play in the Continental Basketball Association before ending his professional career after stints in the Netherlands and Turkey. Prior to his collegiate experience. The San Mateo, California native, was a member of the 1987 California State Championship team with Mater Dei High School where he played alongside LeRon Ellis.
Hopkins earned his undergraduate degree in speech communications from Syracuse in 1993. He is joined in Seattle by his wife Tricia, and their sons, Michael Griffith Jr. and Grant Richard, and their daughter, Ella Grace.
Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Record |
| 2015-16 | Syracuse (Interim) | 4-5 (.444) |
| 2017-18 | Washington | 21-13 (.618) |
| 2018-19 | Washington | 27-9 (.750) |
| 2019-20 | Washington | 15-17 (.469) |
| 2020-21 | Washington | 5-21 (.192) |
| 2021-22 | Washington | 17-15 (.531) |
| 2022-23 | Washington | 16-16 (.500) |
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