Mike Hopkins
/ photo: SU Athletics
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Mike Hopkins, a longtime Syracuse Orange assistant basketball coach and former player, has reportedly interviewed for the head coaching job at the University of Southern California.
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times early Tuesday morning, Hopkins recently visited with USC officials to discuss their vacant head coaching position. Their former coach, Kevin O’Neill, was fired in January and assistant coach Bob Cantu has been running the team on an interim basis.
The article, by Times writer Diane Pucin, states, “A person with knowledge of the situation said at least one other interview has been conducted, with Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins, who played at Mater Dei.” Hopkins is an alum of Mater Dei High School, a Catholic school in Santa Ana, California.
Hopkins has been an assistant basketball coach at Syracuse since 1995. He played guard for the Orange(men) from 1989-93 before embarking on a brief professional career.
It is widely believed that Hopkins will take over for head coach Jim Boeheim when the hall of famer eventually retires, although no timetable has reportedly been set. Hopkins is the lead assistant coach, is heavily involved in recruiting for the Orange, and handles the team’s post players in practice.
This is not the first time Hopkins’ name has come up in discussions about head coaching vacancies elsewhere. He was rumored to be in the running for the Charlotte 49ers job in 2010, and was even mentioned as a candidate at USC as recently as last summer, when former coach Tim Floyd resigned and O’Neill was hired.
