COLUMBUS, Ohio — Asked why they believe so much in Washington coach Mike Hopkins, senior guard David Crisp and senior forward Noah Dickerson delivered the same answer: “He’s crazy.”
Apparently, being “crazy” is a good thing. It has apparently worked for Hopkins, who in his second season as head coach has led the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. Ninth-seeded Washington (27-8) will take on No. 1 seed North Carolina (28-6) Sunday at Nationwide Arena in a Midwest Region game. The winner advances to the Sweet 16.
To be clear, Crisp and Dickerson said Hopkins is “a good crazy” — the kind of crazy that has made his players believe in his systems, his methods and his game plans. The kind of crazy that keeps players engaged and wanting to succeed for each other and their school — the kind of crazy that led to a Pac-12 regular-season championship two years after a nine-win season.
How crazy is Hopkins, who admits he’s “49 going on 14”? There was the time he dropped down during a press conference and did push-ups; and the time he had the whole team sign a baseball bat to show their commitment; and the time he interrupted his first press conference as the new coach to run down the arena steps and on to the court to bear hug Crisp for deciding to remain at the school; and the time he broke his nose competing with his players during one of the team’s first workout.
“His energy is contagious,” Dickerson said. “We feed off that on the court. One second he’s going crazy and the next second he’s the calmest person in the room. With him you just never know. You’ve got to be ready for anything and that’s one of our mottos on the team.”
Some folks in the Pacific Northwest have called him the Pete Carroll of college basketball and that’s OK with Hopkins, the former Syracuse player and longtime assistant coach.
“I’m just pretty passionate,” Hopkins said Saturday. “I just love life and being around my kids. I like to interact. I like to be involved. It’s my assistant coach in me that I love. I love the interaction with the kids and being out there sweating with them.”
It’s probably a good thing Washington decided to make sure Hopkins would remain the Huskies basketball coach into the next decade. The new six-year, $17.5 million contract they agreed to before the start of the NCAA Tournament might have commanded a higher price tag by the time it’s over.
While players can improve their draft stock by playing well in the NCAA Tournament, coaches also can raise their profiles. Hopkins has a chance to do just that by upsetting the highly favored Tar Heels.
“The greatest thing that makes this tournament great is you have a chance to win a national championship,” Hopkins said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a 16; doesn’t matter if you’re a 15; doesn’t matter if you’re a 14. You have a chance to win a national championship. I know our standard is going to be that’s what we fight for.”
After spending most of his basketball life as a player and assistant coach at Syracuse, Hopkins is accustomed to being in the NCAA Tournament. He helped the Orange reach the Big Dance 16 times, four Final Fours and the national championship in 2003. He took the Washington job after the 2017 season in part to be closer to his family roots after spending part of his childhood in the Pacific Northwest.
He wasted no time turning the Washington program into a winner, going 21-13 and earning a NIT berth in his first season; and followed that with a 26-8 record and the Pac-12 regular-season championship this year. Hopkins has been named the Pac-12 coach of the year both seasons.
The Huskies employ a similar zone defense that Hopkins learned at Syracuse, something the Tar Heels see at least twice a season when they play the Orange. The plan is to contain Carolina’s 3-point shooting and keep the Tar Heels off the offensive glass. Hopkins calls the matchup “a dream come true,” something that will benefit his program win or lose.
“To have the opportunity to play against the best of the best,” he said. “What’s better than that in March Madness?”