The University of Pittsburgh’s possible pursuit of Washington head coach Mike Hopkins is being hindered by a bit of government intervention.
Jeff Goodman of ESPN reported on Wednesday that Hopkins’ name is gaining some steam in connection with Pitt’s head coaching vacancy.
One name that has started to surface a little bit for Pittsburgh, if Dan Hurley chooses UConn, is Washington’s Mike Hopkins. Strong northeast ties, especially in the prep school ranks. Was Pac-12 COY and was with Syracuse in ACC.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) March 22, 2018
In response, Rep. Rick Larsen, who represents Washington state’s 2nd congressional district, laid claim for Hopkins to stay right where he is.
His name is also associated with the University of Washington #Purplereign
— Rep. Rick Larsen (@RepRickLarsen) March 22, 2018
Hopkins, 48, just wrapped up his first season taking over for Lorenzo Romar as head coach of the Huskies. He led the team to a 21-13 record (.618), but they failed to advance past the second round of this year’s NIT Tournament. Hopkins was previously a longtime assistant under Jim Boeheim at Syracuse.
Granted, Pitt is offering Dan Hurley a lot of money to lead their program, so Larsen might not have to worry about Hopkins getting poached away just yet.
