MBB: Centennial Conference

[Swat Fan #1]

Well this got pretty crazy very quickly. Johns Hopkins hiring is a steal. The guy can flat out coach. Maybe we can get back to normal.

[TeamMonix]

Hoop Dirt: 'Interviews are under way to fill the vacant assistant spot on new head coach Kevin Hopkins staff at DIII Muhlenberg College. I have heard that phone interviews have started with 8-12 candidates."

Sounds like a guy who has ZERO connections in the mid atlantic and is just a puppet for Corey Goff

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Hoop Dirt: 'Interviews are under way to fill the vacant assistant spot on new head coach Kevin Hopkins staff at DIII Muhlenberg College. I have heard that phone interviews have started with 8-12 candidates."

Sounds like a guy who has ZERO connections in the mid atlantic and is just a puppet for Corey Goff

Or... like all coaches who take over a program... he is going through a long list of applicants interested in an assistant job like Muhlenberg's. Do you think Loeffler isn't doing the same thing at Hopkins?

Ridiculous to try and make this some type of "zero connections" thing. Relax Muhlenberg people.

[TeamMonix]

Loeffler has the resources to hire a FULL time assistant. Hopkins has to hire someone who will be working for less than 2 thousand dollars. Good luck!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Loeffler has the resources to hire a FULL time assistant. Hopkins has to hire someone who will be working for less than 2 thousand dollars. Good luck!

So what is your point? You lament he probably doesn't have any connections since he is calling many people to find assistants... yet seem to give him a very good excuse for why he may have trouble finding assistants (even if he had connections).

And sure, Loeffler has a full-time assistant opportunity, but that is less and less uncommon these days. Heck, I believe Wilkes, for example, has a full-time position!

So are you trying to knock Hopkins (the coach) because he is making calls to find his staff or are you understanding that he needs to work at this because there isn't much money to be offered for such a position? I am pretty sure you can't have it both ways.

[TeamMonix]

I am knocking Hopkins because in order to win in college basketball you have to recruit. To recruit you must have connections to hire a staff. He has had the job for a month now and zero assistant has been on the road during important LIVE tournaments. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I am knocking Hopkins because in order to win in college basketball you have to recruit. To recruit you must have connections to hire a staff. He has had the job for a month now and zero assistant has been on the road during important LIVE tournaments.

There is always a chance he is on the road. While I know assistants are invaluable for these tournaments, I can't tell you how many coaches I talk to year round say they are the ones at these events... more than the assistants who they know they rely on for the heavy lifting in-season.

Sure, it would be nice to have an assistant or two to help with the load or hit a tournament a coach can't, but it isn't like these players aren't going to be at a ton of these events throughout the "season."

Also, take what you read on HoopDirt lightly. He didn't even know Hopkins was in the finalist list until he was basically announced as head coach. Not all the info he gets is (a) fully accurate, (b) totally vetted, or (c) the entire story. Maybe Hopkins already has another coach out there helping out and this search is for another position. Heck, Hopkins could have several people helping him and I am pretty sure HoopDirt and others wouldn't "report" it. HoopDirt (who reads these pages, so hello!) is just repeating what he hears... but that doesn't mean he has heard everything.

[CentCraze88]

Monix - The hostility towards Hopkins is disappointing.  I know you are disappointed with the decision to let go of McClary, but that should have no bearing on Hopkins.  I'm sure Amherst has an extended coaching family (including the head coach at TCNJ) who I'm sure could be helping Hopkins in some capacity.  You have to at least give the guy a chance.  Besides, a national champion as a player and an assistant is about as good as a resume you are going to find. I, for one, think that the Mules have some talented players on the roster (Rindock and Baez) and a lot of other pieces that, with proper schematics, could yield a successful team this year.  I hope that Hopkins is able to succeed. 

[Hank Mardukas]

Monix - The hostility towards Hopkins is disappointing.  I know you are disappointed with the decision to let go of McClary, but that should have no bearing on Hopkins.  I'm sure Amherst has an extended coaching family (including the head coach at TCNJ) who I'm sure could be helping Hopkins in some capacity.  You have to at least give the guy a chance.  Besides, a national champion as a player and an assistant is about as good as a resume you are going to find. I, for one, think that the Mules have some talented players on the roster (Rindock and Baez) and a lot of other pieces that, with proper schematics, could yield a successful team this year.  I hope that Hopkins is able to succeed.

CentCraze:
What are you smoking? Monix could not be more spot on, Division III teams only have the live period of players Junior season to recruit and Muhlenberg has nobody at these events. Although Muhlenberg has connections with many of these Live Tournaments (HoopGroup) including former assistant coaches Ryan Finch and Joe Gutowski, they are not at these events on behalf of the Mules. Maybe the Mules are paying a guy like Gutowski to recruit under the table and if that's the case I expect a full-scale NCAA investigation. 

[CentCraze88]

Mardukas/Hopkins/Hicks

Nice to see you again "Hank".  While you may be right about the live periods, Monix has been unfairly critical of Hopkins from the get-go.  Continuing to pile it on seems a tad overboard. Although you wouldn't know what overboard is since you have at least four accounts.

[HopkinsNest7]

I remember Finch had spent a good couple of years at Muhlenberg, I also remember him playing at McDaniel so it makes sense why that name could even possibly arise. But I don't remember Gutowski coaching at Muhlenberg. Assuming he's a young guy I would say going under the table at these loaded live events is certainly not worth the risk. Were his ties to the program strong enough to take that chance?

[centfan]

this place has gotten unnecessarily negative, provocative and silly.

[TeamMonix]

This board became that way over a year ago when parents decided to use this forum as a place to bash a coach enough for him to be fired....

[TeamMonix]

There is ZERO former assistants, alumni or anyone helping the Mules under the table. Corey Goff destroyed all those relationships.

[sunny]

This board became that way over a year ago when parents decided to use this forum as a place to bash a coach enough for him to be fired....

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that anonymously named posts on this message board had no influence on that ...

Now, could people lobbying the school or AD directly have that kind of influence? Definitely possible.