Mike Hopkins to Succeed Jim Boeheim as Syracuse Basketball Coach in 3 Years

Syracuse University's basketball program has found its successor for Jim Boeheim, announcing Mike Hopkins would take over after the 2017-18 season.  

Currently serving as an assistant coach, the appointment comes after Boeheim announced in March that he will be retiring in three years. Syracuse chancellor Kent Syverud spoke about Hopkins' credentials in the university's official release.  

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For more than 25 years, Mike Hopkins has demonstrated the true meaning of Orange pride and loyalty. He has contributed so much to the success of the Syracuse basketball program. I know Mike is ready to lead the program into the future and carry forward the success that has occurred under Coach Boeheim.

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Hopkins has been an assistant with the Orange since 1995 after his playing career as a shooting guard at Syracuse from 1989-1993. 

The release quoted Boeheim as saying, "There is no one more ready or prepared to carry on the success of Syracuse basketball than Mike Hopkins." The current coach was suspended nine games and docked 108 wins in March after an NCAA investigation found that Syracuse was using ineligible players, according to the New York Post's Zach Braziller. 

This came after a self-imposed ban in February kept the Orange out of the NCAA tournament. 

Hopkins was a part of the Syracuse coaching staff when it won the national championship in 2003, the school's only title ever. 

"I'm honored, humbled and grateful for this special opportunity," Hopkins told the university. "Very few people are afforded the privilege to coach at their alma mater."

In their last eligible season, their first in the ACC after leaving the Big East, the Orange made the Final Four after finishing second in the conference in the regular season with a 28-6 overall record.   

Stats courtesy of Cuse.com.