DawgmanRadio: Catching up with Mike Hopkins

Dawgman.com's Kim Grinolds recently caught up with Washington Men's Basketball Head Coach Mike Hopkins after a workout for an exclusive chat where Hop was able to break down all the changes that have taken place since the end of last season - and there were a lot of changes.First, Hop briefly touched on the lessons learned from a difficult 2020-21 campaign, one that saw the Huskies go 5-21, including 4-16 in the conference.He spoke in-depth on Washington's new assistant coaches; Wyking Jones and Quincy Pondexter. Jones, who was the former head coach at California and is working with UW's bigs. And Pondexter is back with his alma mater after a career in the Purple and Gold that saw him finish as the all-time leader in career games played and career home wins. Hop talked about the hiring process and how Pondexter fit with the direction Hop wanted to take the program. He also talked about Quincy's coaching style as he's been working with the UW wings, as well as his ability as a recruiter.Hopkins also went in-depth on all the new UW signings, their recruiting stories, and why they are the right fit for the Huskies:Former West Virginia SF Emmitt Matthews, Jr.Former Seattle/Arizona PG Terrell Brown, Jr.Former Stanford CG Daejon DavisGeorgia Highlands College PF Langston WilsonNBA Academy Africa SF Samuel AriyibiOlympia F/C Jackson Grant(Even though former TCU SG P.J. Fuller has committed to UW, he has not signed yet, nor enrolled, so Hop couldn't talk about him.)Hopkins also provided updates on all the scholarship players who returned from last season:Nate RobertsJamal BeyRiley SornDominiq PennCole BajemaNext, Hopkins talked about the schedule release that came out, including a change in his thinking when it comes to what they need to get out of their non-conference schedule now that the Pac-12 has grown to 20 conference games, a change the league made starting with the 2020-21 season.He also briefly touched on Name, Image, and Likeness rules and how the program can help them, but he also wants the players to remain focused on the main objectives of being in school, which is their education and commitment to a winning program.Lastly, Hop talks about the things that have been missed during the pandemic and the excitement about getting back to business and playing in front of the Dawg Pack and a full Alaska Airlines Arena.