From Scott Pitoniak:
Some quick takes on Mike Hopkins taking the University of Washington head coaching job.
* It indicates to me that Hop no longer was the designated head-coach-in-waiting at SU, that the succession plans had changed under new athletics director John Wildhack, who is friends with Jim Boeheim.
* Boeheim is one of those guys who will have an extremely difficult time adjusting to life after coaching, which is why these legacy coaches don't want to retire. Coaching is their oxygen. They can't live without it. So, he wants to continue coaching beyond this year, and probably had that conversation with Wildhack.
* Hopkins was a loyal assistant and solid recruiter. But it's a whole different universe when you slide over to the head coaching seat. I don't know if he'll succeed or not. I've covered many good assistants who became mediocre head coaches through the years.
* It will be interesting to see if Syracuse rebounds from this disappointing season next year. The Orange men have to hope that Tyler Lydon and Battle come back, Thompson takes some big steps forward and their incoming freshmen can have an impact, particularly at point guard. Should SU experience another season like this one, the natives in Orange Nation will grow even more restless, and will raise questions about Boeheim's age, etc.