Washington State NIL collective trolls Washington, Mike Hopkins after firing

Friday, Washington announced its decision on Mike Hopkins’ future as head coach. He will coach through the Pac-12 Tournament, but the university will move on from him after the season and pay him a $3.1 million buyout.

After UW made the news official, the Washington State-affiliated Cougar Collective took to social media to share its reaction.

Wazzu’s primary NIL collective had one word to describe its thoughts on its in-state rival’s decision on Hopkins, writing “NOOO” with a link to a story about the move. The Huskies defeated the Cougars 74-68 Thursday night in what turned out to be Hopkins’ final regular season game as head coach.

NOOO https://t.co/kJaHRE4kmg

— Cougar Collective (@CougCollective) March 8, 2024

Hopkins had one year remaining on his contract and will receive a nearly $3.1 million buyout as a result of the decision, Thamel reported. He has a 116-104 overall record with Washington, but hasn’t made an NCAA Tournament since 2019. The Huskies also went 58-71 in conference play under Hopkins.

“Mike has led the program with great integrity during his seven years at Washington, and remains a highly respected coach and one of the great gentlemen in the game,” UW athletics director Troy Dannen said in a statement. “Everyone at the university is grateful for his service, his commitment to the experience of our student-athletes and his leadership within the department. We wish Mike, Trisha and their children the very best in the future.”

Hopkins also released a statement on the decision, expressing his gratitude for his time in Seattle.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Head Basketball Coach at the University of Washington the last seven years,” Hopkins said. “Thank you to my players, staff, administration, fans, and alumni that have made this experience special and an awesome place for my family and me. The relationships we’ve made will last a lifetime.”

UW was Hopkins’ first full-time head coaching opportunity after previously serving as an assistant coach at Syracuse from 1995-2017. There was speculation he’d be the eventual replacement for Jim Boeheim upon his retirement, but former athletic director Daryl Gross clarified that by saying his comments were taken out of context.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle is the early favorite to succeed Mike Hopkins in Seattle.

Washington finished the regular season with a 17-14 overall record and a 9-11 mark in Pac-12 play after its victory over Wazzu. The Huskies will now wait to see how things shake out to find out their seeding in the conference tournament.