Washington basketball coach Mike Hopkins thinks that his roster entering the 2019-20 season reminds him of his first year with the program.
The Huskies made it back to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2011, and Hopkins and his staff will try to build on that entering the new campaign.
However, Washington must replace its top four scorers, which won't be easy. But with a top 15 recruiting class that includes the 5-star duo of Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels, Hopkins feels like he did when he first took the job given how many newcomers the team will feature this season.
“It reminds me a lot of year one when we first took over,” Hopkins said via the Associated Press. “First you had to get them to believe in what we were doing. Having the success that we’ve had and the upperclassmen … we’re way ahead of schedule that way from when we first took over.”
Hopkins is 48-22 in his first two seasons with the program.
The Huskies will tip off the season on Nov. 8 against Baylor, who is ranked No. 16 in the AP preseason poll.
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Blake Lovell is a national college basketball writer for ClutchPoints. He’s also a contributor for the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and Athlon Sports College Basketball Preview magazine. He hosts two podcasts: Marching to Madness (CBB) and Establish the Pass (NFL).
You can follow him on Twitter @theblakelovell. Also, be sure to follow the ClutchPoints NCAA Facebook page for more great CBB discussion.
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