August 22, 2002
Citadel basketball coach Pat Dennis announced Thursday afternoon that his top assistant Mike Hopkins had taken an assistant coaching position at Big East Conference member Virginia Tech.
"We are very happy for Mike as this is a great opportunity for him professionally to coach in the Big East," stated Dennis. "He will be missed by everyone here on The Citadel's campus and we wish him all the luck in his future endeavors."
Hopkins, a graduate of Coastal Carolina, served as Dennis' top assistant this past season and has been a member of the coaching staff for three years. Hopkins was a pivotal member of the staff that helped turn The Citadel basketball program around. During his tenure the Bulldogs posted the first back-to-back winning seasons in twenty years and won a combined 33 games over the past two years. He also served as the head coach at his alma mater from 1994-1998, before joining the Bulldogs' staff.
Hopkins becomes the sixth assistant under Dennis to move on to a more prestigious job in the profession. Other Dennis' assistants that have moved on include Jeff Neubauer (Assistant at West Virginia-Big East), Marty McGillan (Assistant at UNC Wilmington-Colonial), Ken Potosnak (Assistant at Furman-Southern), Dennis Csensits (Head Coach at Dickinson College-Division III) and Benjy Taylor (Head Coach at North Central College-Division III).
"We have been very fortunate that our assistants have had opportunities to move on to some big-time assistant jobs and some have even moved on to head coaching positions at small schools," Dennis continued. "It is a tribute to their work ethic, because this is one of the toughest jobs in Division I basketball. It is good to see that their ability to recruit, coach and help turn a program around at a military school doesn't go unnoticed in the coaching profession."
The Citadel will be looking to hire another quality assistant that will help keep the program heading in the right direction. The 2002-03 Bulldogs look to become only the third team in school history to post back-to-back-to-back winning seasons.
