Toughest player? Life of the party? UW Hoops’ HC Mike Hopkins talks Huskies’ roster
Jan 29, 2019, 11:42 AM | Updated: 11:50 am
(AP)
The Washington Huskies (16-4) are 7-0 in Pac-12 play after a Saturday win over Oregon State, and are in the midst of their best conference start since the 1952-53 season.
Now in his second year as Washington’s head coach, Mike Hopkins joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock Huard and Mike Salk to answer a few questions about his roster:
Who’s the life of the party?
“Geez, that’s a heck of a question. You know what, it’s funny, the most outgoing that you kind of look at him in practice like ‘please be serious’ (would be) both the New York guys, Naz Carter and Hameir Wright. They look at each other, they giggle too much, and it makes me crazy as a coach, but they like to have fun which is a good thing.”
Who is your toughest player?
“I’ve gotta go with David Crisp. Him and Dominic Green. Dominic is one of these kids, whenever you walk in he’s running the steps of Hec Ed, he’s shooting late at night, when he plays it’s all about team. David’s been the spark plug and the heart and soul, to dive on loose balls, getting big rebounds. In a tough situation he wears his emotions on his sleeve and it allows our energy to increase. So I’d say those two guys.”
Who’s the one who takes what you ask and parrots it throughout the locker room?
“It’s definitely been David Crisp. I always feel like he was the most criticized player last year, but he was the guy that was really trying to push our culture. I would say he was the spine; he connected the whole body. He’s a guy that’s really bought into what we want, he’s sacrificed a lot of his game for the betterment of the team. And I think that leadership part has allowed Noah Dickerson to sacrifice part of his game for the betterment of the team, Matisse Thybulle to sacrifice a little bit for the betterment of the team, (same with) Dominic Green. And so with any great team, everybody’s gotta sacrifice a little bit. I think David was the main piece on that and he’s kept it going this year as well.”
Hopkins also talked about Washington’s future recruiting and why fans could see a bit more man defense next season. Listen to the entire interview in the audio clip embedded above. You can hear Brock and Salk break down the latest in Seattle sports every weekday morning from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m on 710 ESPN Seattle.