Dennis Hopson facts for kids
Hopson as head coach for Lourdes in 2022
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 22, 1965 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| High school | E.L. Bowsher (Toledo, Ohio) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Ohio State (1983–1987) |
| NBA Draft | 1987 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall |
| Selected by the New Jersey Nets | |
| Pro career | 1987–2000 |
| Coaching career | 2007–2024 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1987–1990 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1990–1991 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1991–1992 | Sacramento Kings |
| 1992–1994 | Natwest Zaragoza |
| 1994–1995 | Cholet Cedex Basket |
| 1995–1996 | Le Mans |
| 1996 | Purefoods Carne Norte |
| 1996–1997 | Galatasaray |
| 1997 | Hapoel Eilat |
| 1997–1998 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion |
| 1998–1999 | Maccabi Giv'at Shmuel |
| 1999 | Gaiteros del Zulia |
| 1999–2000 | Maccabi Kiryat Motzkin |
| 2000 | Maccabi Giv'at Shmuel |
| As coach: | |
| 2007–2009 | Northwood (assistant) |
| 2009–2014 | Bowling Green (assistant) |
| 2014–2015 | Bedford HS |
| 2019–2024 | Lourdes |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,633 (10.9 PPG) |
| Assists | 539 (1.6 APG) |
| Steals | 319 (1.0 SPG) |
Dennis Hopson, born on April 22, 1965, is a former American basketball coach and professional player. He was an amazing scorer during his time at Ohio State University. His fantastic shooting skills made him one of the top scorers in college basketball in the 1986–87 season. He even became Ohio State's all-time leading scorer!
Hopson was named an All-American and the 1987 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year. He was picked third overall in the 1987 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. He played five seasons in the NBA. After his NBA career, Hopson spent most of the 1990s playing basketball in other countries before he retired.
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College Basketball Journey
Dennis Hopson, a six-foot-five-inch player who could play as a shooting guard or small forward, was a star at Bowsher High School in Toledo. After high school, he went to Ohio State University to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
He started his college career quietly, averaging 5.3 points per game as a freshman. By his sophomore year, he was scoring 9.8 points per game. In his junior year, Hopson really shined, more than doubling his scoring to 20.9 points per game!
When Gary Williams became the new head coach in 1986, he brought a faster style of play. This was perfect for Hopson, who loved a running game. This change helped him score even more. His amazing jump shot and scoring talent made him the second-highest scorer in Division I college basketball during the 1986–87 season. This earned him the 1987 Big Ten Player of the Year award.
As a senior, Hopson was a true all-around player. He was great at passing, getting 3.6 assists per game. Even though he was not a big center, he led the Buckeyes in rebounds, grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game in his final season. He finished his time at Ohio State with All-American honors. He also became the school's all-time leader in points and steals.
NBA Career Highlights
The New Jersey Nets chose Dennis Hopson as the third overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. The Nets needed strong players for their backcourt because of injuries and other issues. They picked Hopson and five other guards in the 1987 draft to make their team stronger.
Even though he led the team in points in the 1989–90 season, Hopson could not quite meet all the team's high hopes after three seasons with the Nets. He also played for the Chicago Bulls and the Sacramento Kings. He even won an NBA championship with the Bulls in the 1990–91 season. However, he did not play much in the second half of that season or during the playoffs. His last NBA game was in the 1991–92 season.
Playing Basketball Around the World
After leaving the NBA in 1992, Hopson went to play basketball in other countries. He first played in Spain's Liga ACB league. Two years later, he moved north to France.
In 1996, Hopson traveled across continents to join the Philippine Basketball Association. However, his time there was cut short because of an injury. Later that year, he joined the Turkish Basketball League's Galatasaray team for the 1996–97 season, but he left partway through.
He then signed with the Hapoel Eilat basketball club in the Israeli Basketball Super League. The next season, Hopson played with his former college teammate Brad Sellers for Israel's Maccabi Rishon Lezion basketball club. Hopson played very well with LeZion that season and was seen as one of the best players in the league.
In 1999, he briefly played for the Gaiteros del Zulia club in Venezuela. He retired from professional basketball a year later, after playing his final games for Maccabi Giv'at Shmuel and Maccabi Kiryat Motzkin back in Israel.
Coaching Career
Dennis Hopson retired from playing basketball in 2000. He returned to his home state of Ohio to run a business. But it wasn't long before he came back to basketball. He became the head coach of the ABA's Toledo Royal Knights until the team stopped playing in December 2006.
A few years later, he moved to Florida. There, he became an assistant coach at Northwood University in West Palm Beach, Florida, working under head coach Rollie Massimino. In September 2009, he became an assistant basketball coach at Bowling Green State University. He left that role in 2014.
In 2014, Hopson became the head coach at Bedford High School in Temperance, Michigan, but he resigned after one season. On May 2, 2019, it was announced that Hopson would be the head coach of the Lourdes Gray Wolves men's basketball team. He led the Gray Wolves to win a conference tournament championship in the 2021–2022 season. On August 13, 2024, it was announced that Hopson had resigned from his head coaching job for the Gray Wolves. He now serves as the athletic director for Bowsher High School.
See also
In Spanish: Dennis Hopson para niños
