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 April 22, 1965) is an American who used to be a basketball coach and a professional player. He was an amazing scorer when he played for Ohio State University. His great shooting skills made him one of the top scorers in college basketball during the 1986–87 season. He even became the all-time leading scorer for Ohio State's men's basketball team.
Dennis was named an All-American and the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year in 1987. He was picked third overall in the 1987 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. He played five seasons in the NBA. After his time in the NBA, Hopson played basketball in many different countries before he stopped playing professionally around the year 2000.
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College Basketball Star
Dennis Hopson was a talented player at Bowsher High School in Toledo, Ohio. He then went on to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes in college. He started his college career quietly, scoring about 5.3 points per game as a freshman.
Becoming a Top Scorer
By his junior year, Dennis really started to shine. He more than doubled his scoring, averaging 20.9 points per game. When a new coach, Gary Williams, joined in 1986, he brought a faster style of play. This suited Dennis perfectly and helped him score even more.
Dennis's amazing jump shot and scoring ability made him the second-highest scorer in his college division in 1986–87. This earned him the 1987 Big Ten Player of the Year award. He was also a great all-around player. He helped his team with 3.6 assists per game. Even though he was a guard, he led the Buckeyes in rebounds, grabbing 8.2 per game in his final season. He finished his time at Ohio State as the school's all-time leader in points and steals.
NBA Journey
In the 1987 NBA Draft, the New Jersey Nets chose Dennis Hopson as the third overall pick. The Nets needed strong guards because their team had many injuries. They hoped Dennis would help make their team better.
Championship with the Bulls
Dennis played three seasons with the New Jersey Nets. Even though he led the team in points in the 1989–90 season, he didn't quite meet all the team's hopes. He later 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 didn't play much during the second half of that season or in the playoffs. His last NBA game was in the 1991–92 season.
Playing Around the World
After leaving the NBA in 1992, Dennis Hopson went to play basketball in other countries. He first played in Spain in the Liga ACB. Two years later, he moved to France.
Basketball in Asia and Israel
In 1996, Dennis traveled even further to join the Philippine Basketball Association. His time there was cut short because of an injury. Later that year, he played for Galatasaray in Turkey during the 1996–97 season. He then moved to Israel, playing for Hapoel Eilat. The next season, he joined his former college teammate Brad Sellers on the Maccabi Rishon Lezion team in Israel. He was considered one of the best players in that league. In 1999, he briefly played in Venezuela for the Gaiteros del Zulia club. He retired from playing professionally in 2000, after playing his last games in Israel for Maccabi Giv'at Shmuel and Maccabi Kiryat Motzkin.
Life After Playing: Coaching
After retiring from playing basketball in 2000, Dennis Hopson returned to Ohio. He ran a trucking and recruiting business. But he soon came back to basketball.
Coaching in the ABA and NCAA
He became the head coach for the ABA team, the Toledo Royal Knights, until the team stopped playing in 2006. A few years later, he became an assistant coach at Northwood University in Florida. In 2009, he became an assistant basketball coach at Bowling Green State University.
High School and College Coaching
In 2014, Dennis became the head coach at Bedford High School in Michigan, but he resigned after one season. On May 2, 2019, he was announced as the head coach for the Lourdes Gray Wolves men's basketball team. He led the Gray Wolves to win a conference tournament championship in the 2021–2022 season. In August 2024, he resigned from Lourdes. He is now the athletic director for Bowsher High School, his old high school.
See also
In Spanish: Dennis Hopson para niños
