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Hopkins finishes with no regrets


08:37 PM CST on Thursday, March 9, 2006
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News


MEMPHIS, Tenn. – On the lower level of the FedEx Forum, Bryan Hopkins sat in a small office wearing a blue warmup suit trying to come up with some words about his four seasons at SMU.

Hopkins, a Lincoln graduate, finished his college career Thursday with 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field in a 69-55 loss to UAB in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament.

In four seasons, Hopkins averaged 15.8 points and finished in the top 10 in numerous school categories. Hopkins is also one of 15 players in NCAA history to have 1,500 points, 350 rebounds, 350 assists and 200 steals.

"I felt like I had a successful career," Hopkins said. "But I never went to the postseason. That's what you play for. I'd trade in a lot of those stats just so I can play in a big game."

When Hopkins committed to SMU, he was expected to carry the program to the NCAA Tournament. Instead, SMU had no NCAA or NIT appearances with Hopkins.

Hopkins' career was filled with injuries and flirtations with the NBA.

He played with a bad wrist, hip flexor, toe and stress fracture in his foot.

Following his junior season, Hopkins announced he was leaving for the NBA Draft; a month later he decided to return. Hopkins then missed the first seven games of his senior season because he was academically ineligible.

On the court, it appeared that Hopkins was more concerned with showing he had NBA skills to the pro scouts.

"I never detected he was playing for the pro scouts," SMU coach Jimmy Tubbs said. "He was always coachable. I think he's a pro, and he had a successful career at SMU. He has nothing to be ashamed about."

Hopkins was recruited by numerous colleges out of high school and made an oral commitment to Texas. Hopkins wanted a basketball scholarship for his brother, Ryan, but Texas said Ryan could be the team manager. SMU got the commitment when the Hopkins brothers were given scholarships.

Ryan played 32 games in four seasons.

"I like SMU, and I have no regrets," Bryan Hopkins said. "I'm getting a good education, but I think I'm a little bit under the radar. As the point guard you take the blame for a lot of losses, and people don't really look at your skills. But I'm confident in my abilities."

I have no regrets, either, about Hop's performance. Thank you, Bryan, and good luck wherever you play next.

this was a good deal for both parties. BHop has to feel good about having helped Ryan get a scholarship to a very expensive school. I wish them both well and hope the experience was good for them and that they remain loyal Mustangs

It was really a pretty selfless thing he did for his brother, when you think about it. Not sure SMU got the greatest deal with that scholarship, but kudos to him for watching out for bro.

jtstang wrote:It was really a pretty selfless thing he did for his brother, when you think about it. Not sure SMU got the greatest deal with that scholarship, but kudos to him for watching out for bro.

But it was kind of a selfish thing he did last year....not devoting time to his studies so that he could have been eligible all year.

Best of luck to both of the Hopkins in their future endeavours! And thanks for choosing SMU!

PonySnob, don't you have a cat to kick, or an old lady to push down, or some ice cream to steal from a little kid...?? You could see it in his eyes and in his vibe this week in Memphis, something I have missed in his career being so far away...BHop cares, he has passion, he is a hard worker, he seems like a good guy, I respect him,,,hope he continues to follow his dreams..the guys a PLAYER! Long Live Gene Phillips.

Too bad he had the injuries - could have even done more perhaps.

Ryan said in a halftime show he will try to go to Graduate school somewhere and he is grateful for the great education.

A Memphis fan I sat next to at most of the games commented that Bryan is obviously a very good player.

Ryan actually did well when he got in at the end of the UAB game. He got a steel, a rebound. B Hop tried to get him a score but he missed the shot. I thought that was classy, with B. passing on a shot to give it to Ryan. Both of these guys have been good for our program.

MustangStealth...where did you sit? With the small group behind the Musatngs' bench? Don't remember you there.....you really are stealth.

I don't think anyone has ever questioned BHOPS commitment. I think he played hard all 4 years...That is what makes SMU's lack of sucess when he was here even more mystifying.

What is so mystifying about it? Yes - he played hard but he had a ton of turnovers, missed several games for various reasons, was not in tip top shape for a lot of games, plus he really didn't have a go to move where he could score when we really needed a bucket in crunch time. Really - he did all he could. Without him we would have easily been under 500; we were lucky to have him because this team could have been much worse without him, but his hype was much more than he could have lived up to. In way, all the hype was almost not fair for hopkins. I wish him well.

i've mentioned this once before, but its worth saying again. You can tell a lot about a guy by the way he acts toward kids. I have a 9 year that thinks BHop is pretty cool. My 9 year old has seen Hop at camps and autographic sessions and Bryan has ALWAYS been super to him. Not for any reason, I'm not a big shot alum at all. BHop is just that way: humble and cool. That says alot about BHop that many of you might not know.

As for his career here, i think it was very good. He is not graduating with anyone except his brother so obviously he did not have alot of help in his class. And anyone who saw Bhop in high school realizes there is just something physically different about him in college and it was not just a matter of conditioning. He went from being a dynamite leaper in high school to just a good leaper for his size in college. injuries no doubt played a part. Wish Bhop well, he played his guts out and deserves it.

HixsontoLeVias wrote:MustangStealth...where did you sit? With the small group behind the Musatngs' bench? Don't remember you there.....you really are stealth.

I was sitting with my girlfriend at center court about 6 rows up for most of the non-Memphis games, on the side facing the players benches. We didn't really stand out, apart from the red shirts. Unfortunately the big plays were few and far between.