Former Cal Head Coach Wyking Jones Joins UW Men's Basketball Staff
Mike Hopkins has added another former head coach to his bench.
On Wednesday, the University of Washington announced the hire of ex-California Golden Bears coach Wyking Jones to the men’s basketball program as an assistant coach.
The move fills the opening left after Cameron Dollar announced he was leaving the college coaching profession in March.
“We are so excited to add Wyking to our staff,” Hopkins said in a statement. “He has built an incredible reputation for himself in college basketball and worked with some the great coaches in the business.
" He’s an excellent recruiter and a great teacher of the game. Not only does he bring a wealth of experience and knowledge but he will be a tremendous asset to our program both on and off the court as a developer of student-athletes.
"His passion and enthusiasm is going to be incredible for our student-athletes and we are so lucky to have him on our team on Montlake. “
As noted the Hopkins’ statement, the addition of Jones is a move that should revitalize recruiting efforts for UW. Not just in the Pacific Northwest, but on a national level. It also gives the staff what it hasn’t had; another coach who knows the post.
Outside of five-star Isaiah Stewart, the Huskies have struggled to develop big men under Hopkins.
Four-star center Bryan Penn-Johnson opted to transfer out of the program after the 2019-20 season having played only six games as a sophomore, and just five the prior season.
Former Garfield forward J’Raan Brooks transferred home to UW after playing one season at USC and wasn’t used properly this past season in his first season eligible.
Brooks opted to enter the transfer portal – one of six players to do so from the 2020-21 season – but has not found a new home, yet.
Enter Jones.
In the 2015 class he played a pivotal role in the recruitment of a pair of top 10 recruits; No. 3 overall recruit Jaylen Brown and No. 7 overall prospect Ivan Rabb.
As an assistant coach prior to arriving at California in 2015-16, he was on staff at Louisville under legendary coach Rick Pitino.
In a unique way, Jones is a carbon copy of Hopkins, who came to Washington after a two-decade run at Syracuse under Jim Boeheim.
Now that Hopkins is running his own program he can’t stretch himself thin. Bringing in Jones allows him to be able to be a head coach without having to cover holes in the ship.
“I’m truly honored to be part of Coach Hopkins’ staff at Washington, Jones said in a statement released by UW. “ Since he arrived on campus, I’ve had a tremendous amount of respect for him as a coach and person.
"What he has been able to accomplish in such a short time speaks for itself. During my entire coaching career, I’ve watched Washington from afar and have been impressed with it’s history and long list of players that have gone on to be successful at the next level. Being a part of that storied history is very exciting and I’m ready to get to Seattle.”
Jones joins assistant coaches Dave Rice and Will Conroy on the Huskies bench.