Bowling Green men’s basketball coach Louis Orr has announced the hiring of Dennis Hopson as an assistant
coach. A Toledo native, Hopson comes to Bowling Green after serving as an assistant coach at Northwood
University in West Palm Beach, Fla. since 2007 under Head Coach Rollie Massimino.
“I am truly honored to be selected as a Bowling Green men’s basketball assistant coach,” Hopson said. “I
look forward to joining the Falcon family, Coach Louis Orr, the staff, and the great tradition that
Bowling Green State University has to offer. This position represents a dream job for me and I look
forward to developing student-athletes on and off the court.”
Hopson helped Northwood University to back-to-back Florida Sun Conference championships and a combined
record of 54-14 from 2007-09. The team advanced to the NAIA National Tournament quarterfinals in 2007-08
and reached the second round in 2008-09.
“Dennis brings a strong passion for working with and developing young people, along with a great love for
the game of basketball,” Orr said. “He’s very hands-on with the student-athletes and, because of his
vast basketball experience at all levels, he can relate to them. Dennis has been where they are and also
where they want to go. He’s very organized in his thoughts and his direction. He understands the game
and can teach the game. He’s skilled in the areas you need to be skilled in to be a productive
collegiate basketball coach today.”
Hopson had extensive success on the court as a player beginning with his time at Ohio State and
continuing through a six-year career in the NBA and seven years in the European Basketball League until
retirement in 1999.
He was the NCAA’s second-leading scorer in the 1986-87 season, averaging 29.0 points per game, and is
Ohio State’s single season and career scoring leader with 958 points in 1986-87 and 2,096 career points.
He was a first-team All-American and was selected third overall in the 1987 NBA draft by the New Jersey
Nets. He was traded to the Chicago Bulls for the 1990-91 season and was a member of the team’s first NBA
title as a teammate of Michael Jordan. Hopson played for the Sacramento Kings during the 1991-92 season
and then played for seven seasons overseas in Spain, France, and Israel.
“He’s been where a lot of our guys want to go,” Orr said. “Not just in the NBA, but in Europe. A lot of
our guys end up overseas. With his basketball experiences, he can provide guidance to our
student-athletes in that area.”
Following the completion of his playing career, Hopson was an assistant coach with the Rockford Lightning
and the Sioux Falls Sky Force in the CBA. He served as an NBA Scout for the Philadelphia 76ers from
2003-04 and held an internship as a varsity basketball assistant at Northland High School in Columbus,
Ohio from 2005-06. He was then an assistant coach at Eastmoor Academy High School in Columbus for the
2006-07 season before moving on to his assistant coaching position at Northwood.
