Men’s basketball coach Kevin Hopkins and men’s tennis coach Jason Toedter were recently inducted into halls of fame for their achievements as student-athletes. Toedter, a 2006 graduate of Morarvian College, was inducted into the Moravian Athletics Hall of Fame, while Hopkins was inducted into the Saratoga Springs High School Blue Streak Hall of Fame for his outstanding high school basketball career.
For Hopkins, the support system that he had at Saratoga Springs played a major role in receiving the recognition.
“It was a tremendous honor to be inducted into my high school’s hall of fame. Although it was an individual honor, I think that it spoke volumes about the type of teammates, coaches and support that I have been surrounded by throughout both my playing and coaching careers,” Hopkins explained. “I don’t think there has ever been an individual who has been inducted into the Hall of Fame that was not surrounded by great people. My induction was a great platform to be able to thank those individuals for their contributions, guidance and support.”
One of Hopkins’ many life-long supporters throughout his athletic career was his mother, a long-time secretary for the athletic department at Saratoga Springs High School. When first hearing the news, Hopkins thought that his mother pulled a few strings to land him into the hall of fame. “My mom has worked in the athletics department at my high school as a secretary for the athletic director since I was in school,” Hopkins said. “When I first heard the news of being inducted into the Hall of Fame, I asked the athletic director who my mom had blackmailed to get me in. I was surprised because I had a good high school career but not hall of fame worthy.”
However, Hopkins received the award for his basketball accomplishments after his high school career. Hopkins went on to play basketball at Amherst College, where he helped lead the Mammoths to their first Division III National Championship. After graduating from Amherst, Hopkins found success as a player in Germany, receiving All-Regionalliga North first team honors from Eurobasket.com.
Transitioning from player to coach, Hopkins served as an assistant coach at his alma mater and helped lead Amherst to another National Championship in 2013. He then went back to the professional game after a three-year stint at Amherst and became a coaching coordinator for the Santa Cruz Warriors. In 2017, Hopkins was named head coach of Muhlenberg’s men’s basketball team and has helped the Mules inch closer to reaching the Centennial Conference Playoffs.
With tremendous success as a player and a coach over the past 15 years, Hopkins was informed by his high school’s athletic director that his impressive basketball resume after his playing time at Saratoga Springs was a main factor in receiving the honor.
“Once the athletic director explained that the induction was based not only on my performance in high school, but also based on my college and professional playing career at Amherst College and in Germany, as well as my coaching career at Amherst College, with the Santa Cruz Warriors and now at Muhlenberg, I understood,” Hopkins said.
Even after earning such a prestigious honor, Hopkins feels that his drive to help younger athletes succeed remains unchanged, as his personal achievements do not fuel his motivation to share his passion for basketball with others. “Although it was a great experience to receive this type of recognition, I do not think that it has changed my passion for the game or for teaching student-athletes. My motivations are not linked to my own personal achievements or awards. I am more interested in how I can help put other people (teammates or players) in positions to be successful. If helping others leads to individual recognition for me, then that is just a bonus.”
Second-year head tennis coach, Jason Toedter, was given the nod into the Moravian Athletics Hall of Fame for his outstanding playing throughout his collegiate career. Even in his very first year, Toedter was destined for greatness, having won Rookie of the Year in 2001. Over the course of his outstanding career, Toedter won the 2004 Middle Atlantic Conference championship in men’s singles play. Over his four years as a Greyhound, Toedter finished with a record of 54-18 in singles play, a record that still stands in the Moravian record-books.
In just a couple weeks, Hopkins will officially begin his third season as men’s basketball coach when the Mules take the court for the first time during the 2019-2020 season at Moravian on Nov. 8. With a young and hungry team, Hopkins will look to add more achievements to his already impressive basketball resume, while Toedter and Mule tennis just wrapped up their fall season and gear up for the Spring.
