Following their 11-14 campaign in 2017-18 in which five pivotal seniors departed the men’s basketball team entered the 2018-19 season with seven new freshmen.
The addition and their early season success is in part due to Coach Kevin Hopkins, who was named head coach in April of 2017.
His ability to recruit, pitching the opportunities that can be had as a part of the Muhlenberg basketball team to prospective student-athletes, has built a solid foundation for the program. This year’s freshmen class has connected with Coach Hopkins as he made them feel Muhlenberg is the perfect place for them to showcase their wide range of abilities and build something special.
Coach Hopkins’ process of finding and recruiting exceptional young talent is a thorough operation where he pitches the system, explains to the prospective student-athletes the unforgettable moments that can be made, and builds valuable connections.
“Recruiting is a complicated process that is built around relationships,” said Hopkins.“We find potential student-athletes a number of different ways including calling high schools or AAU coaches that we know, getting emails from kids or recruiting services, and going out to watch kids participate in AAU tournaments or prospect camps.” Coach Hopkins also made it clear the type of players that he and his staff scout have a specific skillset.
“We try to find student-athletes that are self-motivated, competitive kids who are driven to succeed both on and off the court. On the court, we really value kids that have good size, athleticism, and the ability to shoot the ball. Off of the court, we try to identify those kids who will be academically successful at Muhlenberg and contribute to the campus community” Coach Hopkins described.
The coaching staff certainly understands the brand of player and student they are in search of and they feel many prospects are easily attracted to the program. “There are definitely a lot of players that are attracted to what we have to offer here at Muhlenberg,” Hopkins added. “The combination of a great liberal arts education with the opportunity to compete in the Centennial Conference is very appealing to people.”
The aspect of Coach Hopkins’ pitch that he feels attracts and persuades many athletes is his authenticity and clarity. “I think many student athletes are attracted to the honesty and transparency that we bring to the recruiting process. We tell recruits that the recruiting process is about them, not about us” said Hopkins.
Standout guard, Dan Gaines ‘22, has many compliments for Hopkins and his philosophy. Gaines, who has started all seven of the Mules contests this season said his time at Muhlenberg has been really similar to what it was made out to be in his recruiting experience.
“We try to find student-athletes that are self-motivated, competitive kids who are driven to succeed both on and off the court. On the court, we really value kids that have good size, athleticism, and the ability to shoot the ball.” – Kevin Hopkins
“Coach Hopkins did a really great job painting a picture of what the school is about. Both him and Coach Brown, the assistant coach last year, clarified any questions I had about not only basketball, but also the academics and social life,” stated Gaines.“Coming into this year, I felt prepared and aware of what was to come after my recruiting experience”
“Coach Hopkins does a great job relaying what the program is about to recruits because he is 100% honest,” said Gaines who continued to praise Hopkins effective communication skills. “Unlike many other coaches, Coach Hopkins describes what he expects from the team in the future in a reasonable manner. Whereas some coaches tell recruits that they have an amazing team even if they don’t, Coach Hopkins relays his message using realistic expectations.”
Ultimately, after his entire recruiting journey, Gaines was made to feel that Muhlenberg was the perfect fit for him to grow not only as a student-athlete, but as an individual. “The honesty and how genuine Coach Hopkins was during his pitch was the deciding factor in me.. After listening to what he had to say about the basketball program and school in general, I knew that this was a place where I could approach almost anyone if I ever had a question or problem. Coach Hopkins told me that he was not only recruiting me as a basketball player, but as an individual.”
Guard Joe D’Amico ‘22, expressed similar feelings towards Hopkins and shed light on his personal recruiting experience. “Coach Hopkins does a great job of setting out his goals for us as he is committed to making Muhlenberg an elite program in every way.” D’Amico continued to express that upon arriving at Berg nothing came as a surprise. “(My experience) has been what I expected. It’s been very intense, and a demanding schedule has helped our team build the proper habits for success that I anticipated.”
With freshmen atop many statistical categories among the team the question seems to be when will the team gain enough experience necessary to tussle with the best teams in the conference, not if that time will ever come.
*All statistics and information through 12/4/18
