UW Fires Women's Basketball Coach Jody Wynn; Should Mike Hopkins Worry?

Athletic director Jennifer Cohen makes the change after four losing seasons.

The University of Washington pulled the plug on half of its basketball coaching staffs, firing Jody Wynn on Monday following four losing seasons with the Huskies women's team.

Could the other half, men's coach Mike Hopkins, be far behind?

Wynn and Hopkins came in together following the 2017 season, hired by athletic director Jennifer Cohen.

Hopkins had immediate success, twice earning Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors before his program fell off the past two seasons.

Wynn, 47, could never get it going.

Wynn didn't win.

Her UW teams finished 7-23, 11-21, 13-17 and 7-14, or 38-75 overall and 11-58 in Pac-12 play.

"These decisions are extremely difficult, but we felt it was in the best interest of our current and future Huskies to make a leadership change and move in a new direction with our women's basketball program," Cohen said.

Wynn's last game with the Huskies came in the Pac-12 tournament, where her team fell to UCLA 58-46. 

A former USC player, Wynn came to the UW from Long Beach State following the Huskies' 2017 Final Four appearance, a first for the school in women's basketball, and led by then coach Mike Neighbors.

He returned to his alma mater, Arkansas, where he now coaches. 

Hopkins comes off a much worse 5-21 season and first-round Pac-12 tournament ouster, this following a last-place conference finish in 2020.

During the season, Cohen offered Hopkins a vote of confidence when asked if his job was in question. 

It's possible he'll be given more leeway since he had two seasons of success, in particular guiding the Huskies to a 27-9 record, first-place finish and NCAA tournament appearance in 2019.

The UW said it will conduct a national search to fill the women's job.

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