Published: April 04, 2008 11:36 pm            

Hoppes steps down as Panthers’ basketball coach

He plans to spend more time rooting on his daughters in college athletics

Western is looking for a new girls basketball coach this spring after Steve Hoppes resigned following his second season at the helm of the Panthers.

Hoppes realized this past season that he wanted a chance to see his daughters play in college more. Liz Hoppes is a freshman basketball player at Brevard College in North Carolina while Steph Hoppes is going to be a senior next season on the IPFW golf team.

“I took [the job] last year pretty late and it never was going to be a long-term situation,” Hoppes said. “Last year was great, especially with my daughter [Liz] there.

“This year without my daughter, not that I don’t love the other kids, [but] I’m in a unique situation. I’ve got two kids playing college sports and I got to see Liz play once and I got to see Steph play once. My wife and I talked about it and I want to do more for my own kids.”

The demands of being varsity coach took up more time than he felt he could afford.

“It’s a 365-day job and I found that out. And another thing is when Steve [Ford] quit over at Cass, I didn’t want to be the oldest one around,” Hoppes joked. “I want somebody young to get in there and do it and spend the time because you’ve got to spend the time. I did the stuff that needed to be done with the little kids and I found out. I was the JV coach for a long time and I will tell you from experience that the varsity coach does a lot more than the helpers do.

“I had to weigh options and my own family came first. I hope that doesn’t sound selfish.”

Western athletic director Rick Fields said he could see this day coming.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Fields said. “It’s a special time as a parent to get to see your kids compete in college. Not too many parents get that privilege and I know Steve wanted to take full advantage of it.”

Fields complimented Hoppes as a classy coach to deal with. Western has not yet posted the job as Fields works with members of the administration to see what openings the school will have next season.

“We’ve got a very talented group coming back next year that I have high hopes for,” Fields said. “I think they have a ton of potential and I want to get the right person in there to lead them. We have a lot of talent coming all the way down [from] the lower levels and Western’s girls basketball is going to be strong for years to come.

“I want to make sure that I take my time and get the right person there to lead these girls to get better in the offseason, to motivate them to get better in the weight room and be the best possible players they can be for Western.”

The Panthers were 8-14 last season and Hoppes finished his two-season stint with a 22-23 record. He said he was glad for the opportunity to coach the hoops squad. Hoppes will continue coaching the girls golf team, which he led to a state championship in 2001. Through coaching both teams, he had the opportunity to work as a coach for his daughters.

“It was a really, really good experience and especially getting to coach both of my kids in a varsity sport,” Hoppes said. “I got to coach Steph in golf and then got to coach Liz [in basketball]. And this year was a good experience too. The kids were just good kids, they work hard and they’re just good kids. And they need somebody for the long run and I just wasn’t in it for the long run. They need an enthusiastic go-getter, make or female. If they need anything, I’ll be there to help out.”

Hoppes is an industrial technology teacher at Western. He said leaving the hoops program was a difficult choice, but he’s excited to spend more time watching his daughters next school year.

“It’s difficult [to resign] in the fact that I enjoyed it,” Hoppes said. “It was very enjoyable and I do appreciate Western allowing me to do it. Probably the biggest thrill I’ve had, thrill and honor, is to be able to coach both my kids in a varsity sport. I never thought I was going to be able to do that because Liz doesn’t play golf. There’s a lot of fathers that would love to have done what I’ve done.”

        

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