Washington coach is giving his bonus back to fans in a unique way

Jeff Eisenberg
·Senior writer
Washington head coach Mike Hopkins gestures to his team during an NCAA college basketball game against Oregon, Saturday, March 3, 2018, in Seattle. Oregon won 72-64. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Washington head coach Mike Hopkins gestures to his team during an NCAA college basketball game against Oregon, Saturday, March 3, 2018, in Seattle. Oregon won 72-64. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Instead of pocketing the $15,000 bonus he received for winning Pac-12 coach of the year last season, Washington men’s basketball coach Mike Hopkins is giving that money away.

Hopkins will distribute $12 Starbucks gift cards to Huskies supporters who show up to the Starbucks at Seattle’s U-Village on Thursday from 2-3 p.m. Fans who show proof they’re Washington basketball season-ticket holders will receive an additional gift card.

“It was a great honor to be named Pac-12 Coach of the Year, but the reality is this is a tribute to our entire team, our program and the University community,” Hopkins said. “I wouldn’t have won this award without such incredible support, so I wanted to give back to some of the many important people who have made this a memorable first season possible, and have welcomed me and my family into this incredible Seattle community.”

Hopkins earned his Pac-12 coach of the year award by exceeding modest expectations in his debut season as Washington’s head coach.

The year before Hopkins arrived, Lorenzo Romar’s Huskies went 9-22 despite the presence of future No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Markelle Fultz. Hopkins took a similar roster minus Fultz and molded it into a 21-win team that was in position to make the NCAA tournament before dropping six of nine games down the stretch to settle for the NIT.

A byproduct of Hopkins’ success in his debut season was Washington’s Hec Edmundson Pavilion reemerging as one of the West Coast’s most formidable home courts. The Huskies finished 15-4 at home including an early February sweep of Arizona and Arizona State in front of a pair of lively sellout crowds.

In late January, Hopkins took out a full-page ad in The Seattle Times thanking Washington fans for their support.

Now he’s done one better, by offering them free coffee as a further show of gratitude.

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Jeff Eisenberg is a college basketball writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!