Bernard Hopkins has been named the new head men’s basketball coach at Hagerstown Community College. Hopkins is a graduate of and former player at HCC and has played collegiate and professional basketball for the Colonial Athletic Association, Continental Basketball Association, and Association Club Basketball.
“We are very excited to hire a coach that can identify with the goals of his players. Coach Bernard Hopkins not only brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience in the game of basketball, he began his career here in our basketball program at Hagerstown,” said Robert Rohan, HCC athletic director.
“It’s an honor to be back where my career began and to have the opportunity to give back what was taught to me by the legendary coach Jim Brown,” said Hopkins. “HCC was the stepping stone of my career, where the role models really guided me and helped me become the man I am today. I want to encourage my players to realize that hard work leads to success on and off the court.”
Hopkins began his college basketball career at HCC, being named MVP and Second Team All-American for 1995-1996. After earning as associate degree from HCC, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he was named player -MORE- of the year in the Colonial Athletic Association for 1996-1997. He played one season for the Continental Basketball Association, in 1996-1997, where he was named Rookie of the Year. He later played Association Club Basketball (the second most recognized basketball league in the world, following the NBA) from 1997 to 2013, on various teams in Spain, where he finished 32nd in steals, 25th in minutes played, 17th in scoring, and seventh in rebounds in league history. Since 2013, Hopkins has been serving as the basketball director and instructor at Bel-Air Athletic Club. He also served as the boy’s head basketball coach at St. James Academy for the 2015-2016 season.
“Coach Hopkins will have a great impact on our men’s basketball program, but more importantly, he is committed to developing the life skills in our players to prepare them for their careers as well. We are also excited to connect our current players to the great basketball tradition that has been established here at Hagerstown Community College,” said Rohan.
