DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
SMU freshman Bryan Hopkins has been held back by injuries this season but is still second on the team in scoring.
Bryan Hopkins misses the feel of an iron rim in his hands. Mustangs’ Hopkins
still on the way upSMU's freshman is rounding into
form after an injury, and will be a
key against the Rainbows tonightBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comAs a highly-touted high school prospect, Hopkins could get crowds in Dallas-area gyms jumping with his ability to elevate and throw down a dunk.
But a bum toe and a sore hip have kept the Southern Methodist freshman grounded, leaving him to find less emphatic ways to put the ball in the basket.
"It's always fun to dunk," Hopkins said before a Mustangs practice in preparation for tonight's game with Hawaii. "It's not in my game right now, but fortunately my shot became a lot better since I've been hurt. So I pretty much get my scoring by shooting."
"He's still not as athletic as he was," SMU coach Mike Dement said. "He was the type of player that could rise up. Even at 5-10 he could dunk over people. He has yet to dunk this year, he just doesn't have the same springs as he had last year in high school. But he's getting there."
Hopkins' play tonight will go a long way in determining whether the Mustangs (5-6 overall, 0-1 Western Athletic Conference) leave Hawaii with their first WAC victory of the season or their seventh road loss.
He enters tonight's game as SMU's second-leading scorer, averaging 12.1 points per game, and is coming off a 21-point performance against Louisiana Tech in which he hit five 3-pointers and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Although Hopkins is beginning to display the form that earned him preseason WAC newcomer of the year honors, the transition to college ball remains a tricky one.
"He scores a little bit for us, but he's still a freshman and he's making some freshman mistakes," Dement said. "But he's a good player and one we rely on. He's going to play against some big guards in (Mark) Campbell and (Carl) English, guys who have been around before. He's never played over here in this arena, so it should be interesting to see how it goes."
Hopkins had his choice of colleges as a senior at Lincoln High in Dallas, where he helped lead the team to a 40-0 season and the top spot in the USA Today Super 25.
He had coaches from schools such as Texas, Maryland, Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State and Arkansas ringing his phone, but initially committed to SMU to stay close to his family.
He then dropped a bomb on the SMU coaches by backing out of his commitment in favor of Texas. But two days after committing to the Longhorns, Hopkins changed his mind again and recommitted to SMU.
Hopkins' signing helped fill the void left by the graduation of Damon Hancock, who led the team in scoring with 22 points per game last season.
"We needed a point guard," Dement said. "And we were able to say to him, 'you come in and we're handing you the ball.' "
Hopkins' twin brother, Ryan, is also on the SMU roster, but has played in just three games this season.
Hopkins had surgery last spring to repair torn ligaments in his toe and played through the pain of a pulled groin early this season. But as his body has started to heal, his point totals have shot north.
He's averaged 19 points in SMU's last five games and leads the conference in steals with 23. He has launched a team-high 54 shots from behind the 3-point arc and hit 19.
"He's got free rein. He can shoot from anywhere, as deep as he wants to," UH assistant coach Jackson Wheeler said. "He'll be a handful."
Although the freshman's emergence has given the Mustangs a potent one-two punch with Hopkins and senior forward Quinton Ross (19.6 ppg), the WAC's leading scorer, Dement is looking for more production out of the rest of the lineup heading into tonight's game with the Rainbows.
"The games that we've won we've had four or five guys in double figures," Dement said. "The games that we've lost it's only been Ross or Hopkins.
"That's what's impressive about Hawaii. English is a star, but the other guys game in and game out contribute really well. We've been inconsistent in that respect."
When: Today, 7 p.m. Rainbow Basketball
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
TV: Live, KFVE-TV (Ch. 5)
Radio: Live, 1420-AM
Internet: uhathletics.hawaii.edu
Tickets: Lower level, $15/$16; Upper level (adult) $11/$12; Upper level (student, UH) $7; Super Rooter $8.
Probable starters
SMU (5-6, 0-1 WAC)
Ht. Pts. Reb. Ast. G Bryan Hopkins (Fr.) 6-0 12.1 3.1 3.3 G Kris Lowe (Jr.) 6-6 4.3 1.7 1.1 F Patrick Simpson (So.) 6-9 8.8 6.7 1.0 F Quinton Ross (Sr.) 6-6 19.6 6.1 2.5 C Eric Castro (So.) 6-8 8.6 6.4 0.8
HAWAII (8-2, 1-1 WAC)
Ht. Pts. Reb. Ast. G Mark Campbell (Sr.) 6-4 4.8 3.0 5.8 G Michael Kuebler (Jr.) 6-5 11.8 3.2 2.4 F Carl English (Jr.) 6-5 19.2 5.3 2.9 F Phil Martin (Jr.) 6-8 9.0 4.4 0.2 C Haim Shimonovich (Jr.) 6-11 11.2 7.7 2.6
Notes: Ross is the WAC's leading scorer. English is second. ... English has averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds in four career games against SMU. ... Both teams are coming off road losses. UH lost at Boise State 65-63 in overtime Saturday. SMU lost at Louisiana Tech 89-77. ... Lowe is slated to start in place of Justin Isham, who suffered a sprained wrist against Louisiana Tech. .... UH has won 19 consecutive home games, tied for the eighth longest home winning streak in the country. The Rainbows have won their last 16 WAC home games. ... This is the 12th meeting between UH and SMU. UH leads the series 6-5 and has won the last three meetings, including both last season, 83-74 on Jan. 12 in Honolulu and 85-76 on Feb. 7 in Dallas.
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