6th year for Hopkins?????

SUMG · December 21, 2004

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas officials are seeking an additional year of eligibility for senior guard Leonard Hopkins, one of the top players in the recent history of Mean Green basketball.

The senior is in his fifth season with the team, but has missed the majority of two seasons because of injuries.

Hopkins played three games as a true freshman in the 2000-01 season before deciding to spend the rest of the year as a redshirt to recover from a broken leg that prevented him from playing his junior and senior seasons at Dallas Lincoln.

Hopkins later missed all but the first nine games of his sophomore season in 2002-03 with a foot injury.

UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said the school’s appeal to the NCAA will be based on the total amount of time Hopkins has missed due to injuries during his career. UNT officials do not expect the NCAA to rule on their appeal until after the end of the season.

"Leonard is a great kid and a great leader," Villarreal said. "Kids like Leonard are ones you want to fight for. We are finally seeing what a healthy Leonard Hopkins can play like. He is the type of athlete who would benefit from getting a chance to play a final season."

Hopkins was a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection this season after earning second-team all-conference honors last year. Hopkins averaged 14.0 points last year to lead the Mean Green and is in the midst of his best season at UNT.

Hopkins enters the Mean Green’s game against Southeast Missouri State on Wednesday ranked fifth in the Sun Belt Conference with an average of 17.6 points a game.

Hopkins is just seven hours short of earning his degree, but would welcome the chance to return for another season.

"It would be real nice to come back next year," Hopkins said. "What I am going to do is focus on this season and then see what happens."

UNT coach Johnny Jones said he will recruit under the assumption that Hopkins will not be granted an extra season of eligibility, although he is holding out hope his top player will return.

"I would love to see Leonard stay another year," Jones said. "This is the first time he has been healthy to start a season.

UNT has gotten off to a quick start behind Hopkins and enters its game against Southeast with a 5-3 record. A win would give UNT its best start since the Mean Green opened the 1980-81 season with a 6-3 record.

Hopkins enters UNT’s game against Southeast just 27 points short of becoming the 16th player in the history of UNT basketball to score 1,000 career points.

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.