DMN: Leonard Hopkins leads by example

[OldTimer]

UNT's Hopkins leads by example

08:08 PM CST on Thursday, March 3, 2005

By BRETT VITO / Denton Record-Chronicle

Paula Hopkins thought her nightly routine was complete a few years ago when she heard a muffled sound down the hall in her Oak Cliff home.

Paula had chased her three sons off the basketball court just outside their backdoor and sent them to bed – only the game they were playing was far from over.

"They would cut the bottom out of a shoebox, tape it to the wall and shoot at that," Paula said. "I would think that they were asleep, and they would be up there in their room, shooting with rolled up socks to keep the noise down."

North Texas senior Leonard Hopkins, whose college career may draw to a close this weekend, was the ringleader in those games and has served as the inspiration for his twin brothers, Bryan and Ryan, in what has developed into one of the first families of Dallas basketball.

[Click image for a larger version] NATHAN HUNSINGER/DMN

NATHAN HUNSINGER/DMN

Having three sons in college is more than enough to fill Paula Hopkins' cup. As for younger brothers Bryan (center) and Ryan (right), teammates at SMU, they have long taken pride in Leonard (left), who is on track to graduate from North Texas in May.

Leonard cleared the 1,000-point mark at UNT in a game against Chattanooga on Dec. 29 and is in eighth place on the Mean Green's scoring list heading into the Sun Belt Conference tournament this week at the Super Pit in Denton. Bryan cleared the 1,000-point mark a little more than a week earlier at SMU, where Ryan is also a member of the team.

The success Leonard and Bryan have enjoyed in college has only added to the accomplishments all three piled up at Lincoln High School, where Bryan and Ryan were members of the Tigers' 2001-02 team that finished 40-0 and earned a mythical national title.

Leonard, 23, who is a year and a half older than his twin brothers, played for Lincoln before a broken leg forced him to sit out his junior and senior seasons and also his freshman season at UNT.

"I don't think we would be as good as we are today without Leonard," Bryan said. "We grew up watching him and his friends play. That got me involved in basketball."

Lincoln assistant coach John Carter said he doesn't think the area will see another trio like the Hopkins brothers any time soon.

"You can go into any part of the city and ask about the Hopkins brothers and people will know them," Carter said. "Lincoln is known in part because of the contributions all three of them made to the school."

A family affair

The Hopkins brothers travel across the Dallas area to watch each other play and can often be found on their cellphones after games, talking with each other about the latest ups and downs of their careers. What those calls can't replace is a trip home.

Not much has changed over the years around the wooden table that sits in the middle of the family kitchen, where they often gather for Sunday dinners. Paula still serves up home cooking while the conversation drifts from the brothers' days playing basketball as youngsters to their hopes of playing professionally.

The brothers trace their basketball background to Oak Cliff and the blacktop court with metal chains for nets that sat outside their backdoor, in Moore Park.

Leonard hit the court from the morning until the park's lights flickered off late at night. Bryan and Ryan soon followed, creating a heated sibling rivalry.

Just who got the better of those games is still up for debate when the brothers get together to review accusations of misdeeds from long ago with a snicker and a smile.

"They used to double-team me and make it tough for me to score," Leonard said. "As the years went by, they were able to beat me.

"We hated to lose because we would hear it all day."

Bryan and Ryan still remember how Leonard avoided that fate no matter if he was playing well on a particular day.

Said Ryan: "We used to play one-on-one, and Leonard would cheat. He taught us the game ... both the dirty version and the clean version."

Setting the tone

What might have been more important than the lessons Leonard taught his brothers on the court was the example he set off it.

Leonard was one of the top players in the area his sophomore year at Lincoln before his leg injury. Watching him bounce back had a profound impact on Bryan and Ryan, who quickly put aside their lighthearted ways when the talk turns to the injuries that have hounded their brother over the years.

"Leonard was really strong," Bryan said. "He was out for almost three years. It was a tough position, but he persevered through it to get back to the level he is at."

Leonard has remained healthy the last two years. As UNT's starting shooting guard, he averaged 14.0 points as a junior and has pushed that to 17.9 this season.

Paula is just as proud of what Leonard has accomplished off the court by remaining on track to graduate in May. UNT has appealed to the NCAA for a sixth season of eligibility because of the injuries that have cost Hopkins significant time during his career.

Watching Bryan and Ryan follow his lead has been satisfying for Leonard, who laid the foundation for the family's rise from bedroom sock ball to Division I basketball.

"I wanted to set an example for my brothers," Leonard said. "I wanted to go to college and make something of myself. Bryan and Ryan felt like they needed to do the same. I take pride in the fact that they have done well at SMU."

E-mail bvito@dentonrc.com