Mojave’s Hopkins resigns, several coaching vacancies filled
Ending a six-year run as Mojave’s boys basketball coach, Tony Hopkins resigned after the season to spend more time watching daughter Chelsea play at Duke.
Though he is leaving the Rattlers, Hopkins said he is “definitely not retiring.”
Hopkins was 66-18 the past three years. He came to Mojave from Western, where he won a Class 4A state title in 2001.
Chelsea Hopkins will be a sophomore guard next year at Duke.
“There is a strong possibility that once she’s finally done at Duke, I may get back into high school basketball,” Tony Hopkins said.
Mojave athletic administrator Zaida Hennigar said the school is searching for Hopkins’ replacement.
Other confirmed basketball coaching changes:
— Centennial boys coach Greg Bohls resigned after 10 seasons and will be replaced by former assistant Todd Allen.
— Shadow Ridge girls coach Gary Markuson resigned after three seasons.
— Sunrise Mountain has hired its first head coaches in former Del Sol coaches Albert Ronquillo (boys) and Tanya Rasmussen (girls).
— Del Sol has hired former assistants Tyler Ehrke (boys) and Devin Yates (girls) as its head coaches to replace Ronquillo and Rasmussen.
— Pahrump Valley girls coach Jason Odegard resigned after one season, and boys coach Lonnie Shereck was not retained after five seasons.
— Virgin Valley girls coach Brent Leavitt resigned after four seasons.
COOPER TO PIONEERS — Hunkie Cooper, a former UNLV and Arena Football League star, was hired as Canyon Springs’ football coach in March. He replaces Chris Littmann, who resigned after one season.
Cooper played receiver and defensive back in the AFL for 11 seasons. He racked up more than 20,000 all-purpose yards, and he was voted Most Valuable Player in 1993 as a rookie with the Arizona Rattlers.
“My whole deal is, to give something back to football,” Cooper said. “To give (players) an opportunity to see what it’s about. It’s not that you wake up and be successful; you have to work.
“I want these kids to be better people and see the ‘student’ part of being a student-athlete.”
Cooper played several positions at UNLV, where he was a two-time All-Big West Conference pick.
Other confirmed football coaching changes:
— Cheyenne removed the interim tag from coach Perryn Hale’s title. He will replace Charles Anthony, who was dismissed after five seasons.
— Chaparral hired former Mojave assistant Donnie Davis as its coach. He will replace Fernando Carmona, who resigned from the position but will remain the Cowboys’ athletic director.
— Liberty hired Rich Muraco as its coach to replace Lou Markouzis, who resigned after six seasons.
— John Isola was dismissed as Western’s coach after one season and was hired as Desert Pines’ offensive coordinator.
— Sunrise Mountain hired former Desert Oasis linebackers coach Jason Basso as its first head coach.
— Colt Goodman resigned as Agassi Prep’s coach after two seasons.
OTHER CHANGES — Bishop Gorman hired former UNLV soccer star Doug Borgel as its boys soccer coach to replace Nick Arbelaez, who resigned after winning two state titles in three seasons.
Las Vegas hired Greg Gifford and Joe Guciardo as wrestling co-head coaches to replace Aric Thomas, who resigned after winning Sunrise Region titles in all three of his seasons.
Pahrump Valley Times sports editor Don McDermott contributed to this report.
