Mike Hopkins, a dutiful steward on the sidelines with Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim for more than two decades and Boeheim’s designated successor, accepted the head-coaching job at the University of Washington on Sunday.
Several hours later, Syracuse responded by extending Boeheim’s contract beyond 2017-18, when he had said he would retire and end his tenure at 42 years. The flurry of activity — a day after the Orange were eliminated from the N.I.T. — was especially dramatic for a program that has generally epitomized consistency.
Hopkins, 47, had been appointed as the team’s coach in waiting, first in 2007 and then again, more formally, in June 2015.