Note: We spent some time with Washington basketball head coach Mike Hopkins during the final two regular-season games in Seattle. The former Syracuse assistant coach and head-coach-in-waiting gave us special access to him, the program and his family.

Seattle -- Mike Hopkins was supposed to be the next head coach at Syracuse University.

That all changed a year ago when Hopkins, a former Syracuse player and longtime assistant to SU coach Jim Boeheim, accepted the head coaching job at Washington.

"There were many opportunities,'' Hopkins said. "And then this one. This one was different.''

When his agent came to him last March with the prospects of the Washington job, Hopkins pursued it more intently than any of the previous times.

"I wanted a job where I could be forever,'' Hopkins said. "A place where I could build own legacy. That's why I took it here.''

Washington certainly has all the properties of a forever job. The university's gorgeous campus sits on the edge of Lake Washington with Mount Rainier looming in the distance. The city of Seattle offers professional teams like the NFL's Seahawks and MLB's Mariners, in addition to a steady stream of high quality recruits.

Hopkins talks about his family's ties to the area and the school's embrace of his energetic style.

But what about the job he might have had? Could Hopkins ever see himself returning to Syracuse?

"You're supposed to never say never, but I don't want the people here to read that the wrong way,'' Hopkins said. "This is an incredible opportunity that's been given to me. When you get this type of opportunity, you can't take it with another job in mind. Not even one like Syracuse.''

Hopkins pointed to Washington athletic director Jenn Cohen as one of the main reasons he left Syracuse.

"You don't want to say love at first sight because my wife would be mad,'' Hopkins said, "but when we talked there was an instant connection. She and I shared a vision of the program's potential, the fan base and the recruiting and what this place could be.''

In his first year, Hopkins performed an amazing reclamation act. Washington went from 9-22 the previous season, including a 2-16 mark in Pac-12 Conference play, to 21-13 this year. He was named the Pac-12's Coach of the Year.

Washington coach Mike Hopkins hugs guard Matisse Thybulle after Washington defeated Arizona State 68-64 in an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, in Seattle.

"You spend so many years thinking 'What would I do?' and 'How would I do it?' and now you've got to do it,'' Hopkins said. "It's really fun. Challenging, but really fun and exciting.''

Hopkins' only previous head coaching experience came during a 9-game stretch in the 2015-16 season. Hopkins had to step in as Syracuse's interim coach when the NCAA upheld its suspension of Boeheim.

Syracuse went 4-5 with Hopkins at the helm. He heard the naysayers' doubts.

"A lot of people during that time, questioned whether I was the right choice,'' Hopkins said. "At the end of the day, it's a tough situation.''

Hopkins said taking over the Washington program was much different from his brief stint as the interim coach at Syracuse.

"The difference with the nine games and here was that here we got the job in March,'' Hopkins said. "We're in school. We're implementing our system then. They're hearing my voice. What I want from April through May. They're in summer school.

"We get here in September. This is how we're doing it. This is what we're doing. This is the lay of the law. That's your system.''

Hopkins said there were several times this season when he realized something that Boeheim had once told him.

When the Huskies had a bad practice the day before playing No. 2 Kansas, Hopkins recalled how Boeheim handled a similar situation when the Orange was preparing to face Minnesota in the 2013 Maui Invitational

"We were working against presses and we were throwing it all over the gym,'' Hopkins said. "We're about to play a pressing team and I'm thinking we're about to get killed, but Coach just knew how to handle it.

"We wound up playing great and we win by eight.''

Hopkins also learned that coaching isn't all about the X's and O's.

"The important thing is what's the energy of your team?'' he said. "What's the mindset? Can you get them to play together? That's what you realize. It's probably the hardest thing.''