Jeni Hopkins Retires From Coaching After 24 Years, Returning to Greenwood Laboratory School

Hillcrest Lady Hornets Basketball Coach Jeni Hopkins is retiring from coaching, but will stay in the arena of basketball by entering the world of broadcasting.  Coach Hopkins will be broadcasting high school and college games with Mediacom.  She is also excited to return to Greenwood Laboratory School as their 8^th – 12^th grade school counselor.
 
Coach Jeni Hopkins has been in coaching for 24 years, including eight at Greenwood Laboratory School where they won two district championships and placed second in state.  They were also awarded the State Sportsmanship Award in 1997. The past 16 years she has been the head coach at Hillcrest High School.  While turning a program around she led teams to several tournament championships, won four district titles and most recently took her 2014-2015 team to the Class 4 Final Four.
 
When asked about her success at two levels she responds with, “I love coaching basketball, it has been a driving passion in my life.  The reason I love it is because I am able to work with such wonderful athletes and young ladies.  I have also had phenomenal assistants along the way.  Both my players and my assistants have been the foundation of my success.” Among those players, Coach Hopkins has coached 20 collegiate bound players, 30 All-Conference players, 27 All-District players, 10 All-State players, and four McDonalds All-American nominees. 
 
Coach Hopkins has received several coach of the year honors, coached countless All-Star Games and more recently (2014) was named the National Basketball Coaches Association Missouri Coach of the year for not only her coaching but also her promotion of the game of basketball.  Coach Hopkins is currently the President-Elect of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association and will continue with that organization as President the next two years. 
 
Coach Hopkins has won over 300 games (332-206) in her tenure and although she will miss calling some of the plays, continuing to be involved on the sidelines with broadcasting has her excited about the journey. “Broadcasting is my original degree, and I am thrilled to be partnering with Mediacom and their production team.  They have an excellent reputation for bringing quality basketball to television. I have loved coaching basketball and am so happy with it, but this is a new challenge and I am thrilled to embrace it.”
 
Also, prompting her career change is the counseling job at the prestigious Greenwood Laboratory School on the campus of Missouri State University.  Janice Duncan, Director of Greenwood Laboratory School, states "Pending Board of Governors' approval, the Greenwood team members are excited to welcome Jeni Hopkins back to where she graduated and worked previously.  The Greenwood parents, faculty, staff and students are pleased to have her as the Greenwood counselor knowing that her experiences and qualities will enhance the Greenwood mission of developing students who are knowledgeable, caring, creative and engaged citizens." 
 
Hopkins agrees, “Going back to Greenwood is so exciting.  Greenwood Laboratory School is one of the best educations in the Midwest. They have the highest ACT scores in southwest Missouri, have been voted the number one private school in the area, and this school cultivates a culture of drive and success in their students.  I am proud to have graduated from there, my daughter, Hailey Jo, graduated from Greenwood in 2015 and my son, Hayden, is currently a freshmen at Greenwood.  I have loved working with Hillcrest students and all of the experience I have gained; it is a wonderful place that I have called home for 16 years.  I have worked with some wonderful colleagues and students.” While at Hillcrest, Hopkins began from the ground floor an onsite food pantry that serves the north side community families. “I have had a lot of roles at Hillcrest and enjoyed them all.  But, Greenwood has always been my home-base, and I am beyond honored to be returning there.”
 
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