“Are you in? Grammy will be wearing her pin.” Duane Hopper texted Mike Lopez this photo of his grandmother’s pin that she wore during their time playing varsity basketball at Wylie from 2011-2013. You will see her proudly wearing it this season as they step on the court to coach together.
The new Wylie High Lady Bulldog basketball coaches are no strangers to the basketball court at Wylie High School. Now, almost 10 years later, the best friends who share a passion for basketball and pride of being a Wylie bulldog have reunited to coach JV and Varsity girls’ basketball.
“We’ve been best friends since playing basketball in high school,” said Lopez. “I was even in his wedding.”
Both coaches started playing varsity basketball at the same time, but Hopper was a sophomore and Lopez was a freshman. Neither thought they would come back to Abilene after graduating from high school, but both new they wanted to coach. Hopper and Lopez went on to college to play basketball at their prospective school; Hopper graduated from Hardin-Simmons University and Lopez from University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Hopper went on to coach girls basketball at Hermleigh High School for five years, and Lopez became the graduate assistant coach for men’s basketball at Angelo State for two years and then coached at Central High in Nacogdoches.
Now the best friends have reunited and are ready to coach Wylie’s Lady Bulldogs. Coming back to Wylie is something they both count as a “blessing.”
“Wylie is all I’ve ever known,” said Hopper. “It’s home, and it’s nice to be back.” Lopez, however, moved to Wylie in fourth grade when his father was stationed at Dyess AFB. “It’s a blessing to come back, and really special because I didn’t think I would be back,” said Lopez.
Hopper and Lopez plan to draw heavily from their experience as students at Wylie. Both played for Ricky Bacon, now principal at Wylie East Intermediate School, and Gregg Ruffin, now an assistant athletics director and head basketball coach for the high school. While playing for Wylie, their team played in a state tournament. While the tournament didn’t end as they had hoped, Hopper and Lopez said it was a time that molded them into who they are today.
“Coaches always say hard work will pay off and it did. The state tournament came to fruition,” said Hopper. “We learned life isn’t fair, but life goes on. As a senior, I felt like the world ended, but it didn’t. The wins and losses come and go, but the relationships do not.”
Lopez said Wylie’s “family atmosphere and closeness” is something that impacted him and his perspective today. “Everyone being close and the support you were given molded me,” said Lopez. “It’s the same now that I am back as a coach.”
Lopez said “Wylie pride” is something that is important and ingrained in him and Hopper. “The pride factor of playing for Wylie and carrying on the legacy are qualities he and Hopper want to instill in their players. He recalled wanting to “carry the torch” out of respect for Wylie athletes, like Case Keenum and Matt Preston, who played before them.
“We want playing for Wylie to mean more than playing for the independent name on the jersey,” said Lopez. “It should be a big deal.”
Although this basketball season will be the first time to see each other coach in a game, Hopper and Lopez said they share the same coaching philosophy and same work ethic, but coaching styles are different. “I’m calm and he isn’t,” said Lopez. Hopper agreed. “I don’t ever feel mellow.”
Hopper and Lopez are joining Coach Megan Rausch, who is also a Wylie graduate. “Being all alumni, Wylie is important to us,” said Hopper. Hopper and Lopez said the support at Wylie – the teachers, parents, and community members – they experienced as students and now as coaches is the not the norm. They are excited for their players to feel the same way as they play basketball as a Wylie Bulldog.
By Kristen Johnson