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Back in 2013 when the status of Mike Hopkins as Head Coach Designate was still a bit murky, Coach Hop hired IMG agent Sandy Montag to represent him. At the time, Montag told reporters that "his next contract will be a head coaching contract."
Montag was 100% correct. Unfortunately for him, he won't be the one negotiating that deal. Via The Big Lead, Hopkins and Montag have parted ways and Hop will now be represented by CAA's Bret Just and Jimmy Sexton.
With a name like that, Just was destined to either be an agent or a criminal defense lawyer, so looks like it worked out. Just was actually a basketball coach himself before becoming an agent and will likely be the point person for the relationship.
Sexton, meanwhile, is known as a college coaching super agent, representing some of the biggest names in the industry. He's the guy that makes everything happen in the profession.
The timing of all of this shouldn't be lost on anyone. Hopkins has just officially received his Head coach Designate title and is set to take over the Syracuse Orange basketball program from Jim Boeheim in 2018. For Hopkins, he's got a lot of juice at the moment. SU has publicly backed him. A plan has been made. A schedule is set. The University has invested in him.
If there was any time to try and get paaaaaaaid, this is probably it.
Crass? I suppose some would see it that way. Smart? A million times over, yes.