Jesse Bopp recently wrapped up his first season with New Mexico State after spending the 2015-16 season at Chattanooga under head coach Matt McCall where he served as an assistant coach.
In his first year in Las Cruces, NM State won a program record 28 wins to go with a 20-game winning-streak during the season - which included wins over Arizona State on the road and two Mountain West Conference foes. The Aggies also won three-straight games to claim the Western Athletic Conference Tournament and earn its 20th NCAA Tournament bid as the No. 14 seed in the Tulsa, Okla., regional.
He oversaw an Aggie defense that held opponents to just a .294 clip from beyond the arc, good for fifth in the nation. The NM State defense was also top-25 in the nation in rebounding margin (19th, 6.3) and rebounds per game (25th, 39.38).
Bopp also guided redshirt sophomore forward Eli Chuha earn Second-Team All-WAC honors under his tutelage with the post players, who finished 13th nationally with 3.62 offensive boards per game, 26th in the country and led the WAC with 15 double-doubles, 43rd in total rebounds (302) and 55th in rebounds per game (8.9).
While in the Scenic City, Bopp helped guide the Mocs to their first Southern Conference regular-season title since winning the northern division in 2011 and their first conference tournament championship since 2009.
Chattanooga finished the season 29-6 overall and 15-3 in SoCon play after falling to No. 14 Indiana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, its first appearance since 2009. Its 29 wins this season was also a school record.
A defensive-minded coach himself, Bopp coached Justin Tuoyo to his second-straight SoCon Defensive Player of the Year honors while Tre’ McLeean garnered First-Team All-SoCon honors as well in a vote by the league coaches. Tuoyo took home second-team honors in the media’s all-conference vote while McLean took home first-team accolades.
Prior to his stint in Chattanooga, Bopp spent two seasons (2013-15) at VCU as the director of basketball operations under Shaka Smart. The Rams won 26 games and finished the season in the top 25 both seasons thanks to its “havoc” defense.
“This defense is my baby and I wanted to bring someone in with the tenacity and expertise to make it even better,” Weir said. “His background will enable us to do that in the most effective way we can design.”
Bopp had a three-year stop at Vermont Academy where he was both the head coach and assistant dean of students. In those three years, Bopp led the Wildcats to a 48-43 record and reached the NEPSAC playoffs all three seasons. He coached six All-New England selections, including the development of several future collegiate players.
He got his first start in the collegiate ranks under head coach Billy Donovan at Florida (2008-09) as a graduate assistant before his first stop at VCU under Smart in 2009-10 as a graduate manager.
Bopp played collegiate ball at Plymouth State, a Division III school in Plymouth, N.H., and captained the team his senior year. He graduated in 2007 from PSU with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and earned his master's degree in sport leadership at VCU in 2010.
