Willie Hope begins his second season on the Wilkes men's basketball staff as an assistant coach for the 2025-26 season. He began his duties on May 13, 2024 which also includes serving as the director of intramurals.
In his first season with the Colonels in 2024-25, Hope helped coach the team to their first 20+ win season since 2000-01 and mentored two All-Landmark Conference student-athletes.
He came to Wilkes after serving as an assistant coach during the 2023-24 season with Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa. While at Lebanon Valley Hope coached two all-conference performers while taking on head of recruiting and head of player development responsibilities. Other duties performed by Hope while with the Flying Dutchmen included putting together full scouts, running film sessions, coordinating travel and meals, managing social media accounts, and site management duties for men's lacrosse games.
Hope served as a graduate assistant coach for Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pa. for two years spanning the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. While with the Falcons Hope served as head of recruiting and head of player development while coaching two all-conference performers and helping Messiah to its first postseason appearance since 2018 and first postseason win since 2012. He also put together scouting reports, ran film sessions, coordinated team travel and meals while assisting with budgeting, ran social media accounts, and ran camps and shootouts as fundraisers for the program.
Hope graduated from Messiah College in December 2017 with his Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast and Media Productions as well as a Hunman Services minor and earned his Masters of Arts in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership in May 2023 from Messiah University. During his undergrad he was a member of the Messiah men's basketball team from 2014-2018 and served as a team captain his senior season.
Following graduation from Messiah he worked as a Sports Anchor/Reporter and Sports Director for WYMT-57 in Hazard, Ky. from July 2018 through April 2021 where he covered University of Kentucky basketball, 50-plus high schools, and several colleges Eastern Kentucky.
He also served as an instructor and camp counselor for Point Guard College in the summer of 2022.
