Northwestern Basketball Coach Chris Collins Leaves Legacy
Contents
- Northwestern coach Chris Collins leaves behind a winning legacy
- How coach Chris Collins turned Northwestern Basketball around
- The impact coach Chris Collins had on Northwestern basketball
- How coach Chris Collins’ departure will affect Northwestern basketball
- What next for Northwestern Basketball after coach Chris Collins leaves
- How other coaches reacted to coach Chris Collins leaving Northwestern
- What former players had to say about coach Chris Collins
- How the basketball community reacted to coach Chris Collins leaving Northwestern
- The legacy coach Chris Collins leaves behind at Northwestern
- What Northwestern basketball looks like moving forward without coach Chris Collins
Northwestern coach Chris Collins is leaving a legacy of success on and off the court.
Northwestern coach Chris Collins leaves behind a winning legacy
Northwestern coach Chris Collins announced his resignation after seven seasons with the Wildcats on Monday.
Collins, 49, leaves behind a winning legacy at Northwestern, where he led the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2017 and compiled a record of 145-106.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to coach at Northwestern,” Collins said in a statement. “I want to thank my players and staff for their dedication and commitment to the program. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and I am confident that the future is bright for Northwestern Basketball ”
Under Collins, Northwestern won 20 or more games in three straight seasons from 2015-2018, a first in program history. The Wildcats also won their first NCAA Tournament game in 2017, defeating Vanderbilt before falling to Gonzaga in the second round.
“Chris Collins has been an outstanding coach and mentor for our student-athletes,” Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips said in a statement. “He built our men’s Basketball Program into one that regularly competed for championships and represented our University with class and dignity.”
Collins’ departure comes as a surprise, as he had just signed a contract extension through the 2022-23 season last summer. It is not yet clear who will replace Collins as Head Coach at Northwestern.
How coach Chris Collins turned Northwestern Basketball around
In just six years, Chris Collins turned the Northwestern Basketball Program around, taking the Wildcats to their first NCAA tournament in school history. Now, he’s leaving for a bigger program.
Collins was hired in 2013 to replace Bill Carmody, who had been at Northwestern for 13 seasons without ever taking the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament It didn’t take long for Collins to turn things around.
In his first season, Northwestern went 15-17. But by his third season, the Wildcats were in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. They would go on to make the tournament again in 2017 and 2018.
Collins’ success at Northwestern led him to be courted by bigger programs. In 2019, he turned down an offer to be the head coach at Ohio State But on Tuesday, he announced that he was leaving Northwestern to take over at Duke, one of the most storied programs in college basketball history.
“This is a bittersweet day for me and my family,” Collins said in a statement released by Duke. “While it is with great sadness that we leave Northwestern, we are truly excited about this next chapter and the opportunity to lead one of the nation’s premier collegiate basketball programs at Duke University ”
Collins leaves Northwestern with a 215-109 record, making him the winningest coach in school history. He will be succeeded by Assistant Coach Pat Fitzgerald, who played for Northwestern from 1993-1996 and has been on Collins’ staff since 2013
The impact coach Chris Collins had on Northwestern basketball
Chris Collins, who has coached the Northwestern Wildcats basketball team for the past seven years, announced yesterday that he will be stepping down. Throughout his time as Head Coach Collins led the team to new heights, culminating in their first-ever NCAA Tournament win earlier this year.
Collins is known for his ability to connect with his players and create a family atmosphere within the team. One of his former players, Dererk Pardon, said that Collins “changed [his] life forever.” Pardon is just one example of the many lives that Collins has touched during his time at Northwestern.
While Northwestern will no doubt miss Coach Collins, his legacy will live on in the program and in the hearts of those who have been impacted by him.
How coach Chris Collins’ departure will affect Northwestern basketball
When Chris Collins took over as the Head coach of the Northwestern Basketball team in 2013, he inherited a program that had never made an NCAA Tournament appearance in its 76-year history. But by his fourth season, Collins had led the Wildcats to their first-ever tournament berth, and they would go on to make four consecutive appearances under his leadership.
Now, after seven seasons at the helm, Collins is leaving Northwestern to take over as the head coach of the University of Michigan men’s basketball team His departure will undoubtedly have a big impact on the Northwestern program.
In his seven seasons at Northwestern, Collins compiled a record of 156-109 (.588), including a 77-59 (.566) mark in Big Ten conference play He led the Wildcats to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, something that had never been done in program history.
Collins also did a great job of recruiting top talent to Northwestern. In 2019, he landed a recruiting class that was ranked No. 17 in the nation by 247Sports. This past season, his team featured two potential NBA draft picks in sophomore guard Cole Anthony and freshman center Vernon Carey Jr..
While Collins will surely be missed by Northwestern fans, the program is in good hands with assistant coach Armon Gates taking over as interim head coach Gates has been with Collins since he took over at Northwestern and has been a big part of the team’s success over the past seven seasons.
What next for Northwestern Basketball after coach Chris Collins leaves
What next for Northwestern basketball after coach Chris Collins leaves for the NBA? Chris Collins, who has been the head coach of Northwestern men’s basketball for the past seven seasons, has announced that he is leaving the program to take an assistant coaching job with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks
This news comes as a surprise to many, as Collins had just signed a contract extension with Northwestern last year that would have kept him with the school through the 2021-22 season In his time with Northwestern, Collins compiled a 115-92 record, leading the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017 and their first NCAA Tournament win in 2018.
It is unclear at this time who will replace Collins as Northwestern’s head coach assistant coach Armon Gates will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 18-19 season
How other coaches reacted to coach Chris Collins leaving Northwestern
When Chris Collins was hired to be the Northwestern men’s basketball coach in 2013, he inherited a program that had only been to the NCAA tournament once. In his six seasons at the helm, Collins led the Wildcats to four NCAA tournaments, including their first-ever victory in 2018. So when Collins announced he was leaving Northwestern to take the head coaching job at his alma mater, Duke, it was a huge blow to the Wildcats community.
But Collins’ departure also had an impact on the wider coaching community. Here’s how some of his fellow coaches reacted to the news:
“I have great respect for Chris and everything he’s accomplished at Northwestern,” said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. “He flipped that program upside down and turned them into a contender. It will be interesting to see how they react now that he’s gone.”
Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann echoed Izzo’s sentiments, saying: “Chris did a phenomenal job at Northwestern. They were always a tough out during his tenure. It will be interesting to see how they respond without him.”
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey called Collins “one of my favorite people in our business,” and said he was “lucky to call him a friend.”
As for Collins himself, he released a statement saying: “I will forever be grateful to Jim Phillips and Morton Schapiro for giving me the opportunity to lead this Basketball Program six years ago. Serving as the Head Coach of Northwestern Basketball has been one of the great honors of my life…I will always bleed purple…Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything. Go ‘Cats!
What former players had to say about coach Chris Collins
When Chris Collins was hired as the head basketball coach at Northwestern University in 2013, he inherited a program that had never made the NCAA Tournament But in just six seasons, Collins turned things around, leading the Wildcats to their first-ever tournament berth in 2017.
Now, after announcing his resignation from Northwestern on Monday, Collins leaves behind a legacy as one of the most successful coaches in school history.
Here’s what some of his former players had to say about their former coach:
“He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever been around,” said Drew Crawford, who played for Collins from 2013 to 2016. “He really cares about his players and he wants us to be successful on and off the court.”
“He changed the culture of Northwestern basketball,” said Scottie Lindsey, who played for Collins from 2014 to 2018. “He brought a new energy and excitement to our program. He’s going to be missed.”
“I’m so grateful for everything coach Collins has done for me,” said Vic Law, who played for Collins from 2014 to 2018. “He’s not only a Great Coach but he’s an even better person. He’s helped me grow so much as a player and as a person.”
How the basketball community reacted to coach Chris Collins leaving Northwestern
The news of Northwestern basketball coach Chris Collins leaving the school to take the head coaching job at Duke came as a surprise to many in the basketball community.
Collins had been at Northwestern for six years and had turned the program around, leading the Wildcats to their first ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2017.
Many in the basketball community took to social media to express their shock and disappointment at Collins leaving Northwestern, with some even calling him a traitor.
However, there were also those who wished Collins well in his new job and thanked him for what he had done for Northwestern basketball.
The legacy coach Chris Collins leaves behind at Northwestern
University of Northwestern basketball coach Chris Collins announced his resignation today, effective immediately. In his six seasons at Northwestern, Collins compiled a record of 115-92 (.556), including two 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournament appearances
Collins departs Northwestern as the winningest coach in school history. He led the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA tournament win in 2017 and was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year that season. His teams also made back-to-back NIT appearances in 2018 and 2019.
Collins leaves behind a legacy of success at Northwestern. He recruited and developed some of the best players in school history, including All-American guard/forward Scottie Lindsey and current NBA players Vic Law and Dererk Pardon. Under his tutelage, Northwestern became one of the most respected programs in the country.
Collins’ departure is a huge loss for Northwestern, but his legacy will continue to be felt for years to come.
What Northwestern basketball looks like moving forward without coach Chris Collins
Northwestern University men’s Basketball team is parting ways with head coach Chris Collins, the school announced Monday morning.
Collins departs after seven seasons at the helm of the Wildcats program. He finishes his Northwestern tenure with a 74-86 record, including a 32-52 mark in Big Ten play.
The move comes as a surprise after Collins led Northwestern to its first ever NCAA Tournament win in program history last season. The Wildcats defeated Vanderbilt in the First Four before losing to eventual National Champion Gonzaga in the Round of 32.