 Collins coaching Northwestern in March 2015 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Northwestern |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| Record | 199–191 (.510) |
| Annual salary | $2.8 million |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1974-04-19)April 19, 1974 (age 51) |
| Playing career | |
| 1992–1996 | Duke |
| Position | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1998 | Detroit Shock (assistant) |
| 1998–2000 | Seton Hall (assistant) |
| 2000–2013 | Duke (assistant) |
| 2013–present | Northwestern |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 199–191 (.510) |
| Tournaments | 3–3 (NCAA Division I) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| As player: Second-teamAll-ACC (1996) Illinois Mr. Basketball (1992) McDonald's All-American (1992) As coach: Jim Phelan Award (2023) Big Ten Coach of the Year (2023) | |
Christopher Ryan Collins (born April 19, 1974) is an Americanbasketball coach who is currently the head men's coach atNorthwestern University. Collins previously served as associate head coach of theDuke Universitymen's basketball team and is the son ofNational Basketball Association (NBA) player, coach, and commentatorDoug Collins.[1]
AtGlenbrook North High School inNorthbrook, Illinois, Collins played on the varsity basketball team and wonIllinois Mr. Basketball andMcDonald's All American honors. After high school, he went on to play atDuke University. Collins received many honors for his play at Duke and was named to the All-ACC rookie team as a freshman in 1993. During his senior year, he was team captain, named Second Team All-ACC and also was awarded the Swett-Baylin Memorial Trophy, which is a trophy for Duke'sMVP.
After graduating from Duke, he played professional basketball inFinland for two years.
Collins returned to the United States and became an assistant coach in theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for theDetroit Shock for one year under head coachNancy Lieberman; and atSeton Hall for two years under head coachTommy Amaker. In 2000, he returned to his alma mater at Duke underMike Krzyzewski as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate coach in the summer of 2008.[1]
He was instrumental in Duke's signing ofJon Scheyer, a fellow Glenbrook North Mr. Basketball winner (2006), who, like Collins, had also considered attendingIllinois. Scheyer, who Collins was key in luring to Duke, became head coach of the Blue Devils with Mike Krzyzewski's retirement following the 2021–2022 season.[2]
WhenBill Carmody was fired as head coach of Northwestern in March 2013, Collins was immediately mentioned as a primary target.[3] Collins' hiring was announced March 27, 2013.[4] After three years of gradual improvement, the 2016–17 season saw Collins lead the Wildcats to their best season since before World War II. The Wildcats finished with their first winning Big Ten Conference record in 49 years, earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, and went on to win their first NCAA Tournament game. Northwestern had been the only member of a power conference to have never made the tournament.
Following the season, Northwestern struggled to capitalize on their tournament run, in part because of renovations toWelsh–Ryan Arena that forced the team to play atAllstate Arena, 13 miles to the west of Northwestern's campus.[5] The team finished 10th in the conference in the 2017–18 season, and last in 2018–19. Despite those struggles, Collins was able to landPete Nance, the highest-rated recruit in Northwestern history, who would begin play as a freshman in the 18–19 season.[6]
Struggles throughout the next few seasons would result in calls for Collins to be fired. At the conclusion of the 2021–22 season, Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg publicly stated that he had tasked Collins with "making necessary changes" to improve the team.[7]
Ahead of the 2022–23 season, expectations for Northwestern were low, with many expecting that the departure of key pieces from the last year's team, power forward Pete Nance forNorth Carolina and center Ryan Young forDuke, would result in a bottom-two finish in the conference.[8]
However, Collins led the Wildcats to twelve conference wins, the most for Northwestern since 1931, and the second NCAA tournament berth in program history.[9] They also finished in a tie for second place in Big Ten play, their highest since the 1958-59 season. Collins's decision to bring in assistant coach Chris Lowery and revamp the team's defensive approach was widely credited with turning the team around.[10] Beyond the NCAA tournament appearance, where the Wildcats would again advance to the Round of 32, Collins also coached Northwestern to their first win over the No. 1 team in theAP Poll, when the Wildcats defeatedPurdue in Evanston.[11]
In the first conference game of the 2023–2024 season, Collins and Northwestern would again upset No. 1 ranked Purdue in Evanston, this time in overtime.[12]
Following the end of the 2024-25 season, Collins signed a contract extension through 2030.[13]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Wildcats(Big Ten Conference)(2013–present) | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | Northwestern | 14–19 | 6–12 | T–10th | |||||
| 2014–15 | Northwestern | 15–17 | 6–12 | T–10th | |||||
| 2015–16 | Northwestern | 20–12 | 8–10 | 9th | |||||
| 2016–17 | Northwestern | 24–12 | 10–8 | T–5th | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Northwestern | 15–17 | 6–12 | 10th | |||||
| 2018–19 | Northwestern | 13–19 | 4–16 | 14th | |||||
| 2019–20 | Northwestern | 8–23 | 3–17 | 13th | |||||
| 2020–21 | Northwestern | 9–15 | 6–13 | 12th | |||||
| 2021–22 | Northwestern | 15–16 | 7–13 | T–10th | |||||
| 2022–23 | Northwestern | 22–12 | 12–8 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2023–24 | Northwestern | 22–12 | 12–8 | T–3rd | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2024–25 | Northwestern | 17–16 | 7–13 | T-12th | |||||
| 2025–26 | Northwestern | 5–1 | 0–0 | ||||||
| Northwestern: | 199–191 (.510) | 87–142 (.380) | |||||||
| Total: | 199–191 (.510) | ||||||||
