Northwestern coach Chris Collins will have at least one more year to fix his program.
On Monday, Collins met with Athletic Director Derrick Gragg “to discuss high expectations we have about our men’s basketball team and the path forward,” Gragg stated in a statement. Gragg stated that he had “tasked Collins with making necessary changes to help build on the success of the 2022-23 campaign.”
In nine seasons at Northwestern, Collins was 133-150 overall. He is 56-113 in Big Ten. In 2017, he led the Wildcats’ only appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They have lost five consecutive seasons since then.
Northwestern finished the season at 15-16 overall, 7-13 in Big Ten, and a blowout win by Iowa at 112-76. The Hawkeyes broke Big Ten Tournament records in scoring, field goals, and 3-pointers.
Collins was the son of Doug Collins, a former NBA player and coach. He seemed like a natural fit for Bill Carmody’s replacement in March 2013. Collins, who grew up in Northbrook suburbs, was named Mr. Basketball Illinois in March 2013. He became a star basketball player and team captain at Duke between 1993 and 1996. Before moving to Northwestern, he worked as an assistant for Mike Krzyzewski for 13 years.
After nearly a year as an NCAA executive, Gragg was hired in June.
He effectively replaced Jim Phillips who left to become ACC Commissioner. Mike Polisky, a long-serving deputy AD at Northwestern was promoted to the position May 3, but he resigned amid backlash after he was named as a defendant in a sexual harassment suit against Big Ten school by ex Wildcat cheerleaders.
