The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Northwestern men eyeing second NCAA run
EVANSTON, ILL. >> Like a boxer sprawled on the canvas, Northwestern coach Chris Collins seemed like he was ready for the final bell. It turned out he wasn’t quite down for the count.
These days, Collins is on solid footing. And so are the Wildcats.
“I fight,” Collins said. “I’m a fighter. I always have been. I’m not a quitter in any sense of the imagination. If I put my heart and energy into something, I’m gonna see it through . ... If you get knocked down, get up. Keep fighting until you’ve got no breath left.”
The Wildcats (20-8, 11-6 Big Ten) are second in the conference and on course for their second NCAA Tournament appearance in seven years, with a shot to break the program record for wins in a season. They knocked off a team ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time, and with the Big Ten Tournament approaching, they’re in an unfamiliar position.
Northwestern, of all teams, has a target on its back.
It seems almost hard to believe, considering Collins looked like he might get fired a year ago. Northwestern opted instead to bring him back for a 10th season, sticking with the coach who led the Wildcats to their lone NCAA Tournament appearance to date in 2017. The decision seems to be paying off.
“Coach is a really, really, really good guy and a really good coach,” said star guard Boo Buie, who is fifth in the Big Ten at 17.6 points per game. “He kind of gets the short end of the stick because we are Northwestern and it’s a little bit harder to have good sports, just as far as the academics go. I don’t think the public eye can really see that all the time, but Coach as been with us from the jump.”
Collins, whose dad Doug played and coached in the NBA, seemed like the perfect fit when he was hired to replace the fired Bill Carmody in 2013.
Growing up about 10 miles from Welsh Ryan Arena in suburban Northbrook, he was chosen Mr. Basketball in Illinois. He went on to star at Duke and spent 13 years as an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski before taking over at Northwestern.
Everything seemed to fall into place his first few seasons. And then, it all fell apart.
Northwestern won 20 games in back-to-back seasons and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2017, beating Vanderbilt before losing to Gonzaga. But instead of emerging as a consistent winner, the Wildcats careened off course.
Northwestern went 60-90 overall and 26-71 in conference play over the next five seasons. The heat on Collins was so high a year ago that Athletic Director Derrick Gragg released a statement in March saying the coach would get at least one more season to turn around his struggling program.
Now, Northwestern is on course to finish with its highest win percentage since the 1945-46 team went 15-5. The Wildcats also have a shot at the 201617 team’s record of 24 wins.