Twelve years into his tenure, Northwestern is looking to extend head basketball coach Chris Collins. Already the most successful coach in program history, the 50-year-old is expected to sign a lucrative extension in the coming weeks.
The two sides are already in “deep discussions” for an extension that would include a substantial pay raise, additional years and increased resources, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported. Collins is already contracted through the 2027-2028 season after inking an extension in 2023.
A product of the vast Mike Krzyzewski coaching tree, Collins took over the Northwestern basketball program in 2013 after the Wildcats fired longtime coach Bill Carmody. The job was his first as a head coach after a 13-year run with Duke as one of Krzyzewski’s top assistants. Collins has since become the school’s second all-time wins leader, 42 victories short of Arthur Lonborg’s record.
In 2017, Collins most notably took Northwestern to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. The Wildcats would top Vanderbilt 68-66 in the first round for their first-ever March Madness victory.
Northwestern basketball’s recent success under head coach Chris Collins
While the Wildcats struggled to adjust to the new Big 10 in 2024-2025, they have been as good as they ever have in program history under Collins. Northwestern missed out on the 2025 NCAA Tournament but advanced to the second round the previous two seasons.
The team’s 2024 NCAA Tournament run was particularly impressive with its first-round upset of Florida Atlantic. The Owls were coming off a Final Four run the year prior and were expected by many to be a threat to repeat. Instead, Collins’ Wildcats dug deep for a gritty 77-65 overtime victory.
Throughout his 12-year run, three of Collins’ former players would advance to the NBA, including current Golden State Warriors fan favorite Pat Spencer. Three players in 12 seasons is not a good rate for most power schools, but a respectable one for a program as historically poor at basketball as Northwestern.
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