Is Chris Collins living The Dream?

[DaCat]

Conventional wisdom says that Coach Collins will jump if Duke came knocking to fill Coach K's shoes. I don't buy it. I think the situation he has at NU is hard to beat. I think he's living the dream and loves it at NU.

He's been able to recruit well in spite of the so-called disadvantages such as W-R arena, academics, etc. Now, the administration is going to pony up for a new arena, and the facilities will be great. Living in Kenilworth with his multi-million dollar salary, and his parents living close by, must be great from the family perspective. Being a celebrity at Cub games, at Bulls games, at Black Hawks games... what sports fan wouldn't like that?

He can go down in history as the coach who took NU to the NCAA tournament, sort of like Barnett taking the Purple to Pasadena. Once he does that, his legacy will be stamped.

I see Chris Collins coaching NU basketball for a long, long time.

 

[NJCat]

Conventional wisdom says that Coach Collins will jump if Duke came knocking to fill Coach K's shoes. I don't buy it. I think the situation he has at NU is hard to beat. I think he's living the dream and loves it at NU.

He's been able to recruit well in spite of the so-called disadvantages such as W-R arena, academics, etc. Now, the administration is going to pony up for a new arena, and the facilities will be great. Living in Kenilworth with his multi-million dollar salary, and his parents living close by, must be great from the family perspective. Being a celebrity at Cub games, at Bulls games, at Black Hawks games... what sports fan wouldn't like that?

He can go down in history as the coach who took NU to the NCAA tournament, sort of like Barnett taking the Purple to Pasadena. Once he does that, his legacy will be stamped.

I see Chris Collins coaching NU basketball for a long, long time.

Agree. NU is a destination job for him.

 

[Cat Fan in Buckeye Land]

Being from the Chicago area, I really think he enjoys being here...and for a college basketball coach in Chicago, what are the other options, really?!?!

 

[aquacat]

Durham is a pretty nice place to live and certainly more mild winters. I'm also pretty sure he would make 1-2 million dollars a year more at duke. However, family is always a good reason to stay. I think it would be a close call for him. Regardless, let's not worry about what might happen. Coach K may want to coach until the day he dies.

 

[Deeringfish]

I can' t always figure out what motivates me let alone other people but if CC can have even two seasons of success (i.e. NCAA tournament success) at NU he will have tons of future options. If he has continual success, he will become a BB icon much like Coach K. Money may mean a lot, climbing other mountains may mean a lot. Family stability might mean a lot, Chicago might mean a lot. Who knows, he is a competitor he could make a dynasty here for 15 years and decide to go to some struggling school and try it again.
But for now it is fun for us to have a young coach who seems to know what he doing. Also nice to have his dad in the wings.

 

[NUCats]

Conventional wisdom says that Coach Collins will jump if Duke came knocking to fill Coach K's shoes. I don't buy it. I think the situation he has at NU is hard to beat. I think he's living the dream and loves it at NU.

He's been able to recruit well in spite of the so-called disadvantages such as W-R arena, academics, etc. Now, the administration is going to pony up for a new arena, and the facilities will be great. Living in Kenilworth with his multi-million dollar salary, and his parents living close by, must be great from the family perspective. Being a celebrity at Cub games, at Bulls games, at Black Hawks games... what sports fan wouldn't like that?

He can go down in history as the coach who took NU to the NCAA tournament, sort of like Barnett taking the Purple to Pasadena. Once he does that, his legacy will be stamped.

I see Chris Collins coaching NU basketball for a long, long time.

I hope you are right, but you are only focusing on one side of the family.

Where is his wife from? Chicago may be home for him, but it isn't for his wife. Happy wife, Happy life! They do have younger kids, so maybe wanting stability for them will factor in, plus recruiting from Chicago is probably easier logistically than Durham, and probably allows for more "home" time.

I'm sure Dr. Jim will do everything within his power to keep Coach happy.

 

[willycat]

I hope you are right, but you are only focusing on one side of the family.

Where is his wife from? Chicago may be home for him, but it isn't for his wife. Happy wife, Happy life! They do have younger kids, so maybe wanting stability for them will factor in, plus recruiting from Chicago is probably easier logistically than Durham, and probably allows for more "home" time.

I'm sure Dr. Jim will do everything within his power to keep Coach happy.

If Phillips fails, then how about dad as HC?

 

[backdoorpass]

[QUOTE="Coach K may want to coach until the day he dies.[/QUOTE]

At 69, Coach K is still trying to convince the world that he has black hair. He is nowhere close to fading into the sunset, releasing the grip on his competitive spirit or conceding his capabilities as an elite coach. Duke is many years away from looking for a new basketball coach. When the time comes, who knows who they will choose? Duke will be able to pick anyone they want. I love Chris Collins, but he would be lucky to be in the conversation if and when the time comes. No real need to worry about it right now.

 

[NJCat]

[QUOTE="Coach K may want to coach until the day he dies.

[/QUOTE]

He's on his second back surgery at 69. The spirit may be willing but the body is getting old.......

 

[julescat]

He will for sure go to Duke if they want him when Krzyzewski is done.

 

[NJCat]

He will for sure go to Duke if they want him when Krzyzewski is done.

He is more likely to replace the guy who replaces Coach K......

 

[julescat]

He is more likely to replace the guy who replaces Coach K......

I agree with you on that. I think he is at NU for several more seasons. But I think there will be a day when Duke calls on him.

 

[NJCat]

I agree with you on that. I think he is at NU for several more seasons. But I think there will be a day when Duke calls on him.

If I was Duke, my first call would be to Mike Brey.

 

[Windy City Cat Fan]

I hope you are right, but you are only focusing on one side of the family.

Where is his wife from? Chicago may be home for him, but it isn't for his wife. Happy wife, Happy life! They do have younger kids, so maybe wanting stability for them will factor in, plus recruiting from Chicago is probably easier logistically than Durham, and probably allows for more "home" time.

I'm sure Dr. Jim will do everything within his power to keep Coach happy.

His wife is from NYC - they met when he was at seton hall

 

[CommodoresAndCats]

1. We are very far away from Collins going to Duke (we haven't even made the tourney yet!)
2. I agree with others that there will be interest in Collins this off season if the Cats do make the tourney. This will be a good litmus test for his loyalty/happiness with NU; will he be rumored to be interviewing else where or will reports of interest in him lead nowhere? Either way there's a big difference between a place like Duke going after him and another struggling P5 school. Just because he doesn't take interviews at other schools doesn't mean he would deny Duke.

 

[Alan Smithee_rivals156293]

As long as BobbyD doesnt take him golfing in Texas, we should be ok.

 

[timbfischer]

Long term, it could be a Roy Williams at KU vs UNC situation. But, good grief are we a long way from that. And if CC brings us a National Championship before jetting, so be it. At that point it won't be hard to find a replacement. But, ****, ya'll. Let's win an important road Big Ten game first. Horse first... then cart.

 

[Fanaticat98]

If we make the tourney he will certainly get called on for job openings. However I assume he has a large incentive bonus for the tourney, and would get a raise as well. With facilities improvements coming I hope he would want to try to create a "dynasty" of sorts, not like Duke but a solid program that can regularly compete for a tourney bid.

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

Dr. Jim will sign him to a long term deal.

 

[NJCat]

His wife is from NYC - they met when he was at seton hall

Sure hope we don't lose him to Rutgers, New York's Big 10 Team then.......

 

[EvanstonCat]

Conventional wisdom says that Coach Collins will jump if Duke came knocking to fill Coach K's shoes. I don't buy it. I think the situation he has at NU is hard to beat. I think he's living the dream and loves it at NU.

He's been able to recruit well in spite of the so-called disadvantages such as W-R arena, academics, etc. Now, the administration is going to pony up for a new arena, and the facilities will be great. Living in Kenilworth with his multi-million dollar salary, and his parents living close by, must be great from the family perspective. Being a celebrity at Cub games, at Bulls games, at Black Hawks games... what sports fan wouldn't like that?

He can go down in history as the coach who took NU to the NCAA tournament, sort of like Barnett taking the Purple to Pasadena. Once he does that, his legacy will be stamped.

I see Chris Collins coaching NU basketball for a long, long time.

I'm actually with you all the way, but I hate to point out Barnett did leave for CU. I don't think Collins will leave for Duke or any other school.

 

[Deeringfish]

I'm actually with you all the way, but I hate to point out Barnett did leave for CU. I don't think Collins will leave for Duke or any other school.

The one thing that bothered me the most about Barnett wasn't that he entertained so many offers but how often he said he wasn't leaving, until he did.
I believed (Naively) that he was taking the time to scope out interested suitors in an effort to see what other programs were offering and get press for himself and by extension, NU. I didn't think he would leave because he had become such a idol of worship at NU that I couldn't see why anyone would go to the pressure cooker of another program. I forgot that people don't all think the same way.

 

[hdhntr1]

I agree with you on that. I think he is at NU for several more seasons. But I think there will be a day when Duke calls on him.

If by that time, he has built a program with several NCAA appearances and started to win a game or two in the dance plus has everything else he needs. Duke might not be as appealing, especially considering he scrutiny that coach Ks successor will be under. Bo if he still sees being at NU as a detriment to his success, he might move on. But already, he is getting many of the things people have been saying have held us back for years.

 

[LansingCat_rivals315357]

Collins is investing his blood sweat and tears to build a program here at Northwestern. I don't see him leaving this investment to go elsewhere .

 

[Deeringfish]

Collins is investing his blood sweat and tears to build a program here at Northwestern. I don't see him leaving this investment to go elsewhere .

Everyone has different priorities and push points. I would agree with you but CC might not.

 

[scru]

I'm very glad this is not an immediate problem. We have CCC and an excellent team right now. I'm looking forward to enjoying these seasons and cross the Duke bridge if and when it comes. I don't think there is much more NU can do for CCC to help him build the program. So, it is really out of NU's hands.

Go Cats!

 

[Sec_112]

Nobody is discussing a comparison of the Duke fan base and its support compared to NU.

Let's hope the Duke option is never available.

I predict Capel will be "Guthridged" in at some point in the near future. Krzyzewski may return from this surgery, but I have nothing but a feeling he will retire soon after his return.

 

[phatcat_rivals223240]

Over on the football board, they are implying that a writer that pre-season ranks us 11 is smoking something. Here, people are speculating that, if Duke calls, Coach Collins will stay at NU. Did I overlook multiple instances of sarcasm fonts?

I am only a casual fan, but this much I know - Duke is one of the top 2 or 3 jobs in the country, arguably the top, and Coach would crawl on broken glass to Durham to take that job.

To paraphrase Mike Greenberg, I will drink your bathwater in its entirety if he were to turn down Duke.

 

[DaCat]

Over on the football board, they are implying that a writer that pre-season ranks us 11 is smoking something. Here, people are speculating that, if Duke calls, Coach Collins will stay at NU. Did I overlook multiple instances of sarcasm fonts?

I am only a casual fan, but this much I know - Duke is one of the top 2 or 3 jobs in the country, arguably the top, and Coach would crawl on broken glass to Durham to take that job.

To paraphrase Mike Greenberg, I will drink your bathwater in its entirety if he were to turn down Duke.

I dunno. I guess it depends on a lot of factors, but I postulate that if Collins successfully brings the Purple to the Final Four or Elite Eight in the next 5 years or so, there would be no reason for him to jump to Duke if they came calling. Maybe he'd have a harder time recruiting some of the one-and-done kids at NU due to tighter academic restrictions, but I would guess that he would be pulling in some good talent if he had success in the NCAA tournament. All the other factors discussed in this thread, especially the support he gets from the administration, would appear to make NU a dream job for Collins.

 

[T_Levine]

I wonder if his father might be an example that Chris doesn't want to follow. Doug may tell and show Chris how he could have it all at northwestern

 

[mickbula]

I'll stop worrying about Coach Collins leaving for Duke just as soon as we procure some of those five star recruits that Duke seems to stock up with every recruiting class. My guess? Chris will head to Duke if we make it to the tourney and make some noise once there. And you know what? I'll thank him effusively for everything he has done for the NU program and wish him all the success in the world once he heads back to Duke. Then, I'll start prodding our AD to find the next Randy Walker and Pat Fitzgerald for the basketball program!

 

[NJCat]

Then, I'll start prodding our AD to find the next Pat Fitzgerald for the basketball program!

Geez, I hope not. It is fun to watch a team compete for the title.

 

[NJCat]

I predict Capel will be "Guthridged" in at some point in the near future.

If you mean sacked, it may be very soon. Miami is schooling Duke at Cameron Indoor tonight. Capel isn't doing himself any favors with the way Duke has played in Coach K's absence.

 

[julescat]

Fun to watch Dook get crushed!

 

[NJCat]

Fun to watch Dook get crushed!

Amen, brother!!

 

[EvanstonCat]

Over on the football board, they are implying that a writer that pre-season ranks us 11 is smoking something. Here, people are speculating that, if Duke calls, Coach Collins will stay at NU. Did I overlook multiple instances of sarcasm fonts?

I am only a casual fan, but this much I know - Duke is one of the top 2 or 3 jobs in the country, arguably the top, and Coach would crawl on broken glass to Durham to take that job.

To paraphrase Mike Greenberg, I will drink your bathwater in its entirety if he were to turn down Duke.

Well, I think you're wrong. When the time comes, let's see.

 

[aquacat]

After thinking about this, does anyone here really think that Chris Collins is going to stay at his very first head coaching job for his ENTIRE career?!? He is coming in, taking this program to its greatest heights, and eventually moving on to a bigger program like Duke, his Alma mater, or jumping to the pros, maybe following in his father's footsteps and coaching the Bulls. He is a competitor and one of the brightest young basketball minds in the country. NU basketball will never be the highest paying job and I doubt Chicago will enough for him to be a "lifer". He will still elevate the prestige of this program. This has to be the most athletic basketball team ever at NU.

 

[NJCat]

After thinking about this, does anyone here really think that Chris Collins is going to stay at his very first head coaching job for his ENTIRE career?!? He is coming in, taking this program to its greatest heights, and eventually moving on to a bigger program like Duke, his Alma mater, or jumping to the pros, maybe following in his father's footsteps and coaching the Bulls. He is a competitor and one of the brightest young basketball minds in the country. NU basketball will never be the highest paying job and I doubt Chicago will enough for him to be a "lifer". He will still elevate the prestige of this program. This has to be the most athletic basketball team ever at NU.

Why not? It isn't like his first job was at Army (Coach K) or some Division II school. Guy got a Power 5 coaching gig paying him millions of bucks. It wouldn't be crazy for him to stay.

And by the the way, does the name Tom Izzo ring a bell? Apart from one year at a high school, his first college job was/is MSU. That seems to have worked out OK for the dean of Big 10 coaches.......

 

[Gocatsgo2003]

Why not? It isn't like his first job was at Army (Coach K) or some Division II school. Guy got a Power 5 coaching gig paying him millions of bucks. It wouldn't be crazy for him to stay.

And by the the way, does the name Tom Izzo ring a bell? Apart from one year at a high school, his first college job was/is MSU. That seems to have worked out OK for the dean of Big 10 coaches.......

Yeah... it's not like Collins never had any options before NU; he didn't take his first head coaching gig until he was almost 40 and he picked his spot at NU for (presumably many) reasons.

 

[Donatello Cat]

Then, I'll start prodding our AD to find the next Randy Walker and Pat Fitzgerald for the basketball program!

t. hardy?