Report: Duke’s Chris Collins hired as new Northwestern basketball coach

Former Duke standout and current Blue Devil assistant Chris Collins has been hired to fill the coaching vacancy at Northwestern, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.

Collins, a former McDonald’s All-American who was a standout player at Duke from 1993-1996, has significant ties to the Chicago area. He grew up in Northbrook, a Chicago suburb, while his father, Doug Collins, was coaching the Bulls.

After brief coaching stints with the Detroit Shock of the WNBA and Seton Hall, Collins joined Mike Krzyzewski’s staff at Duke in 2000, eventually becoming associate head coach in 2008. He will stay with the Blue Devils until their current season comes to a close.

At Northwestern, Collins replace Bill Carmody, who was fired following a 13-19 season in 2012-13. Carmody had previously guided the program to four-straight NIT appearances, but his highest Big 10 finish in 11 seasons on the job was seventh place.

Northwestern remains the only program in the so-called “Big Six” conferences to have never appeared in the NCAA Tournament.

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