Northwestern is becoming a pain in....

[herkI]

Fran is making headway in Illinois.
Northwestern is allowed to live. So the Wildcats might eventually pass Illinois as the best team in the conference in their state. That's okay. Now, if the Cats & Illini were both locking up in state talent, then one could worry.
Hayden beat Northwestern like a drum. At least 15 straight times I believe. It's funny how, after a while, you can begin to think its your God given right to beat a school. I bet if you take Hayden's last few years and add Ferentz's record, Iowa football is around .500 vs Northwestern
Barnett bailed for Colorado. Walker did okay, but where the Purple struck gold was when they nabbed a capable alum, Pat Fitzgerald. He's not really a threat to go anywhere, and they are going to be competitive as long as he's there.
Collins will do a Barnett. He'll get them to win enough that they might actually invest in improving the arena. But he will be gone, and they will return to their usual self. I don't see a capable hoop alum on the horizon who will stay forever and make Wildcat hoops a perennial competitive concern.
Over time, schools tend to fare as well as their attendance. Iowa was in the top 20 for the 20th plus time this season, & 7th in a conference that led the nation for the 39th straight time. The BIG has always been a brutal basketball conference. Iowa's tradition pegs them in the bottom middle. Definitely the best program to never have won a national title. It can be disconcerting when the perennial worst is making progress, but it's not Iowa who they'll leap frog. Fran's got it going. And this uptick in Evanston will not be permanent. Worst case, they make the tourney 1 year, & Iowa is in the NIT. More than likely, they'll join Iowa in the tourney.

Logical analysis, Galloot. I agree unless....he intends to turn NW into the Big Ten version of Duke. Possible, but not probable.

 

[blockm2]

Chris Collins has no short-term, or long-term, plans to leave Northwestern. He loves the Chicago area and the powers at NW have finally figured out that a financial investment in athletics can actually benefit the entire university.

Huh?

A Duke alum and former Duke assistant is coaching at a school that has never made the NCAA tournament and you think he views himself as coaching there forever? He's got a pair of 6-12 conference records to show his first 2 seasons. Bill Carmody only won fewer than 7 conference games once in his final 5 seasons in Evanston so if Collins doesn't quickly have the Wildcats above .500 in the Big Ten he could begin to feel some heat.

 

[ottawahawk]

Huh?

A Duke alum and former Duke assistant is coaching at a school that has never made the NCAA tournament and you think he views himself as coaching there forever? He's got a pair of 6-12 conference records to show his first 2 seasons. Bill Carmody only won fewer than 7 conference games once in his final 5 seasons in Evanston so if Collins doesn't quickly have the Wildcats above .500 in the Big Ten he could begin to feel some heat.

For reasons mentioned many times, NW is a special situation for CC. Regarding his record during his first two years, that will improve significantly as his recruits grow in the program, much like FM with the Hawks. Are you seriously suggesting that the NW administration will consider firing CC? He has the fan base, although it is small, fired up to a level not seen in Evanston for many, many years, plus he has a Ferentz-like contract in length of years. People are seriously talking NCAA in 2 more years, again progressing like FM at a steady pace.

 

[Gladeskat]

Chris Collins has no short-term, or long-term, plans to leave Northwestern. He loves the Chicago area and the powers at NW have finally figured out that a financial investment in athletics can actually benefit the entire university. Basketball recruits not only meet current players and coaches, they are introduced to the AD and President of the university during their official visits. With an endowment of about $8 billion to use to benefit the university, the financial resources are there to provide CC with whatever he needs in terms of facilities.

Except that Collins and NU athletics will NEVER see that $8 billion. Interest from the endowment is not spent on athletics. All athletic funding comes from separate private donations and funding drives.

This has been a great discussion, though, with excellent points made by many here, particularly by Galoot and Ottawahawk, IMO. I also see Collins staying for awhile, even after he takes NU to an NCAA tournament or two, or three. Galoot is right that the real question is how much is NU (and their fans) willing to spend money on athletics and improving athletic venues.

 

[Gladeskat]

By the way, many are thinking NU might make the tournament this year. We have some nice freshmen coming in and a 5th year transfer big man who is unlike anybody NU has had at the center position in decades.

 

[blockm2]

For reasons mentioned many times, NW is a special situation for CC. Regarding his record during his first two years, that will improve significantly as his recruits grow in the program, much like FM with the Hawks. Are you seriously suggesting that the NW administration will consider firing CC? He has the fan base, although it is small, fired up to a level not seen in Evanston for many, many years, plus he has a Ferentz-like contract in length of years. People are seriously talking NCAA in 2 more years, again progressing like FM at a steady pace.

Are you forgetting that they have been seriously thinking they are no more than 1-2 years from the NCAA for like a decade now? Hell they probably would've made it once or twice if not for some catastrophic injuries. They've always been on the verge of making it. From 2010-2012 they had 3 straight teams with 18 or 19 wins on selection Sunday not make it.

Collins having a handful of young players with potential doesn't make them any different than the last 10+ years.

 

[ottawahawk]

Are you forgetting that they have been seriously thinking they are no more than 1-2 years from the NCAA for like a decade now? Hell they probably would've made it once or twice if not for some catastrophic injuries. They've always been on the verge of making it. From 2010-2012 they had 3 straight teams with 18 or 19 wins on selection Sunday not make it.

Collins having a handful of young players with potential doesn't make them any different than the last 10+ years.

This is not the typical NW type of team that CC is developing. Historically, NW has had 1-2 pretty solid players surrounded by rather mediocre role players. CC is quickly getting high 3 and 4 star athletes and developing team depth that NW has never enjoyed. Some rating experts say that he has landed the number 1 and 3 players from Illinois in the 2016 class--not too shabby. I realize that doubters can always say that he hasn't won anything yet, but all indications are pointing upward for that program.

 

[blockm2]

This is not the typical NW type of team that CC is developing. Historically, NW has had 1-2 pretty solid players surrounded by rather mediocre role players. CC is quickly getting high 3 and 4 star athletes and developing team depth that NW has never enjoyed. Some rating experts say that he has landed the number 1 and 3 players from Illinois in the 2016 class--not too shabby. I realize that doubters can always say that he hasn't won anything yet, but all indications are pointing upward for that program.

I don't see any indicators pointing any better than they have been. He has increased their recruiting profile compared to Carmody, but he has a long way to go to show he can develop talent as well or better than Carmody. Getting 3 and 4 star athletes doesn't make them any better than 8 or 10 other programs in the conference which is the same level they've already been at for a while.

Could he do it? Of course. I'm just not yet sold that he will. Stiff competition in the Big Ten and I personally think he'll be looking for a bigger job when he finds out how tough it will be to win in Evanston.

 

[IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life]

It doesn't help that ESPN, BTN, ETC... are dead set on making Chris Collins a success.

 

[Gladeskat]

I don't see any indicators pointing any better than they have been. He has increased their recruiting profile compared to Carmody, but he has a long way to go to show he can develop talent as well or better than Carmody. Getting 3 and 4 star athletes doesn't make them any better than 8 or 10 other programs in the conference which is the same level they've already been at for a while.

Could he do it? Of course. I'm just not yet sold that he will. Stiff competition in the Big Ten and I personally think he'll be looking for a bigger job when he finds out how tough it will be to win in Evanston.

I think these are fair comments, but I should point out that Olah and Demps have developed very nicely under Collins and his assistants. Olah had 25 and 12, while Demps had 20 in NU's last win over Michigan. I also think he'll stay around Chicago for a while after he gets NU in the NCAA tournament.

 

[EddieHaskell]

I don't care if Collins is doing a nice job. We shouldn't be losing recruits to Northwestern. Fran's recruiting remains mediocre and that won't change until the staff does.

 

[lovedwatchingLester]

Wow!!!!!!! Pretty good results for mediocre, smh