Jimmy Collins (basketball) facts for kids
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 24, 1946 Syracuse, New York |
| Died | December 13, 2020 (aged 74) Chicago, Illinois |
| High school | Corcoran (Syracuse, New York) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | New Mexico State (1967–1970) |
| NBA Draft | 1970 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall |
| Pro career | 1970–1972 |
| Coaching career | 1973–2010 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1970–1972 | Chicago Bulls |
| As coach: | |
| 1973–1974 | New Mexico State (GA) |
| 1980–1983 | St. Thomas Elementary |
| 1983–1996 | Illinois (assistant) |
| 1996–2010 | UIC |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As head coach:
|
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James Earl Collins (born November 24, 1946 – died December 13, 2020) was an American basketball player and coach. He grew up in Syracuse, New York. Jimmy Collins became the head coach for the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) men's basketball team. He coached them from 1996 to 2010.
Collins became the coach with the most wins in UIC's history. He led the team to their first big tournaments. These included the NCAA tournament in 1998, 2002, and 2004. They also played in the NIT in 2003.
Contents
Early Life and Playing Career
Jimmy Collins was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. He went to Corcoran High School. After high school, he played college basketball at New Mexico State University. His coach there was Lou Henson.
In his final year of college, Collins was the team captain. His team, the Aggies, made it to the Final Four in the 1970 NCAA Tournament. This was a huge achievement for them.
After college, Jimmy Collins was chosen in the first round of the 1970 NBA draft. He was picked by the Chicago Bulls.
Coaching Career
Jimmy Collins started his coaching journey at New Mexico State. He worked there as a graduate assistant for about a year and a half. This was after he stopped playing professional basketball.
In 1976, Collins moved back to Chicago. He started a trucking business there. For a few years, from 1977 to 1983, he also worked as a probation officer in Cook County, Illinois. During this time, he also coached basketball again. He was a volunteer head coach at St. Thomas Elementary School in Chicago starting in 1980.
Assistant Coach at Illinois
From 1983 to 1996, Collins was an assistant coach. He worked at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He coached under his former college coach, Lou Henson.
Collins became known as one of the best recruiters in the country. He was very good at convincing talented players from the Chicago area to join Illinois. Some of these players included Kendall Gill, Nick Anderson, and Deon Thomas. He helped bring together most of the team that reached the Final Four in the 1989 NCAA Tournament.
Head Coach at UIC
In 1996, Jimmy Collins became the head coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He coached the team for 14 seasons. During his time, UIC had a record of 218 wins and 208 losses.
He led UIC to the NCAA Tournament three times. These appearances were in 1998, 2002, and 2004. On July 20, 2010, Collins announced that he was retiring from coaching.
Jimmy Collins passed away on December 13, 2020, at the age of 74.
Head Coaching Record Summary
Jimmy Collins coached the UIC Flames men's basketball team from 1996 to 2010.
- He led them to a regular season championship in the Horizon League in 1998.
- His teams also won the Horizon League tournament twice, in 2002 and 2004.
- Under his leadership, UIC made it to the NCAA Tournament three times (1998, 2002, 2004).
- They also played in the NIT once (2003).
- His overall coaching record at UIC was 218 wins and 208 losses.
See also
In Spanish: Jimmy Collins para niños
