Who is Doug Collins' son, Chris Collins? All we know about the Northwestern HC's personal life
Doug Collins is an NBA player and head coach. He made four All-Star games as a player and coached four teams, including the Chicago Bulls.
Doug's son, Chris Collins, is also a basketball coach. He coaches the Northwestern Wildcats men's team, the No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Chris Collins' personal life
Chris Collins was born on April 19, 1974, in Illinois. He played for the Glenbrook North High School's variety team. In 1992, Chris was crowned "Illinois Mr. Basketball." It is an award given to Illinois' best high-school basketball player.
He is the son of Doug Collins, a former NBA coach who played a pivotal role in Chris' coaching, and Kathy Collins. Doug and Kathy have been married for 37 years.
Chris has a sister, Kelly, who, like her brother, also has a connection to college basketball, having played for Lehigh. She is now a teacher.
After his time at Duke, Chris met his wife, Kim, and in 2002, the pair tied the knot. Chris and Kim have two children, Ryan and Kate.
According to heavy.com, Kim owns a photography company based in Chicago.
In contrast to many other wives of athletes and coaches, Kim prefers to sit behind the Wildcats bench to be as close to her husband as possible.
"I have to sit behind the bench. It's all I know. I don't get to see him (Chris) work except for games. I don't do chair backs, I'm a bench warmer," Kim said.
Chris Collins' coaching career
After graduating from Duke in 1996, Chris Collins played for two years in Finland. When he returned to the United States, he started coaching.
His first role was as an assistant coach for the Detroit Shock, a WNBA team now called the Dallas Wings. Collins only stayed with the Shock for one year. He later became the assistant coach at Seton Hall, under current Harvard coach Tommy Amaker, a year later.
In 2000, Collins returned to his Alma Mater as an assistant under Coach K. He remained with the Blue Devils for 13 years before taking his first head coach role with the Northwestern Wildcats in 2013. His tenure in charge of the Wildcats has been mixed. The team has been inconsistent and normally finishes its season with a losing conference record.
However, Collins has massively improved the Wildcats' form in the last two seasons. In 2023, they finished tying for second in the Big Ten and made the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. It was their first appearance since the 2017 edition and only the second in their history.
This year, Collins again brought the Northwestern Wildcats to another March Madness. He will hope the Wildcats will be lucky for the third time.