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The building of a program ...and the man behind it By Graham Couch Sports Editor
Jimmy Collins, the men’s basketball coach at the University of Illinois-Chicago, has had both. Five years ago, Collins was passed over for the position of head coach at Illinois after 13 years as an assistant under the departed Lou Henson. Collins, a loner by nature, turned to those close to him to handle the disappointment. “When you put in that kind of time and effort into any job, you hope to be compensated,” said the 53-year-old Collins. “But I also understand that the nature of this business is here today, gone tomorrow.” Then came opportunity. The chancellor at UIC called and asked Collins if he would be interested in taking over the Flames basketball program. “What am I to say, I’m unemployed,” Collins said. “I’ve always thought UIC was a sleeping giant.” Awaking that giant proved to be difficult. Recruiting was not as easy as Collins envisioned. Downstate, he had helped bring in the Illini’s Final Four team of 1989, including Kendill Gill, Kenny Battle, and Marcus Liberty. Collins had hoped that DePaul’s success at keeping kids home in Chicago would trickle down to him, but initially it didn’t work out that way. “When you’re recruiting for the Big Ten and Illinois, you’re dealing with tradition and things that are already in place,” Collins said. “A big arena, a fan base, a support system, that’s already there. That wasn’t the case here.” The first thing he had to do was change the attitude of those within the program. According to Collins, the mindset surrounding the program was that of an extra-curricular activity. Players didn’t expect to be pushed and they didn’t expect to be demanded to excel. There wasn’t even a weight training program in place. UIC had not been landing the top rated local talent and the blue-chippers which they did get were guys who had gone elsewhere and failed before coming back home. “A lot of [the guys who had returned home] felt like they were doing [UIC] a favor by being here,” said Collins. “I had to run some guys off. Some people quit. Some people just shut down. But when the smoke cleared I had the type of warriors and the type of people that would compete how I wanted.” Those warriors helped lead UIC to its first ever NCAA bid in 1998, Collins second season. However, many of the kids Collins had brought in were junior college transfers. They had been able to handle the pressure immediately, but only had two years of eligibility. The Flames lost a big chunk of their tournament team at once and the kids brought in to replace them struggled. UIC dipped from 22-6 in 1998 to 7-21 a year later. “They were good players, but with NCAA legislation as is you don’t really get to know a kid... Some of them were not top citizens. They didn’t respond to constructive criticism. Some parents were too involved. And some kids you couldn’t say two words to without them calling the administration and saying you’re using harsh words with them,” he said. Those kids set back the program, according to Collins, just as UIC was getting all the positive local and national attention. Collins had to sell kids on UIC. And not just talented kids, tough kids who doubled as solid citizens. “I tell kids this is an opportunity for you to make your own foot prints in the sand,” said Collins, a first round pick of the Chicago Bulls in 1970. “You’re not going to come to this university and become the next Isiah Thomas. When you come to this university everybody following you could be the next you.” Apparently Collins knew what he was doing. In 2000, UIC had a freshman class ranked in the top 20 nationally, including top 30 recruit Cedrick Banks and Martell Bailey, who Collins called the best point guard he has ever recruited. And yes, Collins recruited Kiwane Garris at Illinois. Like Garris, Both Banks and Bailey came from the storied program at Westinghouse High School. Collins said one of the reasons he was able to land these two was that the head coach at Westinghouse, Chris Head, did not discourage his stars from committing to Collins and UIC. However, what once had the potential to be a young and exciting UIC team this year took a hit when Banks, Bailey and Armond Williams were ruled ineligible for their freshman seasons and William Lewis was forced to sit out the season after surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament. “The fact that they’re not playing and they’re as good as they are is frustrating,” said Collins. “All of the kids we brought in could be playing quality minutes and two or three might even be starting.” According to Collins, all the ineligible freshman had good semesters academically and are expected to play next season. Collins said the thought of next year makes it hard not to smile. But he realizes that this season is still the focus. And it is because of the guys he has now that Collins said he is able to get the type of player he wants. Now that he possesses guys who he trusts playing for him, Collins can ask them about potential recruits, saving him from finding out that a kid doesn’t play with desire once they’re already suited up in a Flames uniform. Collins is hopeful that this will help him get only his kind of player for years to come. “We try to stagger them so when Joe Scott and Joel Bullock (two of his “warriors”) move on, we’ve got kids right behind them just like them, if not better,” said Collins. “Because the stamp of approval has been put on those kids by previous warriors.” However, not all of building a college basketball program is about recruiting and bringing in new talent. It’s about molding the players you do have and earning their respect. And for all of Collins accolades as a recruiter in Champaign-Urbana and now Chicago, it is dealing with his current players that he may be best at. Mention his name to a player, and their face will light up. Players describe him as a “second father” or “uncle.” “If I’m ever down he’ll pull me aside and find out what’s wrong,” said junior guard Jon-Pierre Mitchom. “He is a very caring person.” Collins said he knows why he has their respect. “To use their terms, I ‘keep it real,’” he said. “I love them because they made a commitment to me and this university. I’m on them hard because I know once you leave this program the world is mean and if you aren’t ready you’ll wilt.” Collins doesn’t have blanket rules for all players. He has dealt with each player individually, choosing to raise his team like he did his four kids, based on each one’s personality. According to his players, Collins does get “fussy” and angry at times, but he usually doesn’t have to say much to let them know he is not happy.
Yet Collins said his demeanor when he is upset can vary based on how he feels, which is the most important thing in coaching according to him. “If it makes me feel good to rant and rave about a mistake, then I do it,” he said. “If it makes me feel good just to look at a kid a certain way, then I do it. The one thing I never do is attack them personally.” Even though basketball is number one to Collins, academics is a close second. He wants his players to take advantage of what he calls the best university in the Chicago area. “This ball stops bouncing on you real early,” he said. “Right now kids think they’re invincible and they’re going to play forever. But believe me, that crowd stops yelling and fades real quick.” This season’s UIC team stood at 7-8 and 1-1 in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference as of last Thursday. Collins described them as a tough team with a lot of depth and said he thinks they have a shot at winning the conference tournament. If that happens it won’t be because of talent, it will be because he finally has his type of players fighting for him—warriors. And Collins has a dream for the future of his young program. “Five years from now, when I walk through airports in different parts of the country and people see UIC [on his apparel], they won’t ask me what it means,” he said. Back to top | Home Webmaster: Sal J. Barry The Columbia Chronicle is a student produced publication of Columbia College Chicago and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of Columbia College administrators, faculty or students. |
January 16, 2001
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