March 30, 2023

HOUSTON, TX -- Northwestern’s Chris Collins is the recipient of the 2023 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award.

Collins led Northwestern to a 22-12 record, including a 12-8 mark in Big Ten play. Northwestern's 12 conference wins are the most in a season in program history, and its 22 overall wins are second-most in program history.

This season Collins led Northwestern to its second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. He has led the program to the only two NCAA tournaments in school history.

“Coach Phelan and his teams were always tough and ‘tough’ is the perfect word to describe Coach Collins and his team, said Angela Lento, Vice President of CollegeInsider.com. “A second-ever trip to the NCAA tournament this season was very unexpected. Do it once and people may say it was luck. Do it again and people should mention you among the best coaches in the country.”

Collins guided Northwestern to its first defeat of an AP No. 1 team when the 'Cats took down then-No. 1 Purdue 64-58 on February 12. Northwestern earned a 4-1 record this season against AP ranked foes, the most such wins in a single season in school history.

Northwestern compiled a three-game win streak against ranked opponents, its first since 1954-55. Under Collins, Northwestern grabbed its latest AP poll ranking during Week 15 of the season at the nation's No. 21 team.

Collins became the second Northwestern coach to be named as Big Ten Coach of the Year, and first since Bill Carmody won the award in 2004.

The Jim Phelan Award is named in honor of a legendary bow-tied coach who spent his entire head coaching career at Mount Saint Mary’s University.

Phelan graduated from La Salle University in 1951 and played one season in the NBA with the Philadelphia Warriors. After a brief professional career, Phelan went to Mount St. Mary’s as an assistant in 1953. One year later he began his historical career as a head coach.

He led the Mountaineers to 16 Division II NCAA tournaments. Five times they advanced to the Final Four and he led them to the DII National Championship in 1962.

When he retired in 2003, after coaching for 49 years, he had amassed 830 wins (overall record of 830-524) in all divisions. In those 49 years, 19 of his teams amassed 20 or more wins in a season.

In 2008 he was inducted into National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Phelan passed away on June 15, 2021 at the age of 92 at his home in Emmitsburg, MD.

The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.


2022-23 JIM PHELAN AWARD FINALISTS

Note: Some of the content from the press release came directly from Northwestern University media releases.