Four years ago, one of the first things I noticed about Collins is that he was going to try and win at NU the way other teams win: defense, rebounding, athleticism, recruiting, depth. After a demoralizing decade+ I doubted he could do it. I thought there might be inherently impossible about winning at Northwestern. that NU just had to find some secret formula to break through. But from early on you could see the defensive strides as Collins slowly worked in more man-to-man. You could see the rebounding improve. He recruited large classes with depth, and players improved over their tenure. Our guys blocked shots and dunked with increased regularity.
Basically, it looked like every other good basketball team. And I have real confidence for the future knowing that NU can go toe-to-toe with Purdue, Gonzaga, Notre Dame, Maryland, Michigan, Wake Forest, Dayton, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Texas, Indiana, Butler, and Vanderbilt—legitimate programs with track records of success—and win as many as we lose.
Home-court advantage. New facilities. Great location. High visibility. Proven coaching. A real live legitimate college basketball program. At our very own Northwestern University! Congratulations and thank you, Jim Phillips and Chris Collins. It's been a blast, and it's only beginning.
Basically, it looked like every other good basketball team. And I have real confidence for the future knowing that NU can go toe-to-toe with Purdue, Gonzaga, Notre Dame, Maryland, Michigan, Wake Forest, Dayton, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Texas, Indiana, Butler, and Vanderbilt—legitimate programs with track records of success—and win as many as we lose.
Home-court advantage. New facilities. Great location. High visibility. Proven coaching. A real live legitimate college basketball program. At our very own Northwestern University! Congratulations and thank you, Jim Phillips and Chris Collins. It's been a blast, and it's only beginning.
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