Jimmy Collins accepts head coaching job at University of illinois-Chicago

Jet, April 15, 1996

Patience finally paid off for longtime assistant basketball coach Jimmy Collins.

Collins, 48, served as the No. 1 assistant coach of men's basketball at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana under coach Lou Henson for 13 years. Now he finally gets a long-awaited head coaching job at the University of Illinois-chicago.

"To get an opportunity like this is a dream come true," Collins said during a news conference. "I'm virtually overwhelmed."

Under Henson at Illinois, Collins helped recruit NBA stars Nick Anderson of the Orlando Magic and Kendall Gill of the New Jersey Nets and players Kenny Battle and Stephen Bardo.

Illinois-Chicago administrators are counting on Collins' recruiting skills that enabled Ilinois--which enjoyed a number of winning seasons which included an NCAA Final Four appearance-to turn around a Flames team that finished 10-18 last season.

The hiring of Collins concludes a period in which the veteran coach was passed over by Ilinois in favor of University of Florida Coach Lon-Kruger to replace the retiring Henson. Then veteran Illinois-Chicago coach Bob Hallberg was suddenly reassigned to administrative duties, and Collins was offered Hallberg's job at Illinois' sister school in Chicago.

Collins has a five-year contract, reportedly worth $500,000. He attended New Meidco State and averaged 20.1 points per game while leading the Henson-coached Aggies to the NCAA Final Four in 1970. He became the first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bulls that year and played two seasons for the Bulls. He also spent a year with ABA'S Carolina Cougars.