Bobby Collins (basketball coach)

College coach infobox


Name = Bobby Collins
Sport = Basketball
| ImageWidth =
Caption =
DateOfBirth =
Birthplace = flagicon|United States Southern Pines, NC
DateOfDeath =
Deathplace =
College = Winston-Salem State
Title = Head coach
Awards = MEAC Coach of the Year (2005)
Championships = MEAC Tournament Championship (2006)
CurrentRecord = 5-24 (.172)
OverallRecord = 70-81 (.464)
Player = *
Years = 1987–1991
Team = Eastern Kentucky
Position =
Coach = *
CoachYears = 1994–1995
1995–2002
2002–2006
2006–present
CoachTeams = Old Dominion (asst.)
Hampton (asst.)
Hampton
Winston-Salem State
CollegeHOFID =
BBallHOF =

Bobby Collins (born in Southern Pines, North Carolina) is the head men's basketball coach at Winston-Salem State University. He is the team's first head coach since beginning their transition to Division I competition. Collins previously served as the head men's coach at Hampton University

Collins played basketball collegiately at Eastern Kentucky University from 1987 until 1991, earning All-Ohio Valley Conference Honorable Mention in his senior season. After earning his degree in business administration and management, he played one season overseas in Finland before returning to his alma mater to spend two years as an admissions counselor. In 1994, Collins took his first head coaching job as an assistant to Jeff Capel II with the Old Dominion Monarchs.

He left Old Dominion after one season to join the coaching staff at Hampton. As a part of the Pirates' staff, Collins helped a program that was transitioning to Division I upon his arrival become a constant presence at the top of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. This rise to the top reached its apex with back-to-back MEAC tournament titles in 2001 and 2002. The 2001 Pirates squad pulled off one of the most memorable upsets in the history of the NCAA tournament, playing as a 15-seed and defeating the second-seeded Iowa State Cyclones in the first round.

Following the 2002 season, Hampton's then-head coach Steve Merfeld left the school to take over at the University of Evansville. Shortly thereafter, Collins was promoted to the position as head coach, his first-ever head coaching position.

While Collins was still able to be competitive with the Pirates, he was never able to quite match the same high level of success set by Merfeld. Hampton won 19 games in Collins' first season, a school record for most wins by a first-year coach, but fell just short of a third consecutive MEAC title with a loss to South Carolina State in the MEAC championship game. The Pirates returned to the MEAC title game in 2005, but once again fell short, this time falling to Delaware State. Collins was, however, named the MEAC Coach of the Year for his efforts.

In 2006, after finishing in a tie for 5th during the regular season, the Pirates made a surprise run through the MEAC tournament and won their third MEAC title, and their first with Collins at the helm. However, their 16-15 record before the NCAA tournament sent Hampton to the opening-round game in Dayton, Ohio, where the Pirates were eliminated by Monmouth. Just two days after the loss, Collins resigned as the head coach of the Hampton Pirates.cite web
url = http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=ncb&id=2371628|title = Hampton men's basketball coach resigns|accessdate=2007-07-18|date = 2006-03-16|publisher = ESPN.com]

Collins returned to his home state in September 2006 when he was hired to lead the Winston-Salem State Rams in their first season of Division I competition.cite web
url = http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=ncb&id=2577328|title = Winston-Salem State hires ex-Hampton coach Collins|accessdate=2007-07-18|date = 2006-09-07|publisher = ESPN.com] In his first season with the Rams, playing as an independent with a schedule comprised mostly of road games, Collins managed a 5-24 record. The 2007–2008 season, Collins' second with the team, will mark the Rams' first season of MEAC competition.

Head coaching record

CBB Yearly Record Start
conference=*
postseason=*CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Hampton
startyear=2002
conf=Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
endyear=2006|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2002–2003
name = Hampton
overall = 19-11
conference = 13-5
confstanding = T-2nd
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2003–2004
name = Hampton
overall = 13-17
conference = 11-7
confstanding = T-3rd
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2004–2005
name = Hampton
overall = 17-13
conference = 13-5
confstanding = T-2nd
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 2005–2006
name = Hampton
overall = 16-16
conference = 10-8
confstanding = T-5th
postseason = NCAA Opening RoundCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Hampton
overall = 65-57
confrecord = 47-25CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Winston-Salem State
startyear=2006
conf=Division I Independent
endyear=2007|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2006–2007
name = Winston-Salem State
overall = 5-24
conference =
confstanding =
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Winston-Salem State
startyear=2007
conf=Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
endyear=|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2007–2008
name = Winston-Salem State
overall = 0-0
conference = 0-0
confstanding =
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Winston-Salem State
overall = 5-24
confrecord = 0-0CBB Yearly Record End
overall=70-81

References

External links

* [http://wssurams.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/collins_bobby00.html Bio at Winston-Salem State's athletics page]