STF Q&A: Illinois-Chicago Head Coach Jimmy Collins

Here at STF, we like to take the opportunity to speak with those who know college hoops far better than we do. Usually, that means a writer with a national profile or one who covers a specific team. In this case, however, we were lucky enough to get a few minutes with Head Coach Jimmy Collins, who is currently in the midst of a tough season in the loaded Horizon. The Flames were 8-4 before Sophomore point guard Spencer Stewart went down with an injury. They lost the next three games on the road, as dynamic shooter Josh Mayo has suddenly had to learn to distribute instead of bombing away. The weekend brought a return to the win column with a victory over Loyola (IL).

STF: You gave your team a challenging non-conference schedule, with mixed results. Is it worth taking a few losses to test your team against tough mid-majors like Bradley, Winthrop, and Wichita State?

JC: Definitely. I think we've shown that we can hold our own with anybody when we're healthy. We were 8-4 before Spencer got hurt. That made it so Josh Mayo had to move to the point, and we picked up three losses in a row as we adjust to that change. Spencer is the toughest guy on the team, as well as the guy who understands the team and the sets the best. But with or without him, I think we played a perfect non-conference schedule.

STF: Josh Mayo is having an incredible season shooting the ball. How does he maintain that high degree of consistency with opponents free to key on him?

JC: It's not really ideal having Josh at the point. He needs to be open to get his shot off, and Spencer could always hit him when he was open - he has such great vision. Now we have to run sets for Josh, get him into the patterns where he can sometimes shake free and get his own shot. But he's struggling with the change from being the receiver to being the sender.

Spencer won't be back until probably the end of conference play, so we're going to definitely have to learn how to play with the lineup the way it is now.

STF: Players from Chicago are starting for some of the top teams in division one. How difficult is it to get some of the great home-grown talent to stay put?

JC: It's always been difficult, even when I was an assistant at Illinois under Lou Henson. And if Illinois couldn't do it, and still can't do it consistently, then you know we can't. We'll always get some, but a lot are going to leave.

People feel they should leave, and everyone around them is telling them they need to go away and do something new somewhere else. And from a basketball standpoint, that is often true. But from the standpoint of being far away from home - you don't know anybody there, and you don't know where to go and where not to go. If you stay in Chicago, you have family to help you out.

STF: You've also started to bring in some overseas players to complement the core of in-state players. How have you adjusted to the need to look at international recruits?

JC: Well, people get excited about coming to Chicago. They're not as afraid to come here, even from Europe, because they've heard of the city and they know some of what's going on here.

It's interesting, because you never know what will give you a link to Chicago. We have a large Serbian population in the city, and that's actually made it a lot easier for me to recruit some players from there.

STF: Your team has scored anywhere from 97 points (vs. Howard) to 47 (vs. Illinois State). Do you prefer the fast pace, or is it better to slow it down?

JC: I personally prefer the faster pace. It's where the overall game of basketball is going. When you have a lot of shooters like we do, it's good to keep them moving, because moving shooters are hard for the defense to find. But you can't get that movement going if you don't rebound, and that's been our issue. If you're waiting around to get your next posession after the other team scores... that doesn't work.

STF: The addition of Valpo to the Horizon has made your job a little tougher. How do you feel about that?

JC: It's great. It gives us a competitive team that really raises the profile of our league. Look at it this way - you'd rather have a good team from nearby come into your league. You don't want to have to travel to Utah or something just to play a bad team. I really have a lot of respect for Homer Drew, and it will be great for us to play his team.

STF: You're heavily involved with the Chicago Special Olympics. How has that impacted your approach to sports and life in general?

JC: Well, it really lets you know what sports are really about. The kids are giving their all, and they're just happy for the opportunity to play and be a part of something fun and rewarding. It shows you the blessings you have, when you think about a 7' kid who earns a scholarship and gets the chance to represent his city and his university and he thinks he deserves to be treated special. Then you see kids who are just purely enjoying the games. It really opens your eyes.

Big thanks to Coach Collins for taking the time to speak with us. We wish the Flames nothing but good luck in the upcoming battle for the Horizon League.