Men’s Basketball

The men’s basketball head coaching position has been endowed by University trustees, the program announced Thursday.

Trustees Tim and Sue Sullivan, along with Jeff and Laurie Ubben, contributed $3 million dollars to NU athletics to form the Sullivan-Ubben Head Men’s Basketball Coaching position, according to a news release. Current coach Chris Collins is the first to hold the position.

“We are so incredibly grateful to the Sullivans and the Ubbens for their generosity and passion for the men’s basketball program,” athletic director Jim Phillips said in the news release. “The confidence that this reflects in Coach Collins, his staff and our student-athletes is pivotal to our success moving forward.”

Collins, a former Duke player and assistant coach, is in his fourth year with the Wildcats. Last year, he guided NU to its first 20-win regular season in program history.

The team is off to a 12-3 start this season as it looks to earn NU’s first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.

“I grew up watching NU basketball,” Jeff Ubben (Kellogg ’87) said in the release. “With Chris’s arrival and the NU sports resurgence under the leadership of Jim Phillips, we wanted in on the ground floor.”

Sullivan also expressed confidence in Collins. He and his wife are residents of Wilmette and frequent donors to the University.

The gift is the third of its kind at NU. Both the football and lacrosse head coaching positions are also endowed.

“The faith in our staff and student-athletes displayed by the Sullivan and Ubben families is extraordinary,” Collins said in the release. “We are building the foundation of something special here in Evanston, and the impact of their generosity will ripple through many different parts of our program moving forward.”

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