The coaching staff for Northwestern men’s basketball in 2022-23 features a new hire and old faces in new roles, the program announced Wednesday.

Chris Lowery joins the Wildcats as an assistant coach after spending a decade as an associate head coach at Kansas State. The program was dominant during Lowery’s tenure, reaching the NCAA Tournament five times and winning two Big 12 regular-season titles. 

“This is a terrific addition to Northwestern basketball, as Chris brings a wealth of experience and success as both a head and assistant coach at this level,” coach Chris Collins said in a news release. “He has been part of many NCAA Tournament teams in his career and is an outstanding teacher and recruiter.”

Prior to his time at Kansas State, Lowery was the head coach at Southern Illinois. He led the Salukis to three NCAA Tournament appearances and a 145-116 record. 

Lowery is the only addition to NU’s staff. The Cats’ two other assistant coaches are Bryant McIntosh and Talor Battle. McIntosh previously worked as the assistant director of basketball operations for three seasons and is one of NU’s most prolific players in program history, recording 1,683 points over his career and helping lead the Cats to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.  Battle, who formerly played professionally overseas, has served as an NU assistant since May 2021. 

Brian James will serve as the special assistant to the head coach, leaving his role as an assistant after nine seasons. James has worked as a coach for more than 45 years — including coaching Collins in high school. Collins called James his “right hand man,” saying he has looked to him for guidance for years.

“I am excited for Brian to take on a role where he can continue to mentor not only our players, but our coaching staff on a daily basis,” Collins said.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @charvarnes11

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