Tom Collen - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

Collen began his coaching career at Miami University in 1981, where he worked for three seasons. He was assistant coach at the University of Utah from 1984 to 1986, and at the Purdue University from 1986 to 1993.

In 1993 he moved to the University of Arkansas, where he was assistant coach and recruiting coordinator until 1997. He was named assistant head coach for his last two seasons. The year after he left, the Arkansas team went to the Final Four of the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship. Arkansas' women's athletic director Bev Lewis said "his reputation as a recruiter is among the best in the country."

Collen left the University of Arkansas in 1997 to take the head coaching job at Colorado State University. Colorado State went to the NCAA Tournament four times in five seasons under his leadership. In 1999, his team played in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, and Collen was named coach of the year. His winning percentage of 79.6% (129 wins and 33 losses) ranked fourth among Division I women's basketball coaches at the time.

After the 2001-2002 season, Collen accepted a position at Vanderbilt University but resigned the next day over a discrepancy discovered on his resume. He had listed two master's degrees from Miami University, but Miami had reported only one degree in two subjects. Miami later acknowledged its mistake. By then both Vanderbilt and Colorado State had new head coaches. Collen took a year off from coaching, working as a television commentator and a consultant for the WNBA.

In 2003, Collen was hired at the University of Louisville by Tom Jurich, who had been director of athletics at Colorado State when Collen was hired there. During Collen's four seasons, Louisville had an 87-37 record and made the NCAA tournament three times.

In 2007, Collen became head coach of the Arkansas Ladybacks. Under his leadership the team began the 2007 season with a school record 15 consecutive wins.