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Basketball - W
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| Nicki Collen | ||||||||||||||||||
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Courtesy: Jeri Thorpe, Athletic Media Relations |
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Nicki Collen made her return to coaching July 1, 2011, joining husband Tom Collen as an assistant for the Razorbacks. Nicki stepped away from coaching to start a family but steped in at Arkansas during a time that the Razorbacks are rich with guard-driven talent – her area of expertise. Nicki will focus on the continued development of Arkansas guards as well as assume the role of defensive coordinator for the Razorbacks. Arkansas’ guard pool includes sophomore Calli Berna and returners Erin Gatling and Kelsey Hatcher along with newcomer Melissa Wolff who is expected to handle the ball as well. In her first season on the bench for the Razorbacks, Nicki helped the team rank eighth in the nation in scoring defense holding opponents to just 52.4 ppg. That mark ranked second in the SEC and the Razorbacks ranked second in three-point field goal defnese and defensive rebounding percentage. “Nicki contributes to the team in many ways,” head coach Tom Collen said. “First and foremost, she continues the development of our young and talented guards and takes their game to another level. She was a point guard in college and she has a great mind for the game. Nicki is also the defensive coordinator, a position she has held for me in past. I take great comfort in her knowing how I think and what I want, so we should be on the same page from the beginning.” Nicki was on the bench with Collen during his coaching stints at Louisville and Colorado State. At Louisville, she filled the roles of an assistant coach (April 2003-June 2004) and director of basketball operations (July 2004-Dec. 2005) coordinating team travel and scheduling, doing film breakdown, handling summer camps, recruiting and scouting. Her on-court coaching duties encompassed all elements of the game with a specialization in guard development for the Cardinals. Nicki arrived at Louisville after one season as an assistant coach at Ball State. While at Ball State her main coaching responsibilities were working with the point guards and assisting in recruiting. Prior to her coaching at Ball State, she served two seasons as an assistant at Colorado State where she handled recruiting, scouting, team travel, guard development and all aspects of on-court coaching. In her two seasons with the Rams she helped guide them to a 47-17 overall record and the 2002 Mountain West Conference Title. While at Colorado State, Nicki was also the color analyst for women’s basketball during the 2000-01 season. She continued to work in television serving as a color analyst for numerous telecasts including Razorback women’s basketball and softball. Before her tenure at Colorado State, Nicki played basketball professionally for one season with the BCM Alexandros Team in Greece. From 1993-95, the former Nicki Taggart, helped guide Purdue to two Big Ten Titles and a Final Four appearance in 1994. Nicki transferred to Marquette for her final two seasons, guiding them to two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. While at Marquette, she earned all-conference honors and finished her senior season ranked third in the nation in assists. Upon graduation, she held the league record for career assists average with 7.0 per game. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Marquette, graduating with honors in 1997. |
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